Lake St. Clair, 2023

Waterspout in Lake St. Clair, July 23, 2023

July 23, 2023 · NWS DTX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A brief waterspout was observed over the Detroit River.

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 DTX wrote it up.

A brief waterspout was observed over the Detroit River.

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 Detroit, MI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 23, 11:29 AM EST, 2 hours 52 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 23, 11:29 AM EST, 2 hours 52 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 23, 2:11 AM EST, 12 hours 10 minutes before
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In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 23, 1:16 PM EST, 1 hour 5 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Jul 23, 1:19 PM EST, 1 hour 2 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Jul 23, 1:52 PM EST, 29 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Jul 23, 2:09 PM EST, 12 minutes before
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The radar

The Detroit radar (KDTX), 73 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:23 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 waterspout. Local standard time, as filed.

Waterspout, Detroit River

When
July 23, 2:21 PM EST
Where
Detroit River forecast zone, 6.22 mi N of Detroit River Light
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
42.090, -83.140

What these are

Waterspout
A tornado over water. One that moves ashore is filed as a tornado from the coastline on.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Lake St. Clair in 2023Every state in 2023This 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: 1117856.