Lake Michigan, 2016

Marine Thunderstorm Wind in Lake Michigan, August 17, 2016

August 17, 2016 · NWS GRB · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Thunderstorms produced a wind gust to 42 knots as they moved across northern Lake Michigan.

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 GRB wrote it up.

Thunderstorms produced a wind gust to 42 knots as they moved across northern Lake Michigan.

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 Green Bay, WI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 16, 4:43 PM CST, 11 hours 12 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 16, 4:43 PM CST, 11 hours 12 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 16, 1:24 PM CST, 14 hours 31 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREEN BAY WI
224 PM CDT TUE AUG 16 2016

WIZ005-010>013-018>022-030-031-035>040-045-048>050-073-074-171930-
VILAS-ONEIDA-FOREST-FLORENCE-NORTHERN MARINETTE COUNTY-LINCOLN-
LANGLADE-MENOMINEE-NORTHERN OCONTO COUNTY-DOOR-MARATHON-SHAWANO-
WOOD-PORTAGE-WAUPACA-OUTAGAMIE-BROWN-KEWAUNEE-WAUSHARA-WINNEBAGO-
CALUMET-MANITOWOC-SOUTHERN MARINETTE COUNTY-
SOUTHERN OCONTO COUNTY-
224 PM CDT TUE AUG 16 2016

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST
WISCONSIN.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TONIGHT. THE STORMS ARE NOT
EXPECTED TO BE SEVERE...BUT COULD PRODUCE BRIEF DOWNPOURS AND
GUSTY WINDS...ESPECIALLY DURING THE EVENING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH TUESDAY

THE CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS WILL LINGER THROUGH EARLY WEDNESDAY
EVENING...BUT THE RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER WITH THESE STORMS IS LOW.

THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY.
THE GREATEST POTENTIAL FOR STRONG STORMS WILL BE FRIDAY AFTERNOON
AND EVENING. BE SURE TO MONITOR LATER FORECASTS AND STATEMENTS
WHICH WILL BE ABLE TO PROVIDE A MORE DETAILS ANALYSIS OF THE
POSSIBILITY OF SEVERE WEATHER DURING THIS PERIOD. HEAVY DOWNPOURS
WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE WITH THE STORMS.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TONIGHT.

LMZ521-522-541>543-171930-
THE BAY OF GREEN BAY SOUTH OF A LINE FROM CEDAR RIVER MI TO ROCK
ISLAND PASSAGE-LAKE MICHIGAN FROM WASHINGTON ISLAND TO SHEBOYGAN-
224 PM CDT TUE AUG 16 2016

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST LAKE
MICHIGAN AND THE WATERS OF GREEN BAY.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TONIGHT. LIGHTNING
STRIKES...REDUCED VISIBILITY...AND BRIEF GUSTY WINDS WITH THE
STORMS WILL POSE A HAZARD TO BOATERS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH TUESDAY

THE CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS WILL LINGER THROUGH EARLY WEDNESDAY
EVENING.

THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY.
THE GREATEST POTENTIAL FOR STRONG STORMS WILL BE FRIDAY AFTERNOON
AND EVENING.

GUSTY NORTH WINDS COULD RESULT IN CONDITIONS HAZARDOUS TO SMALL
CRAFT LATE SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY.

MPC/SKOWRONSKI

The radar

The NCL Michigan radar (KAPX), 141 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 09:53 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

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

Marine Thunderstorm Wind, Rock Island Passage to Sturgeon Bay Wi 5nm Offshore to Mid Lake

When
August 17, 3:55 AM CST
Where
Rock Island Passage to Sturgeon Bay Wi 5nm Offshore to Mid Lake forecast zone, North Michigan Buoy (45002)
Measured
42 kt (48 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Buoy
Coordinates
45.340, -86.410

A thunderstorm wind gust to 42 knots was measured at the North Lake Michigan buoy.

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: 655847.