A stalled frontal boundary in an unstable air mass provided the focus for isolated severe thunderstorms with large hail over portions of Dickinson County on the evening of the 28th.
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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 stalled frontal boundary in an unstable air mass provided the focus for isolated severe thunderstorms with large hail over portions of Dickinson County on the evening 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, 11:49 AM CST, 1 hour 41 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MARQUETTE MI 149 PM EDT THU MAY 28 2015 .SHORT TERM...(TODAY AND TONIGHT) ISSUED AT 536 AM EDT THU MAY 28 2015 MAIN CONCERN AND TIME PUT INTO DENSE FOG EARLY THIS MORNING AND THUNDERSTORM (POTENTIALLY STRONG) CHANCES THIS AFTERNOON/EVENING. A FRONT IS STALLED JUST S OF THE CWA OR OVER THE SRN CWA. E WIND ON THE N SIDE OF THE FRONT HAVE PULLED MOISTURE FROM ONTARIO INTO NRN UPPER MI. AS FAR AS CAN BE SEEN IN WEBCAM IMAGERY AND WITH OBSERVATION PLATFORMS...THE MOISTURE HAS RESULTED IN A LOW STRATUS IMMEDIATELY ALONG THE LAKE SUPERIOR SHORELINE...AND IS A DENSE FOG FARTHER INLAND. FOG APPEARS TO BE MOST DENSE OVER NCENTRAL UPPER MI FROM THE NRN HURON MOUNTAIN TO WFO MQT TO KSAW WHERE WEAK UPSLOPE FLOW IS ENHANCING THE FOG SOME. THE ESCANABA AREA IS ALSO SEEING LOCALLY DENSE FOG AT TIMES...BUT IT APPEARS TO BE MORE SPORADIC. MOST HIGH-RESOLUTION MODELS HANDLED THE FOG DEVELOPMENT WELL...AND THEY SHOW DISSIPATION STARTING AFTER 8PM...WITH SIGNIFICANT VIS IMPROVEMENT BY 9PM. EXPECT MARINE FOG TO CONTINUE THROUGH TODAY. MOVING ON TO THE AFTERNOON/EVENING CONVECTION. THAT STALLED FRONT IS GOING TO SHIFT NORTH THROUGH THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON. WE WILL CERTAINLY SEE WARMER AIR MOVE IN BEHIND THE FRONT WITH 850MB TEMPS INCREASING FROM 12C THIS MORNING TO 15C THIS EVENING...ALONG WITH MOISTURE TRANSPORT. THESE FACTORS WILL INCREASE THE INSTABILITY...WITH CAPE VALUES INCREASING TO 1000-1500 J/KG OVER THE WRN HALF OF UPPER MI. DEEP LAYER 0-6KM SHEAR WILL BE DECENT AT 30-35 KTS...BUT LOW LEVEL SHEAR WILL BE WEAK. THIS WILL SUPPORT SOME ORGANIZED UPDRAFTS IN SOME OF THE CONVECTION THAT MAY DEVELOP...ESPECIALLY AS STORMS INTERACT WITH LAKE BREEZE BOUNDARIES WHICH COULD IMPROVE LOW LEVEL INFLOW INTO STORMS. IF STORMS DEVELOP...COULD CERTAINLY SEE SMALL HAIL AND STRONG WINDS IN THE STRONGEST STORMS...WITH AN OUTSIDE CHANCE FOR LARGER HAIL. AS FOR FORCING FOR CONVECTION...MODELS DEPICT A WEAK SHORTWAVE MOVING OVER WRN UPPER MI DURING PEAK HEATING. ENOUGH OF THE MODELS (ESPECIALLY HIGH-RES) WERE SHOWING CONVECTION TO BOOST CONFIDENCE OF DEVELOPMENT. MORE IN QUESTION IS COVERAGE AND ESPECIALLY STRENGTH. .LONG TERM...(FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY) ISSUED AT 439 AM EDT THU MAY 28 2015 PRIMARY WEATHER ISSUES IN THE LONG TERM ARE TSRA STRENGTH ON FRIDAY AND MIN TEMPS/FREEZE POTENTIAL FOR SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY NIGHT. SHORTWAVE RIDGE IS OVER UPPER GREAT LAKES ON THURSDAY EVENING WITH BROAD TROUGH FM CNTRL CANADA BACK OVER THE WESTERN CONUS. ANY ISOLD SHRA/TSRA ON THURSDAY AFTN SHOULD FADE AWAY WITH LOSS OF DAYTIME HEATING AND MINUS ADDITIONAL LARGER SCALE LIFTING MECHANISM. ANOTHER SMALL CHANCE OF SHRA/TSRA LATER AT NIGHT OVER THE WEST AHEAD OF BETTER MOISTURE TRANSPORT OUT AHEAD OF LOW PRESSURE AND COLD FRONT MOVING ACROSS THE NORTHERN PLAINS. SOME HINT OF WEAKER SHORTWAVE TIED TO THAT MOISTURE TRANSPORT. IF THAT OCCURS...BETTER CHANCE FOR ORGANIZED SHRA AND POSSIBLE TSRA LATE THU NIGHT INTO FRIDAY MORNING. AS CENTRAL CANADA TROUGH ALOFT DROPS ACROSS MANITOBA AND NORTHERN ONTARIO ON FRIDAY ASSOCIATED LOW PRESSURE AND SFC COLD FRONT MOVES FROM NORTHERN PLAINS TO THE UPPER GREAT LAKES. DECENT AGREEMENT FM THE MODELS THAT FROPA OCCURS FRIDAY AFTN. MAIN QUESTION REMAINS IN HOW MUCH INSTABILITY BUILDS UP AHEAD OF THE FRONT...AND WOULD CERTAINLY BE AFFECTED BY ANY SHRA/TSRA AROUND DURING THE MORNING HOURS. OVERALL THERE IS DECENT AGREEMENT THAT MLCAPES WILL BE AT LEAST 500J/KG AND MAY BE OVER 1000 J/KG BY TIME FRONT WORKS ACROSS IN THE AFTN. GREATEST INSTABILITY IS LOCATED OVER WI...BUT IS FORECAST TO EXPAND OVER PORTIONS OF CNTRL UPR MICHIGAN AHEAD OF THE FRONT. DEEP LAYER SHEAR UP TO 35 KTS WOULD BE FAVORABLE FOR ORGANIZED STORMS...BUT POTENTIAL WILL BE HELD DOWN IF MORE WIDESPREAD SHRA AND TSRA ARE AROUND EARLIER IN THE DAY. MOISTURE AVAILABILITY NOT AN ISSUE AS PERSISTENT H85-H7 MOISTURE TRANSPORT BOOSTS PWATS OVER 1.5 INCHES ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE FRONT. FAIR TO SAY IF THERE IS AT LEAST SOME INSOLATION ON FRIDAY...THERE WOULD BE RISK OF AT LEAST STRONG STORMS DURING THE AFTN. SPC DAY3 RISK HAS MARGINAL CATEGORY MAINLY SOUTH OF HERE INTO WHERE BETTER CHANCE OF HIGHER INSTABILITY RESIDES. FRONT MOVES ACROSS ALL OF UPR MICHIGAN AFTER MIDNIGHT FRIDAY NIGHT. IT WILL PROBABLY TAKE UNTIL THE FRONT HAS EXITED BEFORE CHANCES OF RAIN ARE ELIMINATED DUE TO DEEP MOISTURE PERSISTING EVEN BEHIND THE SFC FRONT AND POSSIBILITY OF SHORTWAVES WORKING THROUGH ON EDGE OF LARGE SCALE TROUGH. POPS HIGHEST FRIDAY WITH THIS FROPA. CONFLUENCE ALOFT ON WESTERN EDGE OF TROUGH MOVING ACROSS NORTHERN ONTARIO AND QUEBEC LEADS TO LARGE HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING IN ON SATURDAY. CHILLY DAY FOR LATE MAY STANDARDS ON SATURDAY AS TEMPS EVEN INLAND TOWARD WI BORDER MAY ONLY STRUGGLE INTO THE 50S DESPITE GOOD DEAL OF SUNSHINE. GRADIENT ONSHORE WINDS NEAR LK SUPERIOR WILL KEEP TEMPS THERE IN THE 40S. AIRMASS QUITE DRY WITH PWATS DROPPING TO 0.25-0.35 INCHES BY SATURDAY NIGHT. LIGHT WINDS/CLEAR SKIES AND DRY AIRMASS POINT TO STRONG RADIATIONAL COOLING AND WITH DWPNTS ON SATURDAY BLO 30F...A FREEZE IS LIKELY ON SATURDAY NIGHT. LACK OF ANY ONSHORE FLOW LATER SATURDAY NIGHT FAVORS EVEN SHORELINE AREAS NEAR LK SUPERIOR AND MOST OF LK MICHIGAN FOR MIN TEMPS AT LEAST IN THE LOWER 30S WITH STRONG FROST POSSIBILITY. WEAK EASTERLY WINDS ON SOUTHERLY EDGE OF SFC HIGH COULD KEEP BAY OF GREEN BAY SHORE IN FAR SCNTRL WITH THE WARMEST TEMPS OVER THE CWA. ANOTHER CHILLY DAY FOR SUNDAY UNDER MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES. INLAND TEMPS NEAR 60 DEGREES WHICH IS OVER 10 DEGREES BLO NORMAL. TEMPS ALONG LK SUPERIOR WILL BE MAINLY IN THE 40S OR 50S. WENT ON LOW SIDE FOR TEMPS SUNDAY NIGHT AND INCLUDED FROST MENTION AGAIN. SOME BIAS CORRECTED GUIDANCE INDICATED MINS BACK TO AROUND 32 DEGREES WHICH SEEMS REASONABLE AS RIDGE AND DRY AIRMASS LINGERS...ESPECIALLY CNTRAL AND EAST. REST OF EXTENDED FEATURES A WARMING TREND. UPPER LEVEL FLOW FLATTENS OUT IN WAKE OF THE TROUGH THIS WEEKEND. HIGH AT THE SFC SLOWLY MOVES OFF TO THE EAST OVER NEW ENGLAND AND MID ATLANTIC PUTTING PLAINS AND GREAT LAKES WITHIN RETURN FLOW. H85 TEMPS AS EARLY AS TUESDAY RISE TO 14C...WHICH WOULD YIELD HIGHS WELL INTO THE 70S INLAND FROM THE GREAT LAKES. MAY SEE SOME MID CLOUDS SPILL ACROSS UPR LAKES ON TUESDAY DUE TO WARM AIR ADVECTION H85-H7. PROBABLY NOT MUCH RISK OF SHRA THOUGH AS FORCING AND MOISTURE IS MARGINAL AT BEST. MAYBE BETTER CHANCE OF SHRA/TSRA ON WEDNESDAY AS TROUGH ALOFT HEADS ACROSS WESTERN CONUS. BETTER CHANCES PROBABLY STAY WEST YET CLOSER TO THE SFC LOW OVER THE NORTHERN PLAINS. AS LONG AS SYSTEM DOES NOT SPEED UP TO THE EAST...GOOD CHANCE THAT TEMPS MAY TOP OUT AROUND 80 DEGREES ON WEDNESDAY. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z FRIDAY AFTERNOON) ISSUED AT 148 PM EDT THU MAY 28 2015 A WARM FRONT WILL PUSH THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON...LEADING TO SCATTERED SHOWERS AND POSSIBLY THUNDERSTORMS OVER MAINLY WESTERN UPPER MICHIGAN. HAVE INCLUDED -SHRA AT KCMX AND VCNTY OF KSAW. LEFT THUNDER OUT THOUGH GIVEN UNCERTAINTY IN THUNDER COVERAGE. ANY SHRA DIMINISH THIS EVENING...THEN MORE SHOWERS AND POSSIBLE TSRA WILL MOVE BACK OVER ALL TAF SITES ON FRIDAY MORNING. WARM FRONT MOVING THROUGH BY THIS EVENING WILL SET UP A LOW-LEVEL JET TONIGHT...SO HAVE INCLUDED LOW-LEVEL WIND SHEAR AT ALL TAF SITES. && .MARINE...(FOR THE 4 AM LAKE SUPERIOR FORECAST ISSUANCE) ISSUED AT 536 AM EDT THU MAY 28 2015 WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO STAY AT OR BELOW 20 KNOTS FOR MOST OF THIS FORECAST PERIOD WITH THE EXCEPTION OF FRI NIGHT INTO EARLY SATURDAY WHERE THEY MAY INCREASE TO NEAR 30 KNOTS ACROSS EASTERN LAKE SUPERIOR BEHIND A COLD FRONT MOVING THROUGH THE REGION. FOG WILL LINGER THROUGH INTO FRIDAY NIGHT AND WILL BE DENSE AT TIMES. && .MQT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... UPPER MICHIGAN... NONE. LAKE SUPERIOR... NONE. LAKE MICHIGAN... NONE. && SHORT TERM...TITUS LONG TERM...07 AVIATION...JLA MARINE...TITUS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MARQUETTE MI 451 AM EDT THU MAY 28 2015 MIZ001>007-009>014-084-085-291300- KEWEENAW-ONTONAGON-NORTHERN HOUGHTON-BARAGA-MARQUETTE-ALGER-LUCE- GOGEBIC-IRON-DICKINSON-MENOMINEE-DELTA-SOUTHERN SCHOOLCRAFT- SOUTHERN HOUGHTON-NORTHERN SCHOOLCRAFT- 451 AM EDT THU MAY 28 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF WESTERN UPPER MICHIGAN AND CENTRAL UPPER MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT OVER THE WEST HALF OF UPPER MICHIGAN. STRONGER STORMS MAY PRODUCE SMALL HAIL AND GUSTY WINDS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. PATCHY DENSE FOG IS POSSIBLE NEAR THE GREAT LAKES SHORES THROUGH TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY LOCALLY DENSE FOG IS EXPECTED NEAR THE GREAT LAKES FRIDAY. ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE FRIDAY AND FRIDAY EVENING OVER ALL OF UPPER MICHIGAN. A FROST OR FREEZE IS EXPECTED LATE SATURDAY NIGHT INTO EARLY SUNDAY MORNING. THE LOWEST TEMPERATURES IN THE LOWER TO MIDDLE 20S ARE EXPECTED OVER INTERIOR WESTERN UPPER MICHIGAN...WHILE TEMPERATURES ALONG THE GREAT LAKES SHORES COULD FALL TO AS LOW AS THE LOWER 30S. MORE FROST IS POSSIBLE AGAIN SUNDAY NIGHT...ESPECIALLY INLAND FROM THE GREAT LAKES. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... THE NEED FOR WEATHER SPOTTER REPORTS IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. LSZ162-240>251-263>267-291300- 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- 451 AM EDT THU MAY 28 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN LAKE SUPERIOR...CENTRAL LAKE SUPERIOR AND WESTERN LAKE SUPERIOR. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT LOCALLY DENSE FOG IS EXPECTED. THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS WESTERN AND CENTRAL LAKE SUPERIOR THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY FOG IS EXPECTED AGAIN FRIDAY. THE FOG MAY BE DENSE AT TIMES. THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE AGAIN FRIDAY THROUGH FRIDAY EVENING ACROSS ALL OF LAKE SUPERIOR. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... THE NEED FOR WEATHER SPOTTER REPORTS IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. LMZ221-248-250-291300- 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- 451 AM EDT THU MAY 28 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHERN LAKE MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT LOCALLY DENSE FOG IS POSSIBLE. THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE LATE TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY FOG IS EXPECTED FRIDAY. THE FOG MAY BE DENSE AT TIMES. THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE FRIDAY THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... THE NEED FOR WEATHER SPOTTER REPORTS IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. 07
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MARQUETTE MI 930 AM EDT THU MAY 28 2015 MIZ001-003-004-084-281500- KEWEENAW-NORTHERN HOUGHTON-BARAGA-SOUTHERN HOUGHTON- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...COPPER HARBOR...HOUGHTON...HANCOCK... L'ANSE...KENTON...SIDNAW 930 AM EDT THU MAY 28 2015 ...DENSE FOG THIS MORNING... FOG WILL REDUCE VISIBILITY IN SOME AREAS THIS MORNING LESS THAN ONE- QUARTER MILE. EXPECT THE FOG TO BE MOST DENSE ALONG THE LAKE SUPERIOR SHORE AND NEAR KEWEENAW BAY...AND ALSO OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN FROM HANCOCK TO COPPER HARBOR. IF YOU ENCOUNTER FOG WHEN DRIVING...SLOW DOWN AND BE SURE TO TURN YOUR HEADLIGHTS ON...USING THE LOW BEAM SETTING. MIZ005>007-013-014-085-281500- MARQUETTE-ALGER-LUCE-DELTA-SOUTHERN SCHOOLCRAFT- NORTHERN SCHOOLCRAFT- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...GWINN...MARQUETTE...GRAND MARAIS... MUNISING...NEWBERRY...ESCANABA...GLADSTONE...MANISTIQUE...SENEY 930 AM EDT THU MAY 28 2015 ...AREAS OF FOG THIS MORNING... FOG REMAINS DENSE IN SOME AREAS THIS MORNING...ESPECIALLY NEAR THE LAKE SUPERIOR SHORE AND OVER INLAND PORTIONS OF EASTERN UPPER MICHIGAN. VISIBLITY COULD BE REDUCED TO LESS THAN ONE-QUARTER MILE. IF YOU ENCOUNTER FOG WHEN DRIVING...SLOW DOWN AND BE SURE TO TURN YOUR HEADLIGHTS ON...USING THE LOW BEAM SETTING. JLA
The Marquette radar (KMQT), 87 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:28 UTC.
5 hail, 1 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.
Rainfall of 2.60 inches was measured at the Michigan DNR field office in Norway. The combination of the heavy rain and large hail caused street flooding in the Norway and Iron Mountain areas.
There was a delayed report of quarter-sized hail near Norway.
There were public reports via social media of dime-sized hail in Loretto.
There were delayed reports via social media of quarter-sized hail between Norway and Vulcan.
The observer in Norway reported quarter-sized hail.
There was a report via social media of estimated two-inch diameter hail in Norway.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Michigan in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in Michigan, May 2015
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: 574833, 571458, 571454, 571455, 571456, 571457.