June 15 2023 Severe Storms and Detroit Beach Tornado

Overview

On the late afternoon of June 15th, a localized area of low pressure coupled with favorable upper-level dynamics produced numerous showers and thunderstorms mainly south of I-96. The prevailing atmospheric conditions accelerated the intensification of the storms, producing several strong to severe thunderstorms. Hail, measuring between 1-2 inches, emerged as the primary severe weather threat, with several instances of wind damage associated with gusts around 60 mph. Notably, an EF1 tornado developed just west of Lake Erie. This tornado, which remained on the ground for 9 minutes, exhibited a maximum wind gust of 90 mph. In its wake, damage was reported which included multiple large fallen limbs and trees, along with damage to several residential properties.

Tornado
Photos
Radar
Environment
Storm Reports

Tornadoes:

Tornado - Detroit Beach, MI
Monroe County

Date	June 15, 2023
Time (Local)	6:09 PM - 6:18 PM EDT
EF Rating	EF-1
Est. Peak Winds	90 mph
Path Length	4.7 miles
Max Width	400 yards
Injuries/Deaths	0/0
Summary: Tornado touched down near Dixie Highway and the north part of the Detroit Beach neighborhood. Damage in this area was mainly large limbs down with winds estimated to 70 mph. Tornado tracked east-northeast through Woodland Beach where greatest damaged occurred with large limbs down and snapped hardwood trees. Estimated winds were to 90 mph with a 400 yd width in this area. Track continued into Baycrest Beach where limbs and a couple trees were down along the lakeshore with estimated winds up to 80 mph. Tornado crossed Pointe Aux Peaux Rd east-southeast of Dixie Highway before exiting over Lake Erie north of Fermi Power Plant. Damage in this portion of the track was EF0 with only limbs down.

Track Map

The Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale classifies tornadoes into the following categories:

EF0 Weak 65-85 mph	EF1 Moderate 86-110 mph	EF2 Significant 111-135 mph	EF3 Severe 136-165 mph	EF4 Extreme 166-200 mph	EF5 Catastrophic 200+ mph

Photos


Thunderstorm Wind Damage in Pinkney Credit: Kyle Piers	Hail in Salem Twp Credit: Drew Bummel	Hail in New Boston Credit: Angie Huspen

Hail in Carleton Credit: Laura Gaynie	Hail in Pinkney Credit: Matt Weber	Hail in Pinkney Credit: Cindy Holmes

Radar

Radar Imagery for SE MI

Radar loop courtesy of Iowa Environmental Mesonet (IEM)

Radar Imagery for Detroit Beach EF-1 Tornado

Dundee Tornado - Radar Reflectivity Loop

Figure 1. DTX base reflectivity between 2204 and 2220 UTC on 15 June 2023, centered on Detroit Beach, MI.

Figure 2. DTX base velocity between 2204 and 2220 UTC on 15 June 2023, centered on Detroit Beach, MI.

Environment

A localized area of low pressure (figure 1) enhanced surface moisture convergence (figure 2), aiding the development of late afternoon rain showers and thunderstorms across southern lower Michigan on June 15th. Supported by an approaching shortwave and adjacent left jet streak dynamics (figure 3), the thunderstorms rapidly intensified. The northern Metro region down to the Ohio border, situated within the warm sector of this system, capitalized on peak daytime heating. Surface-based CAPE values rose between 1000-2000 j/kg (figure 4), and low-level lapse rates increased between 7-8 C/km (figure 5), enhancing the storms buoyancy. A 700-500 mb wind maximum had swept across SE MI, lengthening the hodographs low and mid-levels which increased 0-6 km shear values to 40 knots (figure 6). Streamwise storm relative hodographs through 1-6 km (figure 7) facilitated the development of supercells, within which several 1-2 inch hail reports were observed across Monroe, Wayne, Washtenaw, and Livingston Counties. Easterly flow from Lake Erie and marine boundary dynamics then aided in tornadogenesis near and over Detroit Beach, lasting 9 minutes. This EF1 rated tornado, with estimated peak winds around 90 mph, primarily caused tree damage and damage to residential housing.


Figure 1: Surface Analysis, valid 2000 UTC 15 Jun 2023	Figure 2: Surface Moisture Convergence, valid 2100 UTC 15 Jun 2023	Figure 3: 300 mb height with divergence and wind, valid 2100 UTC 15 Jun 2023

Figure 4: Surface-Based Convective Available Potential Energy, valid 2100 UTC 15 Jun 2023	Figure 5: 0-3km Lapse Rates, valid 2100 UTC 15 Jun 2023	Figure 6: 0-6km Bulk Wind Shear, valid 2100 UTC 15 Jun 2023

	Figure 7: 0-9km Storm Relative Hodographs, valid 2100 UTC 15 Jun 2023

Storm Reports

Map of Local Storm Reports for June 15, 2023

Local Storm Reports for June 15, 2023

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