5 inches of rain on much of Newaygo County. In addition, the ground was frozen and approximately 4 inches of snow water equivalent was contained in the snowpack.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
On Thursday March 14, 2019 three rounds of thunderstorms combined to drop approximately 1.5 inches of rain on much of Newaygo County. In addition, the ground was frozen and approximately 4 inches of snow water equivalent was contained in the snowpack. About 2.5 inches of this snow water melted and joined the rainfall runoff.
These 3 factors all resulted in rapid and significant flooding across parts of the county that resulted in more than 50 homes and 9 businesses flooded, as well as the closure of more than 100 roads and the complete washout of more than 30 roads. A series of private dams on Penoyer Creek were also damaged. In addition, in the days after the storm, minor flooding developed along the Muskegon River that resulted in the flooding of an additional 105 homes. Damages from this storm across the county were more than $1.7 Million.
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 Mar 14, 2:18 PM EST, 42 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Grand Rapids MI 318 PM EDT Thu Mar 14 2019 LATEST UPDATE... Synopsis/Discussion .SYNOPSIS... Issued at 304 PM EDT Thu Mar 14 2019 - Next few hours will be the window for severe weather - Snow showers arrive Friday - Seasonal temperatures for much of the period && .DISCUSSION...(This evening through next Thursday) Issued at 304 PM EDT Thu Mar 14 2019 The combination of favorable 0 to 3 km CAPE along 0 to 1 km helicity and very low lcl's support an increased risk for severe weather. Water vapor imagery shows a decent vort lobe pivoting thru IL as well. The storms upstream have not shown stronger organization yet, but will need to monitor trends very closely. The storms should be pulling east of Lansing 7 to 8 pm. Gusty winds still a risk around any storms and also behind the passage of the wave. Gusts to 45 mph still possible so no change to the advisory headline. Colder air moves in from the west tonight through Friday. We will still see considerable snow melt. This combined with storm total rainfalls of mostly a half inch to an inch could still allow for flooding across the watch area. We will keep it going for now. With temperatures going below freezing Friday night some icy spots look possible on the roadways. A low risk for impacts at this time. The rest period looks rather quiet as more of a zonal flow develops. Fairly close to seasonable temperatures are expected. && .AVIATION...(For the 18Z TAFS through 18Z Friday afternoon) Issued at 121 PM EDT Thu Mar 14 2019 Multiple rounds of thunderstorms are expected through about 00z. Impacts will accompany these storms to aviators will need to monitor the latest. Without the storms the winds will be gusting over 25 knots at times with 40 knots possible. The winds will be shifting as well especially around any storms. MVFR ceilings look likely tonight with some light rain. There is a risk for IFR. As the colder air moves in from the west...a transition to snow is forecasted for Friday morning. && .HYDROLOGY... Issued at 126 PM EDT Thu Mar 14 2019 A general one third inch of rain fell across West Michigan since Wednesday morning. The heaviest rain fell along and west of Grand Rapids with isolated amounts between one half and three quarters of an inch. Lesser amounts...around one tenth of an inch...were reported along and east of US Highway 127. Temperatures remained well above freezing overnight across the region...which continued the melting of any remaining snow pack. Runoff from rainfall and snowmelt will continue to move through the river systems into next week. An additional one quarter to one half inch of rain is expected through Friday morning. The convective nature of precipitation today will result in more localized heavy rainfall. Significant rises are expected on most of the mainstem rivers across West Michigan. The Chippewa at Mount Pleasant...Maple at Maple Rapids...Rogue at Rockford...Muskegon at Newaygo and Bridgeton...and the Grand at Comstock Park and Robinson Township may rise above flood stage with minor flooding possible. Other forecast points are currently expected to remain below flood stage. The mild temperatures and rainfall have resulted in significant breakup of ice in area rivers. While the overall threat of ice jam development has decreased the threat is greatest for locations across Central Michigan in the White and Muskegon Chippewa basins. People with interests along rivers in Central Michigan should continue to be alert for rapid changes in river levels. && .GRR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Wind Advisory until 11 PM EDT this evening for MIZ037-043>046- 050>052-056>059-064>067-071>074. Flood Watch through Friday evening for MIZ037>040-043>046- 050>052. && SYNOPSIS...MJS DISCUSSION...MJS AVIATION...MJS HYDROLOGY...MWS
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Grand Rapids MI 200 PM EDT Thu Mar 14 2019 MIZ037>040-043>046-050>052-056>059-064>067-071>074-150745- Mason-Lake-Osceola-Clare-Oceana-Newaygo-Mecosta-Isabella-Muskegon- Montcalm-Gratiot-Ottawa-Kent-Ionia-Clinton-Allegan-Barry-Eaton- Ingham-Van Buren-Kalamazoo-Calhoun-Jackson- 200 PM EDT Thu Mar 14 2019 This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of southwest Lower Michigan. .DAY ONE...This Afternoon and Tonight Several rounds of showers and embedded thunderstorms are expected today. Some of the storms could be severe with damaging winds and large hail possible. Isolated tornadoes could occur. Even without the storms some winds gusts in the 45 to 55 mph range are possible into this evening. Water levels will be rising on area streams and rivers. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Wednesday Recent rainfall and snow melt will lead to river rises across the area into the weekend. People living along streams and rivers can expect rises over the course of the next week. The biggest rises will likely occur north of I-96 where more snowmelt will take place. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected. BORCHARDT MJS
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI
221 PM EDT THU MAR 14 2019
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0213 PM HAIL 3 ENE KENTWOOD 42.89N 85.54W
03/14/2019 E0.25 INCH KENT MI OFFICIAL NWS OBS
BRIEF PEA SIZE HAIL AT NWS GRAND RAPIDS.
&&PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI
225 PM EDT THU MAR 14 2019
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0155 PM HAIL 1 N HOPKINS 42.64N 85.76W
03/14/2019 M0.25 INCH ALLEGAN MI CO-OP OBSERVER
&&PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI
226 PM EDT THU MAR 14 2019
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0219 PM HAIL DELTON 42.50N 85.41W
03/14/2019 M0.88 INCH BARRY MI PUBLIC
PHOTO VERIFIED.
&&PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI
244 PM EDT THU MAR 14 2019
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0236 PM HAIL 1 SSE PORTLAND 42.86N 84.89W
03/14/2019 M0.25 INCH IONIA MI TRAINED SPOTTER
0225 PM HAIL 2 NE GRAND VALLEY 42.99N 85.84W
03/14/2019 M0.25 INCH OTTAWA MI PUBLIC
0220 PM HAIL GRAND HAVEN 43.06N 86.22W
03/14/2019 M0.25 INCH OTTAWA MI TRAINED SPOTTER
&&PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI
252 PM EDT THU MAR 14 2019
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1151 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 1 NE NORTON SHORES 43.17N 86.24W
03/14/2019 M47 MPH MUSKEGON MI ASOS
ASOS STATION MKG, MUSKEGON COUNTY AIRPORT.
&&PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI
255 PM EDT THU MAR 14 2019
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0238 PM TSTM WND GST 2 N EDGEMONT PARK 42.78N 84.59W
03/14/2019 M41 MPH CLINTON MI ASOS
ASOS STATION LAN, CAPITAL CITY AIRPORT.
&&The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
The combination of rain and snowmelt resulted in flooding and closure of more than a hundred roads. 30 roads were completely washed out.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Michigan in 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyWarnings in Michigan, March 2019
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: 835286.