A house fire started from a lightning strike resulted in the death of a 79-year-old man near McMillan on the early morning of the 18th.
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 house fire started from a lightning strike resulted in the death of a 79-year-old man near McMillan on the early morning of the 18th.
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 Jul 18, 3:35 AM EST, 1 hour 14 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MARQUETTE MI 435 AM EDT THU JUL 18 2013 .SHORT TERM...(TODAY AND TONIGHT) ISSUED AT 434 AM EDT THU JUL 18 2013 OTHER THAN SHORT TERM UPDATES...DID NOT CHANGE MUCH FROM THE PREVIOUS FORECAST FOR TONIGHT/TONIGHT. SINCE THE CONVECTION THAT MAY MOVE ACROSS THE CWA TODAY HAS NOT DEVELOPED...AND SINCE GUIDANCE HAS NOT CHANGED MUCH IN THE LAST DAY OR SO...THERE WAS NO REASON TO CHANGE THE FORECAST TOO MUCH. HEAVY RAIN CONTINUES TO BE THE MOST OBVIOUS THREAT FROM CONVECTION TODAY...BUT LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE...AND A SMALL THREAT OF A TORNADO CAN NOT BE RULED OUT COMPLETELY. THE SYNOPTIC PATTERN FOR THE PERIOD HAS THE CWA BETWEEN A LOW OVER HUDSON BAY AND A BROAD HIGH S OF THE GREAT LAKES. THE HIGH WILL BREAK DOWN AND MOVE S WHILE PART OF THE LOW WILL BREAK OFF AND MOVE INTO NRN SASK BY 12Z FRI. STORMS HAVE BEEN FOCUSING ALONG A WEAK STATIONARY BOUNDARY...COMBINED WITH THE NOCTURNAL LOW LEVEL JET...ACROSS THE CWA SO FAR TODAY. A FEW OF THESE STORMS HAVE BEEN STRONGER...WITH PLENTY OF MID LEVEL ROTATION...BUT NO LOW LEVEL ROTATION AND THEY HAVE BEEN PRETTY PULSE LIKE. THINK THE BOUNDARY WILL STAY NEARLY STATIONARY TODAY...PUTTING MUCH OF THE CWA IN THE WARM SECTOR AS SWLY LOW LEVEL FLOW INCREASES AHEAD OF A SFC TROUGH/COLD FRONT THAT WILL MOVE IN LATE TODAY/TONIGHT. MID/UPPER LEVEL FLOW WILL BE PARALLEL TO THE FRONT...SO TRAINING PRECIP IS A GOOD BET. ALSO...PWATS WILL BE 1.75-2.00 INCHES /180-200 PERCENT OF NORMAL/...SO MOISTURE WILL BE PREVALENT. EXACT LOCATION OF HEAVIER PRECIP WILL DEPEND ON TRACK OF THUNDERSTORMS AND WHERE THE BOUNDARY /THAT WILL BE CONVECTIVELY ENHANCED/ WILL BE...SO IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PREDICT WITH ANY GREAT ACCURACY BEFORE THE STORMS HAVE FORMED. DID ADD HEAVY RAINFALL ATTRIBUTE TO WEATHER GRIDS FOR TODAY/TONIGHT. WITH HIGH TEMPS OF AROUND 80F TO 90F TODAY...AND PLENTY OF MOISTURE...INSTABILITY WILL BE PRETTY GOOD. MLCAPES OF 1500J/KG TO JUST OVER 2000J/KG ARE FORECAST BY MODELS...WITH 0-6KM BULK SHEAR OF 30-40KTS. MOST OF THAT SHEAR WILL BE UNIDIRECTIONAL...BUT SOME VEERING WITH HEIGHT IS MODELED IN THE LOW LEVELS. MAIN STORM MODE SHOULD BE SINGLE CELL OR MULTICELL CLUSTERS WITH SOME CHANCE OF SOME SUPERCELL ACTIVITY. THE CAPE/SHEAR COMBINED WITH DRY VERY LOW LEVELS /MIXING LAYER/ WILL MAKE FOR A WIND DAMAGE THREAT THIS AFTERNOON AS DCAPE VALUES APPROACH 1000J/KG. LARGE HAIL WILL ALSO BE A THREAT. TORNADO THREAT IS MINIMAL...BUT CAN NOT BE COMPLETELY RULED OUT WITH MORE SIGNIFICANT STORM/BOUNDARY INTERACTIONS. FOR TONIGHT...MAIN CONCERN...SEVERE WEATHER WISE...IS FOR HIGH WINDS ASSOCIATED WITH A POSSIBLE MCS MOVING THROUGH OR NEAR THE CWA. MODELS HAVE BEEN PERSISTENT WITH BRINGING A CONVECTIVE CLUSTER ACROSS THE CWA...FOLLOWING THE MEAN FLOW...CAPE GRADIENT AND THE FRONT. EVEN THOUGH A NEAR SFC INVERSION SHOULD FORM...AN EML WILL STAY OVER THE CWA...SO LOW LEVELS WILL REMAIN DRY...WHICH SHOULD HELP COLD POOL PROCESSES AND INCREASE THE WIND THREAT. ALSO...THAT SFC TROUGH/COLD FRONT WILL MOVE INTO THE CWA WITH UPPER LEVEL HEIGHT FALLS AS THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH APPROACHES THE CWA. WITH THE UPPER TROUGH MOVING SOUTH...THE CWA WILL COME UNDER THE RIGHT ENTRANCE REGION OF AN UPPER LEVEL JET...ALSO PROMOTING PRECIP. HEAVY RAIN POTENTIAL DEFINITELY CONTINUES INTO TONIGHT...JUST A MATTER OF EXACTLY WHERE THAT MAY HAPPEN. .LONG TERM...(FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY) ISSUED AT 434 AM EDT THU JUL 18 2013 FRI...AS UPR TROF CENTERED OVER HUDSON BAY DEEPENS INTO ONTARIO... COLD FNT MOVING INTO WRN UPR MI ARND SUNRISE ON FRI WL MOVE TO THE SE OF THE CWA IN THE AFTN. WITH THE ARRIVAL OF DRIER AIR/VIGOROUS NEGATIVE H85 THETA E ADVECTION...LINGERING SHRA/TS WL END NW TO SE...BUT GOING LIKELY POPS OVER THE SE CWA IN THE MRNG SEEM APPROPRIATE. STEEPENING MID LVL LAPSE RATES MAY MAINTAIN POPS OVER MAINLY THE SCENTRAL FOR A LONGER TIME...BUT THE SHARP DRYING ALF WL ACT TO LIMIT THIS POTENTIAL. THE RETURN OF MORE AFTN SUNSHINE...H85 TEMPS AS HI AS 17C AT 00Z SAT...AND DOWNSLOPING WNW FLOW WL HELP BOOST MAX TEMPS OVER THE SCENTRL WELL INTO THE 80S TO NEAR 90. THE NW FLOW OFF LK SUP WL BRING COOLER WX TO THE W. FRI NGT INTO SAT...MODELS INDICATE A REINFORCING SHRTWV/SECONDARY COLD FNT WL SWEEP THRU THE UPR LKS. IN FACT...THE 00Z NAM SHOWS MORE SGNFT DPVA/QVECTOR CNVGC AND GENERATES SOME PCPN LATE FRI NGT/EARLY SAT. THE 00Z GFS/12Z ECMWF SHOW MORE DEEP LYR QVECTOR DVGC/A WEAKER SFC REFLECTION/FNT WITH DRY AIR DOMINATING. SINCE THE DISTURBANCE/ FNT WL BE ARRIVING AT MIN DIURNAL HEATING TIME WITH AN ABSENCE OF ANY MOISTENING AT H85...OPTED TO MAINTAIN GOING DRY FCST AND JUST ADD MORE CLDS TO THE FCST. THESE CLDS WL LATER SAT INTO SUN...UNDER CONFLUENT NW FLOW ALF...CNDN HI PRES IS FCST TO BUILD OVER LK SUP SAT EVNG AND DRIFT ONLY SLOWLY SE TO OVER LK HURON LATE SUN. WITH THE ARRIVAL OF MUCH DRIER AIR /PWAT FCST TO REACH CLOSE TO 0.50 INCH BY 12Z SUN/...EXPECT MOCLR CONDITIONS. A STEADY N WIND OFF LK SUP WL LIMIT THE DIURNAL TEMP RECOVERY ON SAT... ESPECIALLY NEAR THE SHORE. OVERNGT LOWS ON SAT NGT WL FALL SHARPLY INTO THE 40S OVER THE COOLER INTERIOR LOCATIONS EARLY SUN MRNG WITH LIGHT WINDS. WITH H85 TEMPS PROGGED NEAR 10C LATER SUN...EXPECT DAYTIME MAX TEMPS TO RISE INTO THE 70S AWAY THE MODERATING INFLUENCE OF THE GREAT LKS AS RELATIVELY WEAK PRES GRADIENT ALLOWS LK BREEZES TO FORM OFF ALL THE LKS. EXTENDED...AS IS OFTEN THE CASE IN SUMMER...MODELS HAVE SHOWN CONSIDERABLE INCONSISTENCIES IN THE HANDLING OF SHRTWVS EMBEDDED IN WNW FLOW ALF EARLY NEXT WEEK. SOME OF THE MOST PROGRESSIVE GUIDANCE INDICATES SOME PCPN MAY REACH THE WRN CWA AS EARLY AS LATE SUN. CONSIDERING THE CONSIDERABLE INCONSISTENCY IN A RELATIVELY UNPREDICTABLE PATTERN...OPTED TO MAINTAIN THE MODEL CONSENSUS FCST. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z THURSDAY NIGHT) ISSUED AT 146 AM EDT THU JUL 18 2013 THE MAIN FOCUS OF CONCERN FOR THIS FORECAST PERIOD WILL BE THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT ALONG/NEAR THE COLD FRONT ACROSS UPPER MICHIGAN. EXPECT SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT TO BECOME A LITTLE MORE ACTIVE OVERNIGHT ALONG THE FRONT...WITH THE BEST CHANCES FOR SHOWERS/STORMS BEING IN IWD AND CMX. TOUGH TO PIN POINT ANY EXACT TIMING FOR THE STORMS...BUT THE EXPECTATION IS THAT ANY STORM WILL CREATE TORRENTIAL DOWNPOURS AND BRIEF IFR CONDTIONS. SHOULD BE A LITTLE LULL IN PCPN TMRW MORNING INTO EARLY AFTERNOON BEFORE THE NEXT ROUND DEVELOPS LATE THU AFTN INTO EVENING. THESE COULD END UP BEING STRONG TO SEVERE ESPECAILLY IF THEY DEVELOP INTO A ORGANIZED CONVECTIVE COMPLEX. && .MARINE...(FOR THE 4 AM LAKE SUPERIOR FORECAST ISSUANCE) ISSUED AT 434 AM EDT THU JUL 18 2013 WITH RELATIVELY WEAK PRES GRADIENT AND HI STABILITY OVER THE RELATIVELY COOL LAKE WATERS...EXPECT WINDS NO HIGHER THAN 20 KTS THIS FORECAST PERIOD. THE MAIN WEATHER CONCERN WILL BE FOG WITH A HUMID AIRMASS DOMINATING. THIS FOG IS LIKELY TO BE MOST WIDESPREAD TONIGHT FOLLOWING SOME STRONG TO POSSIBLY SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THAT WILL FURTHER SATURATE THE MARINE LAYER. THE ARRIVAL OF DRIER AIR BEHIND A COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE ON FRI SHOULD DISSIPATE THE FOG. && .MQT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... UPPER MICHIGAN... NONE. LAKE SUPERIOR... NONE. LAKE MICHIGAN... NONE. && SHORT TERM...TITUS LONG TERM...KC AVIATION...MRD MARINE...KC
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MARQUETTE MI 522 AM EDT THU JUL 18 2013 MIZ001>007-009>014-084-085-191100- KEWEENAW-ONTONAGON-NORTHERN HOUGHTON-BARAGA-MARQUETTE-ALGER-LUCE- GOGEBIC-IRON-DICKINSON-MENOMINEE-DELTA-SOUTHERN SCHOOLCRAFT- SOUTHERN HOUGHTON-NORTHERN SCHOOLCRAFT- 522 AM EDT THU JUL 18 2013 /422 AM CDT THU JUL 18 2013/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF WESTERN UPPER MICHIGAN AND CENTRAL UPPER MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT EXPECT SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS. SOME OF THESE STORMS COULD BE SEVERE AND CAUSE DAMAGING WINDS...LARGE HAIL AND TORRENTIAL RAIN THAT COULD LEAD TO FLASH FLOODING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ON FRIDAY...MAINLY OVER THE SOUTH CENTRAL. THERE IS ANOTHER CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS MONDAY AND TUESDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER REPORTS WOULD BE APPRECIATED TODAY AND TONIGHT. LSZ162-240>251-263>267-191100- 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- 522 AM EDT THU JUL 18 2013 /422 AM CDT THU JUL 18 2013/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN LAKE SUPERIOR...CENTRAL LAKE SUPERIOR AND WESTERN LAKE SUPERIOR. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THERE WILL BE SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS TODAY AND TONIGHT. SOME OF THE STRONGER STORMS COULD BE SEVERE...WITH LARGE HAIL... DAMAGING WINDS AND HEAVY RAIN. EXPECT PATCHY DENSE FOG OVER LAKE SUPERIOR LATE TODAY AND TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY SOME DENSE FOG MAY LINGER FRIDAY MORNING. MORE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ON FRIDAY...MAINLY IN THE MORNING OVER SOUTHERN LAKE SUPERIOR. THERE IS ANOTHER CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS MONDAY AND TUESDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER REPORTS WOULD BE APPRECIATED TODAY AND TONIGHT. LMZ221-248-250-191100- 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- 522 AM EDT THU JUL 18 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHERN LAKE MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT EXPECT SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS THOUGH THIS EVENING TO BECOME NUMEROUS LATE TONIGHT. SOME OF THESE STORMS COULD BE STRONG AND CAUSE DAMAGING WINDS...LARGE HAIL AND HEAVY RAIN. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ON FRIDAY. THERE IS ANOTHER CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS MONDAY AND TUESDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER REPORTS WOULD BE APPRECIATED TODAY AND TONIGHT. KC
The Marquette radar (KMQT), 144 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 09:51 UTC.
1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
A house fire caused by a lightning strike resulted in the death of a 79-year-old man. The fire was reported by a storm spotter located one mile away, and it was confirmed by local media.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lightning, Luce | 2013-07-18 | 79 | Male | Permanent Home | Indirect |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Michigan in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Michigan, July 2013
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: 460156.