A cold front moving through a warm and unstable airmass produced isolated severe thunderstorms over south central Upper Michigan on the afternoon of the 28th.
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 MQT wrote it up.
A cold front moving through a warm and unstable airmass produced isolated severe thunderstorms over south central Upper Michigan on the afternoon of the 28th.
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 Marquette, MI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 28, 11:25 AM CST, 2 hours 35 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MARQUETTE MI 125 PM EDT MON MAY 28 2012 .SYNOPSIS... ISSUED AT 532 AM EDT MON MAY 28 2012 BROAD UPPER LOW IS CENTERED OVER MONTANA AND SASKATCHEWAN WHILE RIDGE IS PRESENT FM SOUTHEAST UNITED STATES INTO GREAT LAKES. SW FLOW ALOFT IS PUSHING INTO UPR LAKES BUT DUE TO CAPPING ALOFT MAJORITY OF SHRA/TSRA ARE STAYING OUT TO WEST OF CWA JUST AHEAD OF SFC LOW AND COLD FRONT. EXCEPTION ARE SHRA/TSRA FORMING ALONG H7 FRONT OVR LK SUPERIOR. ISOLD SHRA GRAZED PORTIONS OF KEWEENAW AROUND 03Z...BUT REST OF ACTIVITY HAS STAYED OVR LK SUPERIOR AND ISLE ROYALE. WARM FRONT NEVER MADE IT INTO UPR MICHIGAN ON SUNDAY BUT WILL LIFT THROUGH THIS MORNING SETTING UP POTENTIAL FOR VERY WARM DAY BEFORE COOLER TEMPERATURES MOVE BACK IN FOR TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. && .SHORT TERM...(TODAY THROUGH TUESDAY) ISSUED AT 532 AM EDT MON MAY 28 2012 H85-H7 FRONTS WELL TO THE NORTH EARLY TODAY AND CONVECTION OVR NORTHEAST MINNESOTA SHOULD STAY ANCHORED MOSTLY TO THE SFC COLD FRONT/LOW-LEVEL JET. ONE LITTLE SHORTWAVE IS LIFTING NORTHEAST TOWARD UPR MICHIGAN...BUT 00Z GRB SOUNDING IS CAPPED AND THERE IS LITTLE MOISTURE TO PRODUCE SHRA AND TSRA. RADAR TRENDS IN LAST COUPLE HOURS DO SUGGEST THAT NEXT SHORTWAVE UPSTREAM CURRENTLY PUSHING INTO NORTHWEST IOWA WILL CONTINUE NORTHEAST AND PROPEL AREA OF SHRA/TRSA CURRENTLY OVR SOUTHERN AND SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA INTO SOUTHWEST CWA BTWN 11-13Z THIS MORNING. WILL KEEP THEME OF SCT SHRA/TSRA SPREADING BACK INTO CWA FM SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST THROUGH THE MORNING. FARTHER EAST...MID-HIGH CLOUD BLOWOFF SEEMS LIKELY ELSEWHERE AS WINDS ALOFT ARE FM SOUTHWEST. UPPER LOW IN THE ROCKIES MOVES EAST TO THE DAKOTAS BY AFTN. RESULT IS SFC LOW SLIDING ACROSS LAKE SUPERIOR WITH COLD FRONT OR REALLY MORE OF A PRE-FRONTAL TROUGH/MOISTURE GRADIENT SWEEPING INTO CNTRL CWA BY 18Z. TROUGH IS PRETTY SHALLOW AS WINDS AT H925 AND UP ARE MORE UNIDIRECTIONAL FM SW. BOUNDARY INTERACTING WITH LAKE BREEZES OVR CNTRL CWA AND MLCAPES UP TO 1000J/KG SHOULD BE GOOD ENOUGH TO KICK OFF SCT SHRA/TSRA THIS AFTN. ALSO POSSIBLE THAT EARLY MORNING CONVECTION MAY PUT OUT A BOUNDARY TO TRIGGER CONVECTION. THIS ALREADY HAPPENED EARLIER THIS MORNING WITH INITIAL SHRA/TSRA OVR EASTERN MINNESOTA. ANOTHER CAVEOT IS MID CLOUDS AROUND AT TIMES THROUGH THE EARLY AFTN WHICH COULD CUT DOWN ON HEATING AND OVERALL INSTABILITY. OVERALL...CONVECTION FCST IS NOT VERY CLEAR CUT TODAY AND THERE ARE ALOT OF WAYS IT COULD END UP TURNING OUT. GIVEN MLCAPES AROUND 1000J/KG AND DEEP LAYER SHEAR 30-40 KTS...STILL A RISK OF ISOLD SVR STORMS IN THE AFTN...ESPECIALLY OVR CNTRL UPR MICHIGAN IN AREA BOUNDED BY MQT TO IMT TO ESC TO P53 WHERE MAX INSTABILITY IS CO-LOCATED WITH MOST FAVORED SPOT PER CLIMO FOR LK BREEZE CONVERGENCE. HIGH FREEZING LEVELS AOA 14KFT AND MARGINAL INSTABILITY/SKINNY CAPE ON FCST SOUNDINGS LIMITS LARGE HAIL POTENTIAL. STILL THINK GREATEST HAZARD WOULD BE POSSIBLE DAMAGING WIND GUSTS WITH DCAPE NEARING 1000 J/KG AND 1000-850MB LAPSE RATES NEAR 9C/KM. DCAPE INCREASES AFT 18Z OVR CNTRL AS DRY SLOT H85-H5 FCST TO PUSH ACROSS AREA. KEPT WITH GOING FCST FOR HIGHS WELL INTO THE 80S CNTRL AND EAST AWAY FM LK MICHIGAN THOUGH IF MID CLOUDS ARE MORE SUBSTANTIAL THROUGH EARLY AFTN...TEMPS COULD END UP MORE IN THE UPR 70S TO AROUND 80 DEGREES. DEFINITELY SEEMS THAT TEMPERATURE PART OF THE FCST HAS LARGER ERROR POTENTIAL. LINGERING SHRA/TSRA SHOULD EXIT EARLY THIS EVENING AS SFC LOW AND PRE-FRONTAL TROUGH HEAD EAST AND WITH H85-H7 MOISTURE TRANSPORT FOCUSING MORE INTO ONTARIO AND QUEBEC SOUTH OF JAMES BAY. NOT QUITE OUT OF WOODS IN TERMS OF SHRA/TSRA CHANCES THOUGH AS MODELS HAVE TRENDED FARTHER EAST WITH WAVE THAT IS CURRENTLY WRAPPING AROUND THE UPPER LOW OVR MONTANA. ECMWF/GFS/NAM ALL SHOW THE WAVE AND SOME WEAK MOISTURE ADVECTION AFFECTING WESTERN/NORTHWEST CWA THIS EVENING AND EARLY OVERNIGHT HOURS. BUMPED UP TO SCT POPS FOR KEWEENAW GIVEN THE TRENDS. MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES NOT ALL THAT IMPRESSIVE SO EXPECT ONLY A SLIGHT CHANCE OF TSRA. SOME OF THE HIGHER RESOLUTION MODELS GO COMPLETELY BONKERS WITH QPF OVR WESTERN CWA THIS EVENING. THINK THIS IS OVERDONE SINCE THE MUCH MORE MOISTURE LADEN AIR MASS WILL BE WAY TO THE EAST AT THAT POINT. COULD SEE NEED TO RAISE POPS FOR A PERIOD OF SOME SHRA IF TRENDS CONTINUE THOUGH. INTO TUESDAY...NO REAL CHANGE TO GOING FCST OF THICKENING CLOUDS AND INCREASING INSTABILITY SHRA BY AFTN AS UPPER TROUGH AXIS SETTLES CLOSE BY. HINT OF ANOTHER SHORTWAVE ROTATING THROUGH BY THIS TIME TOO WHICH ONLY ENHANCES THE SHRA CHANCE. AT THE LEAST SHOULD BE A FAIRLY CLOUDY AFTN AND EVENING. H85 TEMPS 4-6C SUPPORT HIGHS INTO THE 50S FAR WEST AND MOSTLY IN THE 60S FOR OTHER AREAS. IF H85 TEMPS WERE A BIT WARMER WOULD PROBABLY NEED MENTION OF AT LEAST ISOLD TSRA. AT THIS POINT THOUGH...MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES ARE NOT STEEP ENOUGH TO ADD INTO THE FCST. GUSTY WEST WINDS LIKELY ON THE KEWEENAW THOUGH NO GUIDANCE REALLY SHOWS ANYTHING ABOVE 30 MPH FOR PEAK GUSTS. .LONG TERM...(TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY) ISSUED AT 532 AM EDT MON MAY 28 2012 TUE NIGHT...SHORTWAVE MOVING THROUGH MID-LVL TROF AXIS COMBINED WITH 850 MB TEMPS FALLING TO -2 TO -4C OVER LAKE SUPERIOR MAY PROVIDE JUST ENOUGH INSTABILITY/LIFT TO SUPPORT SOME ISOLD LAKE ENHANCED RAIN SHOWERS IN CYCLONIC NW FLOW. THUS...WILL MAINTAIN SLIGHT CHC POPS ACROSS MUCH OF THE CWA. WED WILL BE THE COLDEST DAY OF THE WEEK AS THE 850 MB THERMAL TROF WITH -2 TO -3C TEMPS MOVES ACROSS THE AREA IN THE WAKE OF SECONDARY TROUGH/COLD FRONT. WITH FAIRLY STIFF NW FLOW ESPECIALLY NEAR LAKE SUPERIOR...EXPECT HIGHS RANGING FROM THE MID 40S NEAR LAKE SUPERIOR TO THE MID 50S SOUTH CENTRAL. EXPECT VERY CHILLY LOW TEMPS WED NIGHT AS SFC RDG BUILDS IN FROM THE WEST. PCPN WATER VALUES AROUND .25 INCH OR 25-30 PCT OF NORMAL ALONG WITH LIGHT WINDS AND SUBSIDENCE UNDER RDG WILL RESULT IN IDEAL RADITIONAL COOLING CONDITIONS. EXPECT MIN TEMPS TO PLUMMET NEAR OR BELOW THE FREEZING MARK FOR MANY INLAND LOCATIONS WHILE TEMPS NEAR THE GREAT LAKES SHORES STAY WARMER...IN THE MID TO UPPER 30S. MODELS INDICATE A SFC RIDGE WILL DOMINATE THE FORECAST THU THROUGH NEXT SUN...WITH LITTLE OR NO PRECIP EXPECTED. TEMPERATURES WILL SHOW A GENERAL WARMING TREND TOWARD THE END OF THE WEEK...WITH INLAND HIGHS EXPECTED TO BE IN THE LOW TO MID 70S OVER MOST OF THE AREA BY NEXT WEEKEND. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z TUESDAY AFTERNOON) ISSUED AT 125 PM EDT MON MAY 28 2012 KCMX...A PERIOD OF IFR CIGS WILL GIVE WAY TO MAINLY VFR CONDITIONS LATER THIS AFTERNOON AS DRIER AIR MOVES IN WITH WRLY FLOW. LIFR FOG/STRATUS AND ISOLD SHRA COULD REDEVELOP BY LATE EVENING WITH A SHRORTWAVE TROUGH BRUSHING THE AREA IN A WESTERLY FLOW BEFORE LIFTING LATE TONIGHT AS DRIER AIR MOVES IN FROM THE WEST. KIWD...EXPECT VFR CONDITIONS TO PREVAIL THROUGH MUCH OF THE PERIOD IN A PREVAILING WSW FLOW. THERE IS A SMALL CHANCE FOR SHOWERS EARLY THIS EVENING AS A SECONDARY TROUGH/FRONT MOVES THROUGH WITH DRY CONDITIONS EXPECTED BEHIND IT FOR THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. KSAW...LOOK FOR MAINLY VFR CONDITIONS THROUGH THE TAF PERIOD. THERE IS A CHC FOR TSRA EARLY TO LATE AFTERNOON AS A SFC TROUGH MOVES INTO THE AREA. OTHERWISE...DRIER WRLY FLOW WILL BE UNFAVORABLE FOR DEVELOPMENT OF ANY CIGS BLO VFR. && .MARINE...(FOR THE 4 AM LAKE SUPERIOR FORECAST ISSUANCE) ISSUED AT 532 AM EDT MON MAY 28 2012 LOW PRESSURE OVER THE NRN PLAINS AND ASSOC PRES FALLS OVER WESTERN LAKE SUPERIOR HAS RESULTED IN GUSTY EAST-NORTHEAST WINDS GUSTING NEAR 25 KTS OVER THE WEST HALF OF LAKE SUPERIOR. EXPECT WINDS TO SHIFT SOUTHWEST TO WEST WINDS TO 25 KTS IN THE WAKE OF A TROUGH/FRONTAL PASSAGE...ESPECIALLY OVR WRN AND NCNTRL LAKE SUPERIOR AROUND ISLE ROYALE AND THE KEWEENAW PENINSULA. WINDS VEERING NORTHWEST TUE NIGHT BEHIND A SECONDARY COLD FRONT COULD THEN REMAIN GUSTY TO NEAR 30 KTS OVER EASTERN LK SUPERIOR TUE NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING. WINDS WILL DIMINISH LATER WEDNESDAY AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS BACK OVER THE AREA. && .MQT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... UPPER MICHIGAN... NONE. LAKE SUPERIOR... NONE. LAKE MICHIGAN... NONE. && SYNOPSIS...JLA SHORT TERM...JLA LONG TERM...VOSS AVIATION...JLB MARINE...VOSS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MARQUETTE MI 621 AM EDT MON MAY 28 2012 MIZ001>007-009>014-084-085-291200- KEWEENAW-ONTONAGON-NORTHERN HOUGHTON-BARAGA-MARQUETTE-ALGER-LUCE- GOGEBIC-IRON-DICKINSON-MENOMINEE-DELTA-SOUTHERN SCHOOLCRAFT- SOUTHERN HOUGHTON-NORTHERN SCHOOLCRAFT- 621 AM EDT MON MAY 28 2012 /521 AM CDT MON MAY 28 2012/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF WESTERN UPPER MICHIGAN AND CENTRAL UPPER MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THROUGH THIS EVENING. THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE OF DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL OVER MAINLY THE EAST HALF OF UPPER MICHIGAN IN THE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING WITH THE STRONGER STORMS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY PATCHY FROST IS POSSIBLE INLAND FROM THE GREAT LAKES ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... THE NEED FOR WEATHER SPOTTER REPORTS IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. LSZ162-240>251-263>267-291200- LAKE SUPERIOR WEST OF A LINE FROM SAXON HARBOR WI TO GRAND PORTAGE MN BEYOND 5NM-SAXON HARBOR WI TO BLACK RIVER MI- BLACK RIVER TO ONTONAGON MI- ONTONAGON TO UPPER ENTRANCE OF PORTAGE CANAL MI- UPPER ENTRANCE OF PORTAGE CANAL TO EAGLE RIVER MI- EAGLE RIVER TO MANITOU ISLAND MI- MANITOU ISLAND TO POINT ISABELLE MI- POINT ISABELLE TO LOWER ENTRANCE OF PORTAGE CANAL MI- LOWER ENTRANCE OF PORTAGE CANAL TO HURON ISLANDS MI INCLUDING KEWEENAW AND HURON BAYS-HURON ISLANDS TO MARQUETTE MI- MARQUETTE TO MUNISING MI-MUNISING TO GRAND MARAIS MI- GRAND MARAIS TO WHITEFISH POINT MI- LAKE SUPERIOR FROM SAXON HARBOR WI TO UPPER ENTRANCE TO PORTAGE CANAL MI 5NM OFF SHORE TO THE US/CANADIAN BORDER INCLUDING ISLE ROYALE NATIONAL PARK- LAKE SUPERIOR FROM UPPER ENTRANCE TO PORTAGE CANAL TO MANITOU ISLAND MI 5NM OFF SHORE TO THE US/CANADIAN BORDER- LAKE SUPERIOR WEST OF LINE FROM MANITOU ISLAND TO MARQUETTE MI BEYOND 5NM FROM SHORE- LAKE SUPERIOR EAST OF A LINE FROM MANITOU ISLAND TO MARQUETTE MI AND WEST OF A LINE FROM GRAND MARAIS MI TO THE US/CANADIAN BORDER BEYOND 5NM FROM SHORE- LAKE SUPERIOR FROM GRAND MARAIS MI TO WHITEFISH POINT MI 5NM OFF SHORE TO THE US/CANADIAN BORDER- 621 AM EDT MON MAY 28 2012 /521 AM CDT MON MAY 28 2012/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN LAKE SUPERIOR...CENTRAL LAKE SUPERIOR AND WESTERN LAKE SUPERIOR. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE TODAY...ESPECIALLY OVER WESTERN SECTIONS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... THE NEED FOR WEATHER SPOTTER REPORTS IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. LMZ221-248-250-291200- GREEN BAY NORTH OF LINE FROM CEDAR RIVER MI TO ROCK ISLAND PASSAGE-SEUL CHOIX POINT TO POINT DETOUR MI- 5NM EAST OF A LINE FROM FAIRPORT MI TO ROCK ISLAND PASSAGE- 621 AM EDT MON MAY 28 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHERN LAKE MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THROUGH THIS EVENING...MAINLY DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE OF DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL WITH THE STRONGER STORMS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... THE NEED FOR WEATHER SPOTTER REPORTS IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. JLA
The Green Bay radar (KGRB), 109 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:01 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind, 1 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.
Power lines and trees were reported down across the railroad tracks in Menominee. Emergency services were activated for the area.
The spotter near Schaeffer reported trees greater than five inches in diameter down across his yard.
The spotter seven miles southwest of Munising measured 1.50 inches of rain from a thunderstorm in 40 minutes.
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, May 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: 379584, 379583, 379586.