Lake Michigan, 2016

Marine Thunderstorm Wind in Lake Michigan, August 12, 2016

August 12, 2016 · NWS LOT · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Thunderstorms moved across Lake Michigan in the morning producing gusty winds.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS LOT wrote it up.

Thunderstorms moved across Lake Michigan in the morning producing gusty winds.

What forecasters said that day

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 Chicago, IL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 12, 6:01 AM CST, 4 hours 25 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 12, 6:01 AM CST, 4 hours 25 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 12, 3:45 AM CST, 6 hours 41 minutes before
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In the hours before

Special weather statement, Aug 12, 10:13 AM CST, 13 minutes before
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Local storm report, Aug 12, 10:20 AM CST, 6 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO/ROMEOVILLE IL
1120 AM CDT FRI AUG 12 2016

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1109 AM     HEAVY RAIN       1 W BROOKFIELD          41.82N 87.88W
08/12/2016  M1.30 INCH       COOK               IL   COCORAHS

            1 INCH OF RAIN FELL IN THE PAST 25 MINUTES.

&&

C

The radar

The Chicago radar (KLOT), 55 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 16:27 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 marine thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Marine Thunderstorm Wind, Wilmette Harbor to Northerly Island Il

When
August 12, 10:26 AM CST to 10:30 AM CST
Where
Wilmette Harbor to Northerly Island Il forecast zone, Harrison-Dever Crib
Measured
56 kt (64 mph) measured gust
Reported by
C-MAN Station
Coordinates
41.920, -87.570

Wind gusts greater than 40 knots from 1126 to 1130 CDT. Peak gust of 56 knots at 1128 CDT.

What these are

Marine Thunderstorm Wind
Thunderstorm winds of 34 knots or more over coastal or lake waters.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Lake Michigan in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather history

Sources

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 659023.