Several reports of severe hail ranging from an inch to inch and a quarter in diameter were received from portions of Allegan and Kent counties.
Every event with a place to put it. 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.
Several reports of severe hail ranging from an inch to inch and a quarter in diameter were received from portions of Allegan and Kent counties.
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 Mar 16, 2:25 PM EST, 3 hours 50 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI 325 PM EDT FRI MAR 16 2012 .SYNOPSIS... ISSUED AT 325 PM EDT FRI MAR 16 2012 GENERALLY FAIR AND WARM WEATHER WILL CONTINUE INTO NEXT WEEK. THERE WILL BE SOME SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS SATURDAY INTO SUNDAY AS MOISTURE MOVES UP FROM THE SOUTH...AND AGAIN BY THE NED OF NEXT WEEK AS A COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH. && .SHORT TERM...(TODAY THROUGH SATURDAY) ISSUED AT 325 PM EDT FRI MAR 16 2012 THUNDERSTORM CHANCES THIS EVENING AND LATE SATURDAY INTO SATURDAY NIGHT IS THE FORECAST CHALLENGE IN THE NEAR TERM. WILL ALSO HAVE TO WATCH FOR PATCHY DENSE FOG AGAIN TONIGHT...BUT WINDS ARE STRONGER THAN LAST NIGHT SO FOG SHOULD NOT BE AS WIDESPREAD. FOR TONIGHT... WILL MONITOR A CU FIELD THAT HAS FORMED SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 96 WHERE SFC INSTABILITY IS INCREASING THIS AFTERNOON. MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES REMAIN STEEP BUT SHEAR AND SFC CONVERGENCE IS WEAK. WILL HAVE ISOLATED POPS TO COVER POTENTIAL FOR STRONGER UPDRAFTS TO FORM. LATER TONIGHT THE ISSUE BECOMES FOG ONCE AGAIN AS MOIST LOW LEVELS WITH SFC DEW POINTS IN THE 50S SHOULD BE SOMEWHAT MITIGATED BY LOW LEVEL WINDS STRONGER THAN LAST NIGHT...WHICH SHOULD PREVENT THE SAME AREAL EXTENT OF DENSE FOG FORMATION. WILL HAVE PATCHY DENSE FOG IN THE FORECAST TO COVER. SATURDAY SHOULD START OUT QUIET BUT WEAK SHORTWAVE TROUGH AND SLUG OF RETURN FLOW MOISTURE ARRIVING LATE AFTERNOON SHOULD BRING ANOTHER ROUND OF ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WHICH SHOULD PERSIST INTO SATURDAY NIGHT AS THIS FEATURE MOVES THROUGH. .LONG TERM...(SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY) ISSUED AT 325 PM EDT FRI MAR 16 2012 THE WARM WEATHER WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE PERIOD WITH HIGHS IN THE MID 70S AND LOWS IN THE 50S. THE LARGE UPPER RIDGE WILL CONTINUE FOR SEVERAL MORE DAYS. A WEAK SHORT WAVE WILL MOVE OVER THE CWA SUNDAY RESULTING IN A SLGHT CHC TSRA. THEN WE/LL SEE A FEW DRY DAYS. A DEEP UPPER TROUGH IS PROGGED TO MOVE ACROSS THE COUNTRY SLOWLY CUTTING OFF OVER THE SRN PLAINS. AS IT APPROACHES THE GREAT LAKES...CHANCES FOR TSRA WILL INCREASE BEGINNING LATE WEDNESDAY AND CONTINUING THROUGH FRIDAY. THIS TROUGH WILL BE A SLOW MOVER AND IT/S AFFECTS WILL BE FELT FOR SEVERAL DAYS IN THE FORM OF TSRA. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z SATURDAY) ISSUED AT 150 PM EDT FRI MAR 16 2012 FOG IS LIFTING AND SHOULD BE GONE WITH VFR CONDITIONS INTO THIS EVENING. COULD BE AN ISOLATED TSRA NEAR AZO AND BTL LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING BUT CHANCES ARE LOW ENOUGH TO LEAVE OUT OF THE FORECAST FOR NOW. EXPECT MVFR AND PATCHY IFR FOG TONIGHT BUT WINDS WILL BE UP A BIT SO IFR AND LIFR FOG SHOULD NOT BE AS WIDESPREAD AS LAST NIGHT. && .MARINE... ISSUED AT 150 PM EDT FRI MAR 16 2012 AREAS OF FOG WILL BE ACROSS LAKE MICHIGAN THE NEXT FEW DAYS AS WARM AND MOIST AIR IS OVER THE COLDER WATER. WINDS WILL INCREASE TONIGHT BUT SHOULD STAY BELOW 25 KNOTS. && .HYDROLOGY... ISSUED AT 150 PM EDT FRI MAR 16 2012 ONLY SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED NEXT FEW DAYS WHICH SHOULD NOT AFFECT RIVER LEVELS MUCH. && .GRR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MI...NONE. LM...NONE. && SYNOPSIS...OSTUNO SHORT TERM...OSTUNO LONG TERM....93 AVIATION...OSTUNO MARINE...OSTUNO HYDROLOGY...OSTUNO
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI 250 PM EDT FRI MAR 16 2012 MIZ037>040-043>046-050>052-056>059-064>067-071>074-171015- MASON-LAKE-OSCEOLA-CLARE-OCEANA-NEWAYGO-MECOSTA-ISABELLA-MUSKEGON- MONTCALM-GRATIOT-OTTAWA-KENT-IONIA-CLINTON-ALLEGAN-BARRY-EATON- INGHAM-VAN BUREN-KALAMAZOO-CALHOUN-JACKSON- 250 PM EDT FRI MAR 16 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS FAR SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN LATE THIS EVENING. THESE STORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BE SEVERE. PATCHY DENSE FOG IS POSSIBLE TONIGHT....ESPECIALLY NEAR LAKE MICHIGAN. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY ROUNDS OF SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE FROM SATURDAY AFTERNOON INTO SUNDAY NIGHT. AT THIS TIME...SEVERE STORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. LMZ844>849-171015- 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- 250 PM EDT FRI MAR 16 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT AREAS OF FOG WILL BE ACROSS LAKE MICHIGAN. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY A PERSISTENT WARM AND MOIST FLOW OF AIR OVER THE LAKE WILL CONTINUE THE THREAT OF DENSE FOG THROUGH THE WEEKEND AND INTO NEXT WEEK. DUKE OSTUNO
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI 628 PM EDT FRI MAR 16 2012 MIZ064-071-162330- ALLEGAN-VAN BUREN- 628 PM EDT FRI MAR 16 2012 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY... AT 623 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 13 MILES SOUTH OF ALLEGAN...MOVING NORTH AT 10 MPH. PENNY SIZE HAIL...OCCASIONAL CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...BRIEF HEAVY DOWNPOURS...ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM. LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE... BLOOMINGDALE... GRAND JUNCTION... GRAND JUNCTION... PULLMAN... ALLEGAN... PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... STAY AWAY FROM HIGH OBJECTS OUTDOORS SUCH AS TREES. SEEK SHELTER IN A STURDY STRUCTURE UNTIL THIS STORM HAS PASSED. && LAT...LON 4266 8612 4267 8576 4228 8581 4227 8605 TIME...MOT...LOC 2228Z 179DEG 10KT 4237 8593 JK
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI
704 PM EDT FRI MAR 16 2012
MIZ064-065-170000-
ALLEGAN-BARRY-
704 PM EDT FRI MAR 16 2012
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY...
AT 702 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM OVER EAST CENTRAL ALLEGAN COUNTY...MOVING NORTH
AT 15 MPH.
PENNY SIZE HAIL...OCCASIONAL CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...BRIEF HEAVY
DOWNPOURS...ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM.
LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
BRADLEY... WAYLAND... DORR...
MOLINE...
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
STAY AWAY FROM HIGH OBJECTS OUTDOORS SUCH AS TREES. SEEK SHELTER IN A
STURDY STRUCTURE UNTIL THIS STORM HAS PASSED.
&&
LAT...LON 4252 8582 4276 8580 4277 8580 4277 8544
4249 8558
TIME...MOT...LOC 2304Z 188DEG 13KT 4261 8568
HOVINGThe Grand Rapids radar (KGRR), 33 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:15 UTC.
3 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Trained spotters reported one to one and a quarter inch diameter hail east of Hopkins over eastern Allegan county over to near US-131.
A trained spotter reported one inch diameter hail near exit 61 on US-131.
A trained spotter reported quarter size diameter hail at Spring Hill Suites near the Gerald R. Ford airport in Grand Rapids which was corroborated with a couple of additional reports of large hail in that area.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Michigan in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Michigan, March 2012
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: 363837, 363838, 363836.