I receive a lot of weather data from sites I belong to including the Earth Network. I get articles sent on a weekly basis to my email account by the Homeland Security Specialist Randy S.
With summer here we have to keep our eyes on the skies when there is the possibility of severe weather. Below is our first article from Earth Networks on Lightning. It can also be found here with videos.
Weather 101 Guide on Lightning
June is starting warm! Already 83 degrees in GR. Full blown summer mode.
According to Bill Stiffens May 2020 had the lowest number of reported tornadoes since at least 1970. And the lowest number of EF2 or stronger in recorded history (1950). Michigan only had one tornado watch and that was for just one county (Berrien County) in the far SW corner of the stated. (This is a correction from the original post think eraser or white out) Last year it is reported that Michigan had 6 tornadoes with 4 of them being on March 14th.
Slim
Umm 2019 was not tornado free in Michigan. On March 14, 2019, Michigan saw four tornadoes. Then in May, West Michigan saw a tornado in Barry County. Then in September, a tornado touched down in Forest Hills. And that’s probably not all of them. Just what I found in a two minute search.
https://geofactoftheday.blogspot.com/2019/09/9112019-michigan-tornado-warning-2.html
I went back to Bill’s blog and it looks like they took out the part for 2019. I just checked and there were a reported 6 tornadoes in 2019 in Michigan a reported 4 of them on March 14th. Before the change on Bill’s blog it was reported that there were only watches in Berrien and Cass counties and the western part of the UP. On March 14 there may or may not have been a tornado watch. It was my mistake to say there were no tornadoes in 2019 it should have been “no tornado warnings but I do… Read more »
One should be very careful when citing Bill or Bill’s Blog. He also loves to play with the stats and usually only presents something when it goes along with his viewpoint. For instance, while May was below average, April 2020 saw 251 confirmed (so far) tornadoes – which is off the charts above the long-term April average of 155. Just something to keep in mind.
I found the original post It was from December 3, 2019
https://www.woodtv.com/bills-blog-2/most-of-michigan-did-not-have-a-tornado-watch-in-2019/#:~:text=Most%20of%20Michigan%20did%20not%20get%20a%20Tornado%20Watch%20in,western%20third%20of%20the%20U.P.
Slim
Fixed it.
Slim
It’s a week away, but from NWS GR this morning: — Chance for heavy rain and gusty winds Wednesday — While this is a bit far in the future, the confidence in the synoptic pattern appears to be medium, so its worth exploring this as a real possibility. We will need to watch how Tropical Storm Cristobal interacts with an advancing Rossby wave trough in the Midwest Tuesday and Wednesday. As Cristobal undergoes extratropical transition, its possible the remnant low-level cyclone deepens as it approaches the Great Lakes region via baroclinic/upper level jet support. This has been shown in at… Read more »
Yeah the models have the tropical air being pushed this way. Then we spend a couple days with rain/clouds and cooler temps before another warm up. Could be an interesting week.
The CPC now shows a possible 2 week cool down. So we will have to see how that plays out.
Slim
Nice info on lightning. I was not aware that so many people may be misspelling lightning. Also did not know that only 20% of lightning strikes reach the ground. Clear and a very pleasant 63 at this time.
Slim