A funnel cloud was reported near Thunderbird raceway near Lakewood Club.
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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 GRR wrote it up.
A funnel cloud was reported near Thunderbird raceway near Lakewood Club.
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 Grand Rapids, MI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 16, 2:30 PM EST, 45 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Grand Rapids MI 330 PM EDT Thu Aug 16 2018 LATEST UPDATE... Synopsis/Short Term/Long Term/Marine .SYNOPSIS... Issued at 327 PM EDT Thu Aug 16 2018 A couple areas of weak and slow moving low pressure will produce widely scattered showers and thunderstorms through Friday evening, most numerous in the mid to late afternoon. High pressure will provide a dry and warm weekend before a stronger low pressure system brings a better chance of a more widespread rainfall event early next week. Cooler and comfortable late summer weather will follow behind that system for the middle of next week. && .SHORT TERM...(This evening through Saturday night) Issued at 327 PM EDT Thu Aug 16 2018 What remains of the weakening mid level circulation is currently over or near GRR as evidenced by swirl motion of the widely scattered bands of showers. Mixed layer capes are currently only around 500 J/KG due to extensive clouds so no thunder noted yet. Will hold on to a mention of isolated thunder during pk heating into mid evening with best pops and lcl heavy rain threat north of I-96. The convection is forecast to diminish or end by midnight with loss of insolation, followed by some late night patchy fog in humid air mass with dew points near 70. Next upstream upper low is very evident on satellite/radar over NW Iowa. This feature heads our way for Friday but like the current one over MI it fills/weakens by the time it gets here. Still, a fairly amplified open upper level trough will be over Michigan on Friday. The result should be a repeat of widely scattered diurnally enhanced scattered showers and tstms, peaking 4 pm - 8 pm. Probably some late night patchy fog again too late Friday night. The chance of rain is not zero on Saturday since another weak shortwave is shown to be dropping in from the northwest. Will run with a dry fcst for now, and can add some low pops if things look more convincing in future fcsts. There will probably be a decent amount of diurnal cu development Saturday, leading to a partly cloudy day. .LONG TERM...(Sunday through Thursday) Issued at 327 PM EDT Thu Aug 16 2018 The main focus in the long term is the Monday-Tuesday system, which looks to offer a better chance of a more widespread appreciable rainfall. There are model differences regarding both timing of the precip and the strength/track of the sfc low. The ECMWF is quickest in bringing the rain in as early as Monday, with a deepening sfc low tracking through se WI to near the Straits of Mackinac by 12Z Tuesday. The GFS and GEM hold off most of the rain until Monday night and show a farther south track of the sfc low. Either way, it looks like a fairly deep low for this time of year will be somewhere over the eastern Great Lakes Region on Tuesday, which after the showers and thunderstorms would yield breezy conditions on the back side with potential marine impacts. High pressure will build in on Wednesday and be over the area on Thursday, so diminishing winds expected along with cool/comfortable conditions. && .AVIATION...(For the 18Z TAFS through 18Z Friday afternoon) Issued at 153 PM EDT Thu Aug 16 2018 MVFR to VFR cigs of 2500-4000 ft are expected this afternoon. Widely scattered showers/tstms could produce IFR or lower vsbys if they pass over a terminal. Have only mentioned thunder in the GRR TAF from 22Z to 02Z as latest HRRR guidance shows convection most focused along U.S. 131 at peak heating. Thunder can't be completely ruled out at the other terminals and AMDs can be issued later if on radar it looks like they'll be impacted. Showers and tstms will dissipate by midnight, then cigs lowering again in most places late tonight. IFR or lower stratus and fog is expected mainly 10Z-14Z, particularly south and east of GRR. Cigs gradually lifting Friday from mid morning on, with more widely scattered showers and storms developing the afternoon. && .MARINE... Issued at 327 PM EDT Thu Aug 16 2018 Waves generally holding at only around 1 foot tonight and Friday morning, although do not be surprised if choppier 2-3 foot seas develop by late in the day Friday into Friday evening as winds briefly increase out of the NNW. Outlook: A rather significant wind and wave event is possible next Tuesday as a deepening area of low pressure passes through the Great Lakes Region. Waves greater than 6 feet are possible. && .HYDROLOGY... Issued at 153 PM EDT Thu Aug 16 2018 Since Wednesday morning...isolated rainfall amounts of one half to one inch occurred south and west of Kalamazoo...between Ludington and Big Rapids...and in the Lansing area. Lesser amounts were noted in other showers. The isolated nature of the rainfall did not produce significant rises on area rivers. Areal coverage of precipitation today is also expected to be limited. While isolated heavy rainfall amounts will be possible... significant runoff will be localized and impacts to river stages will be minimal. && .GRR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MI...None. LM...None. && SYNOPSIS...Meade SHORT TERM...Meade LONG TERM...Meade AVIATION...Meade HYDROLOGY...MWS MARINE...Meade
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Grand Rapids MI 350 PM EDT Thu Aug 16 2018 MIZ037>040-043>046-050>052-056>059-064>067-071>074-172000- Mason-Lake-Osceola-Clare-Oceana-Newaygo-Mecosta-Isabella-Muskegon- Montcalm-Gratiot-Ottawa-Kent-Ionia-Clinton-Allegan-Barry-Eaton- Ingham-Van Buren-Kalamazoo-Calhoun-Jackson- 350 PM EDT Thu Aug 16 2018 This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of southwest Lower Michigan. .DAY ONE...This Afternoon and Tonight A few thunderstorms are possible this afternoon with brief heavy rain possible. No severe weather is expected. Patchy fog is possible overnight and especially toward sunrise Friday. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Wednesday Scattered thunderstorms are possible Friday afternoon with brief heavy rain possible. No severe weather is expected. Showers and thunderstorms are possible Monday and into Tuesday. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation will not be needed. LMZ844>849-172000- St Joseph to South Haven MI-South Haven to Holland MI- Holland to Grand Haven MI-Grand Haven to Whitehall MI- Whitehall to Pentwater MI-Pentwater to Manistee MI- 350 PM EDT Thu Aug 16 2018 This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of southwest Lower Michigan. .DAY ONE...This Afternoon and Tonight An isolated thunderstorm is possible this evening. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Wednesday Showers and thunderstorms are possible Monday and into Tuesday. Gusty winds and large waves are also possible, especially on Tuesday. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation will not be needed.
The Grand Rapids radar (KGRR), 75 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:17 UTC.
1 funnel cloud. Local standard time, as filed.
The public reported a funnel cloud extended at least halfway to the ground near Lakewood Club. No tornado occurred.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Michigan in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in Michigan, August 2018
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: 785819.