A line of storms moved through southern MI well ahead of a cold front. These storms produced flooding rains over northern Berrien (training), and locally damaging wind gusts and small hail from Berrien County to Hillsdale County.
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 IWX wrote it up.
A line of storms moved through southern MI well ahead of a cold front. These storms produced flooding rains over northern Berrien (training), and locally damaging wind gusts and small hail from Berrien County to Hillsdale County. There was also an EF1 tornado in Hillsdale County.
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 Northern Indiana wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Sep 7, 2:37 PM EST, 38 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Northern Indiana 337 PM EDT Tue Sep 7 2021 .SYNOPSIS... Issued at 336 PM EDT Tue Sep 7 2021 A line of storms will move through the region this evening into early tonight. Some of the stronger storms may have damaging wind gusts and large hail. Cooler and drier air will move in for Wednesday and Thursday. && .SHORT TERM...(This Evening through Wednesday) Issued at 322 PM EDT Tue Sep 7 2021 Strong mid level shortwave translating eastward through northern Lower Michigan this afternoon. Strong, elevated, linear-segmented convection ongoing from central Lower Michigan into north central Illinois at this time. Strong diabatic heating across CWA early afternoon with surface temperatures into the middle 80s that will aid in maintaining upstream thermal instability and allow storms to become surface based with increased wind threat. This morning/early afternoon convection was driven more by theta-e plume/middle to upper 60s surface dewpoints immediately in advance of attendant cold front and collocated eastern periphery of EML/higher mid level lapse rates with elevated storm mode. Veered low/mid flow continues to strengthen with resultant deep/effective layer shear on order of 40-50 kts. Forcing depth accentuated amid 40-60m/12 hour 5H height falls. Setup should aid in maintaining strong to severe convection into northwest CWA around 20-21 UTC. While primary concern is damaging wind gusts with DCAPE on order of 900 J/kg, strong helical low level flow could give rise to leading edge mesovorticies that, when tied to rear inflow jet/notch, could lead to brief tornado. Million dollar question will be how far southeast strong/severe convection can maintain. Shallow nature of theta-e upstream and mixout into the upper 50s/lower 60s presently points to short duration with southeast extent MLCAPE waning. Suspect convection to dwindle/become outflow dominant by about 00 UTC across northern Indiana. && .LONG TERM...(Wednesday Night through Tuesday) Issued at 322 PM EDT Tue Sep 7 2021 Few changes to long term. Steep low level lapse rates and minor shortwave could yield some showers downstream of southern Lake Michigan. Otherwise long duration dry period as Great Basin mid level ridge retrogrades eastward with building heights across southern Great Lakes. A weak frontal boundary sags southward into northern CWA late Sunday, associated with shortwave within high belted westerlies. A better chance for showers/storms late Monday/Tuesday with stronger northern stream wave in advance of deepening warm sector. && .AVIATION...(For the 18Z TAFS through 18Z Wednesday Afternoon) Issued at 1239 PM EDT Tue Sep 7 2021 VFR conditions through 20Z. Winds remain strong from the southwest between 15 and 25 kts. Occasional gusts to 40 kts cannot be ruled out. LLWS does not appear to be a concern at this time as the flow is uniform through the boundary layer. For KSBN - After 20Z the situation changes dramatically as the front and associated convection charges out of the WI/MI and sweeps into the KSBN area. Expect IFR CIGS/VSBY with along and behind the front/convection. Additionally, high confidence that there will be LLWS / significant turbulence associated with this convection at onset. Timing of LLWS is still uncertain...but don't expect it to persist for more than a couple of hours. CIGS/VSBY improve by the latter part of the forecast period. For KFWA - Continued VFR through 00Z. Strong southwest winds will create a very turbulent boundary layer but LLWS is not expected. After 00Z conditions begin to deteriorate and expect a short lived period of convection to pass through the area. ISOLD MVFR/IFR CIG/VSBY with the convection/frontal passage...and could have isold LLWS during the passage. Some lower CIGS possible in the wake of the cold front...however do not anticipate widespread impacts to flight operations. && .IWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IN...Beach Hazards Statement through Wednesday evening for INZ003. MI...Beach Hazards Statement through Wednesday evening for MIZ077. OH...NONE. LM...Small Craft Advisory until 8 PM EDT Wednesday for LMZ043-046. && SYNOPSIS...Murphy SHORT TERM...Murphy LONG TERM...Murphy AVIATION...Lewis Visit us at www.weather.gov/iwx Follow us on Facebook...Twitter...and YouTube at: www.facebook.com/NWSNorthernIndiana www.twitter.com/nwsiwx www.youtube.com/NWSNorthernIndiana
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Northern Indiana 356 PM EDT Tue Sep 7 2021 INZ004>008-012>016-MIZ078>081-081200- St. Joseph IN-Elkhart-Lagrange-Steuben-Noble-Starke-Pulaski-Marshall- Fulton IN-Kosciusko-Cass MI-St. Joseph MI-Branch-Hillsdale- 356 PM EDT Tue Sep 7 2021 /256 PM CDT Tue Sep 7 2021/ ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 490 IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 PM EDT /10 PM CDT/ THIS EVENING... This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for northern Indiana and southwest Michigan. .DAY ONE...This afternoon and tonight. Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the Internet for more information about the following hazards. Severe Thunderstorm Watch. There is a risk for severe thunderstorms this evening. The primary hazard is damaging wind gusts. Large hail is also possible. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday. No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotters are encouraged to report. INZ009-017-018-020-022>027-032>034-OHZ001-002-004-005-015-016-024- 025-081200- De Kalb-Whitley-Allen IN-White-Cass IN-Miami-Wabash-Huntington-Wells- Adams-Grant-Blackford-Jay-Williams-Fulton OH-Defiance-Henry-Paulding- Putnam-Van Wert-Allen OH- 356 PM EDT Tue Sep 7 2021 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for northern Indiana and northwest Ohio. .DAY ONE...This afternoon and tonight. There is a risk for thunderstorms this evening. The primary hazard is gusty winds. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday. No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotters are encouraged to report. INZ003-MIZ077-081200- La Porte-Berrien- 356 PM EDT Tue Sep 7 2021 /256 PM CDT Tue Sep 7 2021/ ...BEACH HAZARDS STATEMENT IN EFFECT THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING... ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 490 IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 PM EDT /10 PM CDT/ THIS EVENING... This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for northern Indiana and southwest Michigan. .DAY ONE...This afternoon and tonight. Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the Internet for more information about the following hazards. Beach Hazards Statement. Severe Thunderstorm Watch. There is a risk for severe thunderstorms this afternoon and evening. The primary hazard is damaging wind gusts. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday. Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the Internet for more information about the following hazards. Beach Hazards Statement. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotters are encouraged to report. LMZ043-046-081200- New Buffalo MI to St Joseph MI-Michigan City IN to New Buffalo MI- 356 PM EDT Tue Sep 7 2021 ...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM EDT WEDNESDAY... ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 490 IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 PM EDT THIS EVENING... This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for the nearshore waters of southeastern Lake Michigan. .DAY ONE...This afternoon and tonight. Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the Internet for more information about the following hazards. Small Craft Advisory. Severe Thunderstorm Watch. There is a risk for severe thunderstorms this afternoon and evening with wind gusts to 50 knots possible. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday. Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the Internet for more information about the following hazards. Small Craft Advisory. Small Craft Advisory.
The Northern Indiana radar (KIWX), 71 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:14 UTC.
7 thunderstorm wind, 1 flood, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
Trees and tree limbs near the intersection of Heimbach and Wilbur Roads north of Three Rivers.
A few trees down in northern Berrien County.
Six trees down across roadway. Two reports of power lines down.
County officials reported areas of high water and road closures across much of northern and northeastern Berrien county due one to over three inches of rain falling onto already saturated ground.
Several large trees down across the road.
A weak tornado developed west of the intersection of S Bunn Road and Cole/Bankers Road, and moved quickly east along the north side of the road causing areas of significant tree damage east to Cambria Road. Two 1000 lb round hay bales were picked up from a field south of Bankers Road and thrown into a ditch and yard on the north side of the road. Several power poles were snapped in the area. It appears the tornado briefly lifted after crossing Cambria Road, but touched down again on the east side of S Hillsdale Road where several outbuildings and a silo were destroyed. The tornado intensified further as it moved through the Hillsdale Golf and Country Club where considerable, widespread tree damage, including several uprooted trees, occurred. The tornado quickly weakened as it moved across Baw Beese Lake with a few tree branches damaged along Oakwood Drive. No further damage was observed past this point. Maximum winds estimated at around 100 mph (EF-1) with a maximum width of around 450 yards.
Power poles and lines down. Trees down.
Trees down blocking the road.
Trees down, some onto buildings. Power lines and poles down.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Michigan in 2021Every state in 2021This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Michigan, 2021Warnings in Michigan, September 2021
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: 985120, 985121, 985122, 985102, 985123, 985127, 985124, 985125, 985126.