Rain Today – Weather History

Clouds will be on the increase this morning with rain developing later this afternoon.  Cooler than normal temperatures will continue with highs near 70°.  Yesterday we had a high of 70° and a low of 52°.

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Weather History for SW Michigan

June 5

1905: Torrential rains soaked much of the region. From four to six inches of rain on June 5th and 6th caused widespread flooding. Both Lansing and Grand rapids set records for daily rainfall in the month of June with 5.47 and 4.22 inches, respectively.

1930: A tornado moved across southern Clinton County from near Eagle to seven miles north of Lansing. One farm home was torn to splinters and scattered.

June 6

1869: It was the second frosty morning in a row as temperatures dropped to near or below freezing. Lansing recorded a low of 31 degrees, after a low of 27 degrees on the 5th which is the coldest ever recorded there in the month of June.

1917: A violent tornado struck the town of Springport in Jackson County, killing two people. About 35 homes were destroyed.

June 7

1958: One of the coolest Junes on record saw scattered frost across the region as the temperature fell to the mid-30s.

1996: A weak, short-lived tornado moved through open country east of Lake Lansing in rural Ingham County. Two other small, weak tornadoes struck near Novi and Flint.

June 8

1933: An early-season heat wave peaked as temperatures hit 97 degrees at Grand Rapids and 92 at Lansing.

2008: Severe weather and flash flooding occur on June 7th and 8th, with four drownings in southwest Lower Michigan. Two people drowned when their car plunged into a fifty-foot ravine created by a washed-out road in Castle Park, Allegan County. Tornadoes struck in Osceola County near Hersey and in Eaton County near Needmore, downing hundreds of trees and destroying several outbuildings.

2003: Tornadoes strike Lower Michigan, with damage mostly confined to near Fenton in Genesee County and Leonard in Oakland County. A weak tornado hit near Rose Lake in Osceola County but did no damage.

June 9

1963: Severe thunderstorms caused millions of dollars in damage across the region as winds gusted over 70 mph. There were also reports of funnel clouds and a possible tornado in Belmont where several trailers were destroyed and homes were damaged. A tornado near Dorr heavily damaged a house.

1966: A large storm system that had produced the F5 Topeka, Kansas tornado the previous day moved into the Great Lakes region and brought severe weather to Lower Michigan with high winds and large hail. A tornado struck Wall Lake, near Delton in Barry County and damaged a boat and cottage.

1974: Ferris State University in Big Rapids is hit by a tornado. Two people are injured. Several houses and two schools also had damage to roofs and walls.

2004: Severe thunderstorms produced at least one tornado and some very large hail. Hailstones over 4 inches in diameter fell in Jackson County and a tornado briefly touched down near Alma, producing only some tree damage.

June 10

1939: Tornadoes struck across southern Lower Michigan, including one that hit Kalamazoo County from near Schoolcraft to Austin Lake. A farm house lost its second floor and a mattress from the home was found over a mile away.

June 11

1968: Severe thunderstorms produced large hail across the region. Hail of 2.5 inches in diameter fell in Ionia County. One of the storms spawns a tornado that kills one person near Pompeii in Gratiot County.

1972: A late-season freeze struck the region with Muskegon dropping to 31 degrees for their coldest June temperature on record. Lansing fell to 32 degrees and Grand Rapids to 33 degrees.

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Weather History for SE Michigan

June 5

On June 5, 2005, widespread severe weather hit Southeast Michigan. Thirty-four warnings were issued with 52 distinct severe weather events reported including one F0 tornado near Hemlock. Hail was up to golf ball size, and wind gusts up to 80 mph were estimated in Bay City, Hemlock, New Hudson, and Monroe.

On June 5, 1998, the high temperature only rose to 53 degrees in Detroit. Scattered showers during the afternoon forced temperatures into the 40s, and spotters reported sleet with some of them.

In 1953, tornadoes hit both Wayne and Saginaw Counties. An F0 tornado hit Wayne County at 5:05 PM and an F2 tornado hit Saginaw County at 7:00 PM and caused $25,000 in damage

Also on June 5, 1905, an estimated F5 tornado moved through Tuscola and Sanilac counties in the middle of the afternoon. The tornado moved from Colling to McGregor. The worst of the damage was near Shabbona in Sanilac County where at least three farms were destroyed. Five deaths and 40 injuries resulted from this tornado.

June 6

On June 6, 1903, the record for the greatest amount of precipitation for the month of June in Detroit was reached, with a rainfall estimate of 3.07 inches. The normal monthly precipitation amount for the month of June is 3.55 inches. In just one day, the monthly average was almost reached!

On June 6, 2008, widespread severe weather was reported across the Tri-Cities, Thumb and Flint areas. There were 24 reports of hail and wind damage from the storms with a measured 71 mph wind gust from a spotter in Howell.

Also on June 6, 2010, a strong low-pressure system tracked through the Detroit Metro area during the early morning hours, spawning three tornadoes south of I-94, with flash flooding occurring over Washtenaw and Wayne counties as 2 to 4 inches of rain was recorded. The two tornadoes which occurred over Monroe county damaged a total of 311 buildings. Five single-family homes were destroyed. Major damage occurred at 34 structures. Minor damage was observed at 74 structures, with 198 other homes affected needing mostly cosmetic repairs. The village of Dundee was hardest hit with the EF2 tornado.

June 7

On June 7, 1930, the temperature rose to only 54 degrees in Detroit!

June 8

On June 8, 1953, the deadliest tornado in Michigan history struck the northern Flint community of Beecher at 8:30 PM, killing 116 and injuring 844 along its path. The F5 tornado touched down about 2 miles north of Flushing and from there, created a path averaging about a half-mile wide as it moved across Flint, at an approximate speed of 35mph, to about 2 miles north of Lapeer. A 23-mile-long path of death and destruction was left in its wake with over a hundred lives lost, including as many as 20 families reporting multiple deaths. Damage was estimated at $19 million (1953 dollars). On this day in 2003 (the 50th anniversary of the Beecher/Flint Tornado), three tornadoes touched down in the area. Ironically, one tornado hit the southern portion of Genesee County while commemoration ceremonies were underway.

Also on June 8, 2008, a derecho, a significant squall line, raced through Southeast Lower Michigan. Winds were estimated to be 80 to 90 mph across portions of Tuscola, Oakland and Macomb Counties. In Southeast Michigan, nearly 300,000 homes and businesses lost power in the storm and the total damage was nearly $100 million.

June 9

On June 9, 2011, a cold front moved through Southeast Michigan around midnight and it produced numerous severe thunderstorms across southeast Michigan during the early morning hours. Winds were estimated to be near 85 mph around Sebewaing with dozens of downed trees and extensive damage at the airport. A measured wind gust of 76 mph was recorded in Flint.

Also on June 9, 1933, the overnight low temperature dropped to only 76 degrees in Detroit. Considering that the normal high temperature for June 9 is 78 degrees, this would have been a very warm overnight temperature!

June 10

On June 10, 2020, a warm and very moist air mass was in place as the remnants of Tropical Storm Cristobal had moved through the Great Lakes the prior evening. This provided the fuel for widespread severe storms not only for Lower Michigan but also northeast Indiana and all of Ohio as a strong trough moved in overhead. Numerous trees fell on homes in Flushing, Mount Morris, and Grosse Ile, and one person was injured in Saginaw when a large tree fell on their car.

On June 10, 1941, the overnight low dropped to a “freezing” 33 degrees in the city of Saginaw. This is the record low temperature for the month of June in Saginaw and is tied by the low temperature recorded on June 8, 1949.

June 11

On June 11, 2014, a supercell spawned a tornado just southwest of the town of Saint Charles. The tornado intensified to EF-1 along Fordney Road between Brant and Fergus Roads. Several large trees were uprooted and minor structural damage was observed.

Also on June 11, 1972, the overnight low temperature dropped to 36 degrees in Detroit. This is the record low temperature for the month of June in Detroit and ties the record set on June 1, 1966.

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Forecast Discussion

...Quiet Weather Pattern Continues into Weekend...

Persistent upper low over Hudson Bay will continue to bring cool
and fairly quiet weather this week. There will be chances of rain
every couple days as shortwave troughs move through in general
cyclonic flow under the upper low, beginning today. Convection
should remain south of the forecast area today as cool and stable
air prevails. The next chance for rain is on Friday but that could
just graze the southern zones or miss the forecast area to the
south. Some rain/thunder is possible over the weekend in the
transitory phase as the upper low lifts east and upper ridging
briefly becomes established over the east central CONUS.

The ridging builds westward early next week and eventually height
falls occur across the Great Lakes as the ridging shifts more to
the western U.S.and a cold front approaches for Tuesday.