Windy conditions occurred across lower Michigan on April 17 with peak wind gusts generally in the 40 to 45 mph range and a couple of isolated higher gusts to 47 mph. These winds caused an isolated power outage in Eaton Rapids where a trained spotter reported that a large portion of the town lost power.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
The episode as NWS GRR wrote it up.
Windy conditions occurred across lower Michigan on April 17 with peak wind gusts generally in the 40 to 45 mph range and a couple of isolated higher gusts to 47 mph. These winds caused an isolated power outage in Eaton Rapids where a trained spotter reported that a large portion of the town lost power.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Grand Rapids, MI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 17, 12:10 PM EST, 10 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI 110 PM EDT SUN APR 17 2011 LATEST UPDATE...AVIATION... .SYNOPSIS...(400 AM EDT SUN APR 17 2011) A LITTLE TASTE OF WINTER HAS RETURNED TO WEST MICHIGAN. COLDER AIR WILL CONTINUE TO POUR INTO THE REGION TODAY AND HIGHS WILL REMAIN MAINLY IN THE UPPER 30S TO MID 40S. SCATTERED RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE NORTH OF I-96. COUPLED WITH WEST WINDS GUSTING TO 35-40 MPH...TODAY WILL BE RATHER CHILLY. ANOTHER STORM WILL DEVELOP OVER THE PLAINS BY MONDAY AND PUSH A WARM FRONT TOWARD THE LOWER GREAT LAKES. THIS FRONT WILL BE A FOCAL POINT FOR MORE RAIN AND POSSIBLE THUNDERSTORMS TUESDAY-WEDNESDAY. && .SHORT TERM...(400 AM EDT SUN APR 17 2011) (TODAY THROUGH TUESDAY) FORECAST CONCERNS DEAL WITH MIXED PRECIPITATION AND THE APPROACH OF ANOTHER WARM FRONT EARLY IN THE WEEK. STRONG CAA CONTINUES TO ADVECT INTO THE CWA ATTM H8 TEMPS NEAR -8C ARE GENERATING SOME SHSN ACROSS THEN NRN CWA. THIS SHOULD CONTINUE THROUGH MUCH OF THE DAY BEFORE DIMINISHING TOWARD EVENING. THE BIG ISSUE WILL BE THE WIND. ANOTHER WINDY DAY IS EXPECTED WITH WEST WIND GUSTS TO 45 MPH. WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO MIX A LITTLE DEEPER AND TAP SOME STRONGER WINDS TODAY DUE TO THE STRENGTH OF THE COLD AIR POOL. THE WINDS SHOULD DIMINISH FAIRLY QUICKLY TOWARD AND AFTER SUNSET. A SHORT WAVE MOVING ACROSS WYOMING WILL MOVE TOWARD FAR SRN LWR MI TONIGHT. BASED ON QPF PROGS AND FORECAST SOUNDINGS BELOW 0C... AROUND AN INCH OF SNOW SEEMS POSSIBLE AFTER MIDNIGHT SOUTH OF I-96. THE COMPACT NATURE OF THE WAVE SHOULD LIMIT THE NWD EXPANSION OF THE PCPN. ATTENTION THEN WILL TURN TO A DEVELOPING PLAINS LOW. THIS LOOKS LIKE A SIMILAR SITUATION TO WHAT JUST OCCURRED. AS THE LOW INTENSIFIES OVER THE PLAINS A STRONG WARM FRONT WILL MOVE NORTH ACROSS THE OHIO VALLEY MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY. A STRONG LLJ WILL DEVELOP AHEAD OF THIS SYSTEM AND PUSH MOISTURE OVER THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY. WE WILL SEE RAIN DEVELOP LATE MONDAY NIGHT OVER THE SRN CWA AND PUSH NWD TUESDAY. ACROSS THE NRN CWA SOME OF THIS RAIN WILL BE MIXED WITH SNOW. AND THE NWD PUSH MAY BE DELAYED A BIT DUE TO THE DRY NE WINDS FROM ONTARIO/QUEBEC ERODING SOME OF THE PCPN. TUESDAY COULD BE A RATHER DYNAMIC DAY JUST SOUTH OF THE CWA. ELEVATED INSTABILITY WILL BE PRESENT ACROSS THE CWA AS THE WARM FRONT GETS CLOSER. THE ECMWF TAKES THE SFC LOW ACROSS NRN INDIANA AND IS THE FARTHEST EAST. THE NAM/GFS KEEP THE LOW TO THE WEST WHICH MEANS PART OF THE CWA MAY GET INTO THE WARM SECTOR LATE TUESDAY. STRONG INSTABILITY AND SHEAR WILL LIKELY LEAD TO STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS ACROSS ILLINOIS/INDIANA TUESDAY AND THEY MAY SPREAD NORTH INTO THE CWA LATE IN THE DAY AS THE TRAILING COLD FRONT MOVES EAST. LATEST SPC DAY3 OUTLOOK INCLUDES FAR SRN LWR IN A SLIGHT RISK TUESDAY. && .LONG TERM...(400 AM EDT SUN APR 17 2011) (TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY) MODELS ARE IN DECENT AGREEMENT IN SHOWING THE WARM FRONT LIFTING NORTH TOWARD LOWER MI TUE NIGHT. WILL BUMP UP POPS TO CATEGORICAL FOR THIS REASON. A DEVELOPING LOW LEVEL JET NOSING INTO THE LOW LEVEL BAROCLINIC ZONE ALONG WITH ELEVATED INSTABILITY SUPPORTS SOME HEAVIER RAIN FOR TUE NIGHT. THE NEW HIGH RES EURO KEEPS THE WARM FRONT SOUTH OF LOWER MI ON WED AND IT IS FASTER AND FURTHER SOUTH WITH THE LOW THAN THE OTHER MODELS. THIS WOULD KEEP LOWER MI COOLER AND DRIER FOR WED. THE GFS WARRANTS ANOTHER BATCH OF SHOWERS AND STORMS FOR WED AM AS IT LIFTS THE LOW NORTHWARD THROUGH LAKE MI. COULD BE SEVERE WEATHER IF THIS OCCURS. AT THIS TIME THE GFS IS THE ONLY MODEL DOING THIS. WILL MAINTAIN THE CURRENT FORECAST FOR WED SUGGESTING THE MAIN AREA OF SHOWERS AND STORMS WILL PULL EAST OF THE REGION EARLY IN THE AM. LOOKS LIKE ANOTHER WINDY DAY AS COLD AIR ADVECTION ALLOWS FOR MIXING INTO THE STRONGER WINDS...ESPECIALLY WED AFTERNOON. && .AVIATION...(110 PM EDT SUN APR 17 2011) WINDY CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE AT ALL THE TAF SITES THIS AFTN WITH GUSTS OUT OF THE WEST IN THE 30 TO 40 KT RANGE. WINDS WILL SUBSIDE QUICKLY THIS EVENING WITH VFR CONDITIONS TO CONTINUE THRU THE AFTN/EVE. CONDITIONS WILL DETERIORATE FROM THE VFR TO IFR THEN LIFR FLIGHT CATEGORIES VERY LATE TONIGHT THROUGH MID TO LATE MONDAY MORNING IN SNOW. THE SNOW WILL OVERSPREAD ALL THE TERMINALS FROM WEST TO EAST FROM 06Z THRU 09Z MON... AND EXIT THE AREA FROM WEST TO EAST BETWEEN 14Z AND 17Z MON. I HAVE TRENDED THE SFC VISBY FCSTS IN SNOW FOR MOST OF THE TERMINALS DOWN TO 3/4 MILE FOR THAT TIME FRAME. FUTURE SHIFTS MAY NEED TO CONTINUE THIS TREND... AS I WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED TO SEE NARROW WEST EAST ORIENTED BANDS OF HEAVY SNOW WITHIN THE LARGER AREA OF LIGHTER SNOW. && .MARINE...(400 AM EDT SUN APR 17 2011) GALE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT TODAY. STRONG COLD AIR ADVECTION WILL HELP TO MIX DOWN SOME STRONGER WINDS. WINDS WILL FALL BELOW GALE FORCE TONIGHT. && .HYDROLOGY...(400 AM EDT SUN APR 17 2011) RAINFALL MAINLY MONDAY-WEDNESDAY MAY APPROACH AN INCH SOUTH OF I-96. THIS WILL LIKELY LEAD TO RISES ON RIVERS/STREAMS. && .GRR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MI...WIND ADVISORY TODAY FOR THE ENTIRE CWFA. LM...GALE WARNING TODAY FROM ST JOSEPH TO MANISTEE. && SYNOPSIS: 93 SHORT TERM: 93 LONG TERM: MJS AVIATION: LAURENS MARINE: 93 HYDROLOGY: 93
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI 511 AM EDT SUN APR 17 2011 MIZ037>040-043>046-050>052-056>059-064>067-071>074-180915- MASON-LAKE-OSCEOLA-CLARE-OCEANA-NEWAYGO-MECOSTA-ISABELLA-MUSKEGON- MONTCALM-GRATIOT-OTTAWA-KENT-IONIA-CLINTON-ALLEGAN-BARRY-EATON- INGHAM-VAN BUREN-KALAMAZOO-CALHOUN-JACKSON- 511 AM EDT SUN APR 17 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT WEST WIND GUSTS OF AROUND 45 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE TODAY. THIS COULD LEAD TO HAZARDOUS DRIVING CONDITIONS AND SCATTERED POWER OUTAGES. ACCUMULATING SNOW AND TEMPERATURES BELOW FREEZING COULD LEAD TO SOME SLICK TRAVEL CONDITIONS LATE TONIGHT INTO THE MORNING COMMUTE ON MONDAY MAINLY SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 96. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY A SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS EXISTS TUESDAY NIGHT INTO EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING...SOUTH OF A SOUTH HAVEN TO LANSING LINE. RAINFALL COULD BE HEAVY AT TIMES IN SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN DURING THIS TIMEFRAME WITH IN EXCESS OF AN INCH OF RAIN POSSIBLE. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED TUESDAY INTO EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING. LMZ844>849-180915- ST JOSEPH TO SOUTH HAVEN MI-SOUTH HAVEN TO HOLLAND MI- HOLLAND TO GRAND HAVEN MI-GRAND HAVEN TO WHITEHALL MI- WHITEHALL TO PENTWATER MI-PENTWATER TO MANISTEE MI- 511 AM EDT SUN APR 17 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT GALE FORCE WINDS WILL LEAD TO HAZARDOUS BOATING CONDITIONS FOR SMALL CRAFT TODAY. VISIBILITIES COULD BE REDUCED IN SNOW LATE TONIGHT INTO EARLY MONDAY MORNING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY GUSTY WINDS WILL LIKELY LEAD TO HAZARDOUS BOATING CONDITIONS TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY FOR SMALL CRAFT. THERE COULD ALSO BE SOME THUNDERSTORMS AS WELL TUESDAY INTO EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED TUESDAY INTO EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING. MJS
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A trained spotter in Eaton Rapids reported that a significant portion of the town lost power during the early afternoon hours of April 17 due to strong winds.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Michigan in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Michigan, April 2011
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 287821.