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A Significant Spring Storm Impacting the Central U.S. This Week

A significant late-season winter storm will bring an expanding area of heavy snow, sleet, and freezing rain to the Northern Plains and Upper Midwest. Further south, severe thunderstorms are expected from the southern Plains into the southern Great Lakes. A multi-day excessive rain and flooding event will impact the Ozarks into the Ohio Valley through Saturday. Read More >

September 11th, 2019: High Winds Strike Greater Grand Rapids Area

Radar loop from 4:00 to 9:30 PM 9/11/2019. Note the line of storms that went through Grand Rapids, Michigan, where the most concentrated damage was reported. 


During the afternoon and evening hours of September 11th, strong to severe storms moved across western Lower Michigan. A ~50 mile swath of damage occurred from Walker to Lake Odessa with uprooted and snapped trees and numerous power outages due to estimated 65 to 80 MPH winds. A more concentrated area of damage was found in Grand Rapids especially east of US-131, where wind gusts locally approached 100 mph.  Along the entire swath, there was little evidence lofted debris which would be typical of tornadoes, though brief swirls likely occurred in the swath.

 

Earlier in the day, hail as large as ping pong balls (1.5" in diameter) and scattered wind damage was also reported, especially across Newaygo and Montcalm counties.

 

Finally, the storms provided much needed rainfall with swaths 1-2" across western Lower Michigan. 

 


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