Unseasonably cold air coming across relatively warm Lake Michigan waters resulted in an unstable situation in which several cold air funnel clouds developed. In addition a strong thunderstorm produced hail up to seven eighths inch in diameter in Kalamazoo county.
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The episode as NWS GRR wrote it up.
Unseasonably cold air coming across relatively warm Lake Michigan waters resulted in an unstable situation in which several cold air funnel clouds developed. In addition a strong thunderstorm produced hail up to seven eighths inch in diameter in Kalamazoo county.
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 Sep 22, 6:43 AM EST, 1 hour 12 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI 743 AM EDT SAT SEP 22 2012 .SYNOPSIS... ISSUED AT 330 AM EDT SAT SEP 22 2012 IT WILL BE UNSEASONABLY COOL TODAY WITH BRISK NORTHWEST WINDS AND HIGHS ONLY IN THE 50S. THE COLD AIR COMING ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES WILL CREATE NUMEROUS RAIN SHOWERS. SOME THUNDERSTORMS ARE ALSO EXPECTED TODAY WHICH MAY CONTAIN SMALL HAIL. NEAR NORMAL TEMPERATURES WILL RETURN EARLY NEXT WEEK. && .SHORT TERM...(TODAY THROUGH MONDAY AFTERNOON) ISSUED AT 330 AM EDT SAT SEP 22 2012 THE DEEP UPPER LEVEL TROUGH AND H8 TEMPS DOWN TO NEAR 0C IN CONJUNCTION WITH A STRONG PV ANOMALY SWINGING DOWN FROM THE NW LATER TODAY WILL BRING RAIN SHOWERS TODAY. WE ALSO HAVE A CHC OF TSTORMS IN THE FCST TODAY GIVEN THE COLD POOL OF AIR ALOFT AND ISOLATED TO SCATTERED STORMS THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN ONGOING OVERNIGHT. THE STRONGEST STORMS WILL LIKELY CONTAIN SMALL HAIL GIVEN FREEZING LEVELS DOWN TO 5 KFT. NW FLOW LAKE EFFECT SHOWERS ARE ANTICIPATED TONIGHT INTO SUNDAY WITH AREAS FROM NEAR BIV SOUTH ALONG THE COAST TO SOUTH HAVEN FAVORED FOR MORE SIGNIFICANT LAKE EFFECT SHOWERS WHERE INVERSION HEIGHTS STAY HIGHER AND GIVEN THE NW FLOW. FAIR WX WILL RETURN SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY AS THE UPPER TROUGH AXIS SHIFTS EAST AND SFC HIGH PRESSURE CENTERED SOUTH OF OUR AREA TAKES HOLD. .LONG TERM...(MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY) ISSUED AT 330 AM EDT SAT SEP 22 2012 THE MAIN CHALLENGE IN THE LONG TERM DEALS WITH THE RISK FOR SHOWERS TUE INTO TUE NIGHT. OVERALL THE TRENDS SUGGESTS LESS OF A POTENTIAL. MODELS DO ADVERTISE ANOTHER MID LEVEL WAVE PIVOTING AROUND THE DEEP UPPER LOW OVER HUDSON BAY. THIS WAVE IS SHOWN TO TRACK FURTHER NORTH WITH THE 00Z RUNS. THE UKMET DOES SHOW A FURTHER SOUTH TRACK AS COMPARED TO THE OTHER MODELS. THE FIM ALSO DRAWS UP SOME DECENT GULF MOISTURE INTO THE IN/OH REGION WHICH OVERRUNS THE COLDER AIR DOWN LOW LEADING TO CLOUDS AND SHOWERS IN THIS TIMEFRAME. SO AT THIS POINT WILL KEEP A LOW CHANCE GOING FOR SHOWERS...AND CONTINUE TO MONITOR TRENDS. A WARM UP IS ADVERTISED FOR THE END OF THE WEEK. WILL KEEP FORECAST TEMPS RELATIVELY CLOSE TO NORMAL VALUES. HOWEVER WE ARE STILL IN THE FRONTAL ZONE. AS A RESULT IF ENOUGH MOISTURE IS PRESENT...MAY END OF SEEING SOME CLOUDS AND PERHAPS SHOWERS. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z SUNDAY MORNING) ISSUED AT 708 AM EDT SAT SEP 22 2012 AREA OF LOW PRESSURE TRACKING THROUGH WI...WILL IMPACT THE TAF SITES TODAY. MVFR CONDITIONS ARE LIKELY TO OCCUR. THIS SYSTEM WILL BRING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WITH IT...ESPECIALLY FOR SOUTHERN TAF SITES KAZO...KBTL AND KJXN. AFT 20Z LOOKS LIKE THIS FEATURE WILL MOVE EAST OF KJXN...BUT THE ATMOSPHERE REMAINS UNSTABLE WHICH SUPPORTS A RISK FOR THUNDERSTORMS. A LOW RISK FOR IFR EXISTS...BUT CONFIDENCE IS NOT HIGH ENOUGH TO GO WIDESPREAD WITH THOSE CONDITIONS. GIVEN THE LOW FREEZING LEVELS...HAIL COULD ACCOMPANY ANY OF THE CONVECTIVE CELLS. && .MARINE... ISSUED AT 330 AM EDT SAT SEP 22 2012 WINDS AND WAVES WILL STAY HAZARDOUS TO SMALL CRAFT THROUGH THE WEEKEND. THE COLD AIR WILL ALSO SUPPORT THE POTENTIAL FOR WATERSPOUTS. ONE WATERSPOUT WAS ALREADY REPORTED OVERNIGHT ABOUT A MILE WEST OF PERE MARQUETTE CITY BEACH IN MUSKEGON. && .HYDROLOGY... ISSUED AT 330 AM EDT SAT SEP 22 2012 ADDITIONAL QPF AMOUNTS OF A QUARTER TO HALF AN INCH WILL NOT CAUSE ANY HYDRO ISSUES. THE HIGHEST QPF WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS NEAR ONE INCH SHOULD BE SW OF GRR IN NW FLOW FAVORED AREAS TODAY. && .GRR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MI...NONE. LM...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 8 PM EDT SUNDAY FOR LMZ844>849. && SYNOPSIS...LAURENS SHORT TERM...LAURENS LONG TERM...MJS AVIATION...MJS HYDROLOGY...LAURENS MARINE...LAURENS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI 504 AM EDT SAT SEP 22 2012 MIZ037>040-043>046-050>052-056>059-064>067-071>074-230915- MASON-LAKE-OSCEOLA-CLARE-OCEANA-NEWAYGO-MECOSTA-ISABELLA-MUSKEGON- MONTCALM-GRATIOT-OTTAWA-KENT-IONIA-CLINTON-ALLEGAN-BARRY-EATON- INGHAM-VAN BUREN-KALAMAZOO-CALHOUN-JACKSON- 504 AM EDT SAT SEP 22 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT AN ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM COULD PRODUCE HAIL TO AROUND AN INCH IN DIAMETER MAINLY THIS AFTERNOON. THUNDERSTORMS ARE FORECASTED FOR BOTH TODAY AND TONIGHT. ANY THUNDERSTORM WILL BE CAPABLE OF SMALL HAIL...CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING STRIKES AND WIND GUSTS TO 30 MPH. THE MAIN STORM MOTION TODAY WILL BE EAST AT 30 MPH. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. LMZ844>849-230915- 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- 504 AM EDT SAT SEP 22 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT WINDS AND WAVES WILL REMAIN HAZARDOUS TO SMALL CRAFT THROUGH TONIGHT. A RISK FOR WATERSPOUTS EXISTS THROUGH TONIGHT. AN ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM COULD PRODUCE HAIL TO AROUND AN INCH IN DIAMETER MAINLY THIS AFTERNOON. THUNDERSTORMS ARE FORECASTED FOR BOTH TODAY AND TONIGHT. ANY THUNDERSTORM WILL BE CAPABLE OF SMALL HAIL...CLOUD TO WATER LIGHTNING STRIKES AND WIND GUSTS TO 30 MPH. THE MAIN STORM MOTION TODAY WILL BE SOUTHEAST AT 30 MPH. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY WINDS AND WAVES WILL REMAIN HAZARDOUS TO SMALL CRAFT THROUGH SUNDAY. WATERSPOUTS WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE INTO SUNDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. MJS
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI
619 AM EDT SAT SEP 22 2012
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0610 AM HAIL 2 NW KALAMAZOO 42.31N 85.62W
09/22/2012 E0.25 INCH KALAMAZOO MI TRAINED SPOTTER
VERY SMALL HAIL REPORTED TO BE LESS THAN PEA SIZE.
&&
DUKEPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI
639 AM EDT SAT SEP 22 2012
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1159 PM WATER SPOUT 5 W MUSKEGON 43.23N 86.35W
09/21/2012 MUSKEGON MI 911 CALL CENTER
A WATER SPOUT WAS SEEN ABOUT 1 MILES WEST OF PERE
MARQUETTE CITY BEACH IN MUSKEGON JUST BEFORE MIDNIGHT.
&&
DUKEThe Grand Rapids radar (KGRR), 81 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 13:02 UTC.
2 funnel cloud, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Law enforcement near South Haven passed along numerous reports of funnel clouds during the mid morning between 8:55 and 9:05 a.m.
Trained spotters reported that an isolated strong thunderstorm produced seven eighths inch diameter hail near Vicksburg and Kalamazoo.
The Van Buren 911 center passed along a report that a funnel cloud was spotted near the Blue Star Highway in South Haven.
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, September 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: 409583, 409587, 409584.