A moist unstable air mass ahead of an approaching cold front produced strong thunderstorms with large hail over portions of central Upper Michigan late afternoon into early evening on the 1st.
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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 moist unstable air mass ahead of an approaching cold front produced strong thunderstorms with large hail over portions of central Upper Michigan late afternoon into early evening on the 1st.
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 Jun 1, 3:58 PM EST, 22 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Marquette MI 458 PM EDT WED JUN 1 2016 .SHORT TERM...(This evening through Thursday) Issued at 444 PM EDT WED JUN 1 2016 Water vapor imagery and RAP analysis show a well-defined mid level low drifting along the MN/ON border near KINL. Band of shra within the warm conveyor belt of system moved across the area last night/this morning with the last of the shra now exiting the eastern fcst area. At the sfc, low pres was located just nw of KINL with occluded front arcing across western Lake Superior, western Upper MI into eastern WI. In the wake of the morning shra, and just ahead of the occluded front, there has been enough clearing for instability to build. Latest SPC mesoanalysis, shows mlcape of 500+j/kg in a corridor from the Huron Mtns to KIMT, just ahead of the front. Meanwhile, deep layer shear is around 30kt, supporting potential for organized storms. So far, storms have not shown any notable organization or sustained strong reflectivity aloft. In addition to brief, very heavy rain, a couple of the stronger storms have likely produced some small hail. Bkn band of shra/tsra from the Keweenaw to near KIMT will shift e this evening, diminishing as they move into the more stable environment downwind of Lake Michigan over the e half of the fcst area. Given the instability/deep layer shear, there is still a small potential of an isold svr storm or two until cells get to roughly a Marquette/Escanaba line as that will basically mark where instability falls off. Those diminishing shra will spread into the eastern fcst area this evening, probably exiting by midnight. Rest of the night should be dry. Will need to monitor the shra over ne MN, but being largely diurnally driven, those shra should not survive the trip across Lake Superior. Unwinding/weakening mid level low will be just n of Lake Superior at 12z Thu. Its movement will increase to the ene during the day as it continues to weaken. Expect considerable cloud cover in the morning, aided by daytime heating. Clouds will begin to decrease at least over the nw in the aftn under the stabilizing influence of Lake Superior. Expect highs mostly in the 60s, but 50s for areas close to Lake Superior that are normally cooled under w winds. Downsloping over the s central should push temps into the lwr 70s. Winds will be on the gusty side. .LONG TERM...(Thursday night through Wednesday) Issued at 457 PM EDT WED JUN 1 2016 The models suggest that the mid/upper level pattern will amplify as as a strong shortwave trough moving out of the northern plains digs into and closes off over the Great Lakes this weekend. This will bring periods of precipitation into early next week along with temperatures at or below normal. Thursday night, with surface ridging building into the area and diurnal cooling, expect that clearing skies and favorable radiational cooling in the relatively dry airmass will allow temps to drop toward the lower end of guidance. Min readings in the upper 30s are expected over the interior west with temperatures in the 40s over the rest of the area. Friday, as the vigorous shortwave trough approaches from the west, clouds will increase from west to east and will bring shra/tsra chances into the west late as the GFS/ECMWF have trended toward a slightly faster progression of the pcpn. 850 mb temps into the 10C to 12C range will support max temps from the upper 60s east to the lower 70s west. Friday night, Models were in good agreement that favorable dynamics with moderate to strong 700-300 mb qvector conv and upper level div with diffluent flow ahead of the shrtwv will bring pcpn across the cwa. Forecast MUCAPE and Showalter indices suggest that isold/sct tsra will also be possible. PWAT values to around 1.5 inches, most areas should see pcpn amounts to around 0.50 inch with some local amounts to 1.0 inch over the west. Saturday, As the Mid level and surface lows approach sct/nmrs shra and will continue. Expect the best chance for tsra during the afternoon over the central where the combination of low level convergence near the surface trough and the proximity of the low level theta-e ridge, and steepening mid level lapse rates are present. Sunday, Mid level trough will linger over the area with the potential for daytime heating and and an additional weak shortwaves to set off shra and possibly some tsra. Monday through Wednesday, pcpn chances will diminish from Monday into Tuesday as the mid level trough moves off to the east, replace by mid level and sfc ridging Tuesday. Dry weather should also linger into Wed as WAA and moisture advection increases through the plains to nrn MN. && .AVIATION...(For the 18Z TAFS through 18Z Thursday afternoon) Issued at 204 PM EDT WED JUN 1 2016 Ongoing ifr cigs at KSAW will improve to mvfr in the next hr or so as daytime heating works to mix out low-level moisture. Otherwise, attention is on occluded front currently moving across far western Upper MI. Expect sct shra/tsra to develop ahead of front, affecting KCMX/KSAW. If pcpn affects either terminal, brief ifr conditions will be possible. After fropa, pcpn will end with vfr conditions expected at KIWD/KCMX/KSAW through the evening. Late tonight/Thu morning, a return of low-level moisture around low pres passing n of Lake Superior will bring a return of mvfr cigs. Not out of the question that cigs could drop to ifr at KCMX under brisk upslope westerly winds. && .MARINE...(For the 4 PM Lake Superior forecast issuance) Issued at 444 PM EDT WED JUN 1 2016 In the wake of a cold front passing across Lake Superior tonight, west winds up to 25kts are expected overnight into Thu morning. Meanwhile, fog, dense at times, across portions of the lake will shift to mainly eastern Lake Superior by sunrise Thursday before dissipating in the aftn. High pressure building over the western Lakes Thursday night into Friday morning will then bring a period of light winds no higher than 15kts. Winds will increase up to 20kts Fri aftn into Saturday as the next low pressure moves into the western Great Lakes. Depending on the strength of the low, winds could ramp up quite a bit more than currently expected, especially for western Lake Superior due to coastal convergence/funneling of ene winds. The winds will gradually weaken Sunday. && .MQT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Upper Michigan... None. Lake Superior... None. Lake Michigan... None. && SHORT TERM...Rolfson LONG TERM...JLB AVIATION...Rolfson MARINE...Rolfson
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MARQUETTE MI 504 PM EDT WED JUN 1 2016 MIZ001>007-009>014-084-085-021215- KEWEENAW-ONTONAGON-NORTHERN HOUGHTON-BARAGA-MARQUETTE-ALGER-LUCE- GOGEBIC-IRON-DICKINSON-MENOMINEE-DELTA-SOUTHERN SCHOOLCRAFT- SOUTHERN HOUGHTON-NORTHERN SCHOOLCRAFT- 504 PM EDT WED JUN 1 2016 /404 PM CDT WED JUN 1 2016/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF WESTERN UPPER MICHIGAN AND CENTRAL UPPER MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE OVER CENTRAL UPPER MICHIGAN THAT COULD PRODUCE SMALL HAIL AND GUSTY WINDS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE OVER THE WEST HALF ON FRIDAY NIGHT AND OVER ALL OF WEST AND CENTRAL UPPER MICHIGAN ON SATURDAY. SOME OF THESE STORMS COULD PRODUCE HEAVY RAIN. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ANY INSTANCES OF SEVERE WEATHER THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. LSZ162-240>251-263>267-021215- 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- 504 PM EDT WED JUN 1 2016 /404 PM CDT WED JUN 1 2016/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN LAKE SUPERIOR...CENTRAL LAKE SUPERIOR AND WESTERN LAKE SUPERIOR. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE OVER EASTERN LAKE SUPERIOR. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY LINGERING FOG...POSSIBLY DENSE AT TIMES...WILL GRADUALLY DIMINISH WEST TO EAST ON THURSDAY. THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE OVER MAINLY SOUTHERN LAKE SUPERIOR ON FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... THE NEED FOR WEATHER SPOTTER REPORTS IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. LMZ221-248-250-021215- 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- 504 PM EDT WED JUN 1 2016 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHERN LAKE MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THIS EVENING. AREAS OF FOG WILL DEVELOP THIS EVENING AND COULD BECOME LOCALLY DENSE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE LATE FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... THE NEED FOR WEATHER SPOTTER REPORTS IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. JLB
The Marquette radar (KMQT), 5 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:21 UTC.
10 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
An amateur radio delayed report estimated one inch diameter hail in Negaunee. There were several dents observed on a car.
A spotter in West Ishpeming reported dime-sized hail.
A NWS employee reported nickel-sized hail in Negaunee with a few hailstones just under an inch in diameter.
A NWS employee observed dime-sized hail in Negaunee.
There were reports via social media of estimated penny-sized hail or larger at the Negaunee North ball field.
There were public reports of dime-sized hail on Business M-28 between Ishpeming and Negaunee.
There were public reports of dime-sized hail observed in Hardwood.
There was a delayed report via social media of penny-sized hail near Hogback Mountain. The hail was accompanied by torrential rain.
The Bark River Fire Department observed penny to nickel-sized hail.
Penny-sized hail was observed in Gladstone for about 5 minutes.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Michigan in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in Michigan, June 2016
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: 638106, 638100, 638101, 638102, 638105, 638103, 638104, 638109, 638108, 638107.