Overview
Temperatures climbing into the low to mid 90s with dew points in the low to mid 70s Tuesday afternoon lead to heat indices reaching around 100 degrees across most of southeast Michigan. This hot and humid airmass fueled an expanding line of strong to severe thunderstorms which moved through southeast Michigan just before 4 PM and 7 PM. Wind gusts of 40-65 MPH impacted the majority of southeast Michigan, downing tree limbs and trees. Isolated stronger gusts between 66-76 mph were also observed across the Detroit Metro Area. In total, about 380,000 customers lost power in Michigan, with around 210,000 in the DTE service area/southeast Michigan region. Just about every county in southeast Michigan experienced at least minor tree damage. Due to the rapid movement of the line of thunderstorms, rainfall totals were limited to under 1 inch across the majority of the area. Much heavier rainfall occurred with thunderstorms moving through Washtenaw and Wayne counties Tuesday night, leading to total rainfall totals around 3 inches in Ann Arbor.
Photos
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Sebewaing Credit: Phill Wilson |
Sebewaing Credit: Phill Wilson |
Burton Credit: Christopher Vogt |
Radar
Radar loop courtesy of Iowa Environmental Mesonet (IEM)
Storm Reports
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Map of Local Storm Reports August 27, 2024 |
Severe Weather Local Storm Reports:
Preliminary Local Storm Report...Summary National Weather Service Detroit/Pontiac MI 1203 PM EDT Wed Aug 28 2024 ..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON... ..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE.... ..REMARKS.. 0354 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg Midland 43.62N 84.23W 08/27/2024 Midland MI Trained Spotter Trees down near US 10 Business loop and Eastman Rd. 0401 PM Tstm Wnd Gst 3 W Auburn 43.60N 84.14W 08/27/2024 M62 mph Bay MI Dept of Highways 0405 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg 2 N Pinconning 43.89N 83.96W 08/27/2024 Bay MI Trained Spotter One large tree down as well as a large limb over 6 inches in diameter. 0406 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg Auburn 43.60N 84.08W 08/27/2024 Bay MI Trained Spotter large tree uprooted on Garfield Rd just south of US 10. 0409 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg Kawkawlin 43.65N 83.95W 08/27/2024 Bay MI Amateur Radio Multiple reports of trees and power lines down along Beaver Road. 0409 PM Tstm Wnd Gst Tri Cities Intl Airport 43.53N 84.08W 08/27/2024 M62 mph Saginaw MI ASOS 0415 PM Marine Tstm Wind Killarney Beach 43.69N 83.92W 08/27/2024 M46 mph Bay MI Park/Forest Srvc 0420 PM Marine Tstm Wind Saginaw Bay South 43.81N 83.72W 08/27/2024 M47 mph LHZ422 MI C-Man Station 0430 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg Sebewaing 43.73N 83.45W 08/27/2024 Huron MI Trained Spotter Multiple 3+ inch tree limbs down. 0440 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg 1 NE Sebewaing 43.74N 83.45W 08/27/2024 Huron MI Trained Spotter Large tree down across Center St near M25 and Beck 0445 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg Perry 42.82N 84.23W 08/27/2024 Shiawassee MI Trained Spotter Multiple trees down. At least one tree damaged a home. 0446 PM Marine Tstm Wind 2 E Sand Point 43.92N 83.32W 08/27/2024 M43 mph Huron MI Mesonet 0450 PM Tstm Wnd Gst Caseville Light 43.95N 83.28W 08/27/2024 M67 mph LHZ421 MI C-Man Station 0459 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg Howell 42.61N 83.94W 08/27/2024 Livingston MI 911 Call Center Numerous trees down across Livingston County per dispatch. 0500 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg Byron 42.83N 83.95W 08/27/2024 Shiawassee MI Trained Spotter At least 4 large trees down in and south of the downtown area. 0502 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg 2 SE Howell 42.60N 83.91W 08/27/2024 Livingston MI NWS Employee Large tree limbs reported down. 0505 PM Tstm Wnd Gst Flint 43.02N 83.69W 08/27/2024 M63 mph Genesee MI ASOS Gust measured at Flint Bishop Airport 0510 PM Marine Tstm Wind 2 W Port Austin 44.04N 83.03W 08/27/2024 M46 mph Huron MI Mesonet 0515 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg 2 W Highland 42.64N 83.66W 08/27/2024 Oakland MI NWS Employee Trees and tree limbs reported down. 0518 PM Marine Tstm Wind 1 E Harbor Beach 43.85N 82.64W 08/27/2024 M48 mph Huron MI C-Man Station 0520 PM Marine Tstm Wind Lexington Harbor 43.27N 82.52W 08/27/2024 M44 mph Sanilac MI Mesonet 0520 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg Hadley 42.95N 83.40W 08/27/2024 Lapeer MI NWS Employee Four trees reported blown down. 0520 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg 2 NW New Hudson 42.53N 83.64W 08/27/2024 Oakland MI Public Large trees downed at Kensington Park. 0525 PM Tstm Wnd Gst 4 E White Lake 42.65N 83.43W 08/27/2024 M67 mph Oakland MI Official NWS Obs 0525 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg Metamora 42.94N 83.29W 08/27/2024 Lapeer MI 911 Call Center Numerous trees down all across southern Lapeer County. 0531 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg Holly 42.80N 83.62W 08/27/2024 Oakland MI NWS Employee More than a dozen trees down between Holly and the Oakland/Genessee County line. 0533 PM Tstm Wnd Gst Oakland County Intl Air 42.66N 83.41W 08/27/2024 M66 mph Oakland MI ASOS 0540 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg 2 W Ann Arbor 42.28N 83.77W 08/27/2024 Washtenaw MI 911 Call Center Trees and power lines reported down across many parts of Washtenaw county, but especially Scio Township and Ann Arbor area. A few trees also landed on houses and cars. 0545 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg Novi 42.48N 83.49W 08/27/2024 Oakland MI Trained Spotter Multiple trees and tree limbs down in and around Novi. Reported via Twitter/X 0549 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg 1 NE Rochester Hills 42.67N 83.13W 08/27/2024 Oakland MI NWS Employee 4 or more powerpoles snapped. Also small tree debris all over the area. 0550 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg Shelby Township 42.67N 83.03W 08/27/2024 Macomb MI NWS Employee 2 large trees down along Southfield Dr. 0555 PM Tstm Wnd Gst Oakland Troy Airport 42.54N 83.18W 08/27/2024 M58 mph Oakland MI AWOS 0555 PM Tstm Wnd Gst Detroit Metro Intl Airp 42.23N 83.33W 08/27/2024 M76 mph Wayne MI ASOS 0557 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg Birmingham 42.54N 83.22W 08/27/2024 Oakland MI Trained Spotter Large tree uprooted and fell across Pine St. 0601 PM Marine Tstm Wind 1 SW Lakeside 42.56N 82.86W 08/27/2024 M45 mph Macomb MI Dept of Highways 0604 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg 2 S Detroit City Airpor 42.38N 82.99W 08/27/2024 Wayne MI Public Large tree uprooted and fell across the road near Cadillac and Forest. 0605 PM Marine Tstm Wind Lake St. Clair Metropar 42.57N 82.80W 08/27/2024 M44 mph Macomb MI Mesonet 0605 PM Marine Tstm Wind Grosse Pointe YC 42.43N 82.87W 08/27/2024 M50 mph LCZ460 MI Mesonet 0609 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg Britton 41.99N 83.83W 08/27/2024 Lenawee MI 911 Call Center Multiple trees down 0610 PM Marine Tstm Wind 1 W Algonac 42.62N 82.55W 08/27/2024 M48 mph St. Clair MI Mesonet 0611 PM Tstm Wnd Gst 1 E Roseville 42.50N 82.92W 08/27/2024 M75 mph Macomb MI Dept of Highways 0615 PM Marine Tstm Wind Peche Island Light 42.36N 82.91W 08/27/2024 M57 mph LCZ460 MI Mesonet 0615 PM Marine Tstm Wind Grosse Ille 42.10N 83.16W 08/27/2024 M47 mph Wayne MI AWOS 0620 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg 3 N Monroe Custer Airpo 41.98N 83.45W 08/27/2024 Monroe MI Amateur Radio Numerous trees down across the county, especially north of the city of Monroe. 0629 PM Marine Tstm Wind 1 N Detroit River Light 42.01N 83.14W 08/27/2024 M53 mph LEZ444 MI Mesonet 0633 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg 3 NE Fairfield 41.85N 84.02W 08/27/2024 Lenawee MI 911 Call Center Multiple trees down around the area 0228 AM Tstm Wnd Dmg Plymouth 42.37N 83.47W 08/28/2024 Wayne MI Broadcast Media Wet mirco-burst downed trees in Plymouth. &&
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National Storm Reports for August 27, 2024 |
Environment
A cold frontal boundary sagging south through the upper Great Lakes spurred the development of an MCS over northeastern Wisconsin during the late morning hours of the 27th. This complex tracked east into northwest lower Michigan before diving southeast to southeastern Michigan early in the afternoon due to a strong developing CAPE gradient over lower Michigan. Strong southerly flow had advected a very hot, humid airmass into lower Michigan with most locales seeing dewpoints in the mid 70s as temperatures reached into the lower 90s. Surface based instability reached or exceeded 3500 J/kg due to this airmass and provided ample support for not only maintenance of the MCS but further upscale growth to expand across the entirety of southern lower Michigan during the afternoon.
Mature cold pool formation coincided with strengthening DCAPEs which ranged from 1000-1500 J/kg as it reached the I-69 corridor. 60+ mph wind gusts were observed from Saginaw down to Flint during this time with winds further increasing as the mature organized line pushed into the greater Metro Detroit area. Peak gusts were observed over Detroit itself with 75 mph measured at a mesonet site near Roseville and 76 mph at Detroit Metro Airport. While some weakening of the line occurred after this point due to decreasing instability during the evening hours, damaging winds continued all the way to the Ohio border before the line pushed south and east the region by 8 PM though trailing stratiform rain would linger for a couple more hours into the late evening. Despite the humid airmass and PW values between 1.5-2", the progressive nature of the line limited the residence time over any one area keeping rain amounts generally at or below 1 inch.
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Figure 1: WPC Surface Analysis, valid 1500 UTC 27 Aug 2024 | Figure 2: WPC Surface Analysis, valid 2100 UTC 27 Aug 2024 | Figure 3: DTX Sounding, valid 1200 UTC 27 Jul 2024 |
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Figure 4: Surface Based CAPE, valid 1500 to 2300 UTC 27 Aug 2024 | Figure 5: Downdraft CAPE, valid 1500 to 2300 UTC 27 Aug 2024 | Figure 6: 0-3km Wind Shear, valid 1500 to 2300 UTC 27 Aug 2024 |
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Figure 7: SPC Day 1 Severe Weather Outlook, valid 1200 UTC 27 Aug 2024 | Figure 8: SPC Day 1 Probabilistic Wind Outlook, valid 1200 UTC 27 Aug 2024 | Figure 9: SPC Day 1 Probabilistic Tornado Outlook, valid 1200 UTC 27 Aug 2024 |
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