Weather History Day

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July 15

1863: It was a frosty morning with temperatures falling to the 30s across much of Michigan. The low of 31 degrees is the coldest ever recorded in July at Lansing by a full five degrees.

1961: A heavy downpour hits Grand Rapids, with 0.41 inches of rain falling in 15 minutes.

1985: A tornado touched down in the northeast section of Lansing and damaged 18 buildings as it moved to three miles north of Webberville in Ingham County.

1987: It was the coolest July day on record at Grand Rapids, with a high of only 58 degrees. Clouds and rain kept temperatures in the upper 50s and lower 60s during the day after morning lows in the mid 40s.

July 16

1945: The second morning of record cool weather in five days produces low temperatures of 42 degrees at Grand Rapids and Muskegon.

1986: A plane carrying executives from Holland to Muskegon crashed while landing in heavy fog. The pilot had descended below approach minimums and the plane struck two trees about two miles short of the runway. Three people were killed, including the pilot. Three others were injured.

July 17

2006: A widespread severe weather outbreak struck West Michigan. Dozens of trees were downed by winds gusting between 60 and 70 mph. A camper was injured by a falling tree at a campground in Dorr, Allegan County. Two inch diameter hail fell at Marne in Ottawa County.

2009: The high of 67 degrees at Grand Rapids is a record cool high temperature for the date, and contributes to July, 2009 becoming the coolest July on record. The highest temperature for the entire month is only 84 degrees, the lowest monthly maximum temperature for any July on record.

1994: A small, short-lived tornado was observed lifting small debris at the Clare County airport north of Harrison.

July 18

1952: Thunderstorms with heavy downpours resulted in flooding of basements and some streets across West Michigan.

July 19

1894: Temperatures reach 100 degrees across much of Michigan for the second day in a row. At Lansing, the high of 102 degrees ties the record for the all time hottest temperature.

2009: Cool and unstable air over Lake Michigan spawns at least two waterspouts. One of the waterspouts moves inland near Holland, just north of Lake Macatawa, but quickly dissipates and causes no damage.

July 20

1954: Severe thunderstorms produced golf ball-sized hail and damaging winds across West Michigan. In Kent, Ionia and Montcalm Counties, dozens of trees were felled and some crops were wiped out by the hail and high winds.

2003: A tornado with peak winds around 100 mph struck near Battle Creek. It left an 8 mile long damage path and tore a garage from a house. Three outbuildings and a barn were also destroyed. Hundreds of trees were uprooted or broken off. The tornado width was nearly one half mile wide where the most severe damage occurred.

July 21

1934: A brutal heat wave peaks during the Dust Bowl summer with a high of 104 degrees at Grand Rapids, second only to the 106 and 108 degree readings from July 1936. Temperatures reach the mid and upper 90s even right along the Lake Michigan shore.

1983: One person drowned on the Kalamazoo River as a tornado struck Saugatuck then crossed the river, generating a large wave of water.

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A pleasant (for me) 52° at 7am in Otsego.  The coolest temp I could find in the state was in Manistique reporting 37°.  These low temperatures at night help bring in the below normal outlook from the CPC though the day time high may be near 80°.  Our normal high for the second half of July is around 81°.  Keep in mind normal mean temperatures are calculated only over a 30 year period.  I have been around over twice that long and have seen a lot of decadal variations in the weather.  I still remember when we had the logo of Winter/Water Wonderland on our license plates back in the 1960s when we had snow on the ground all winter.  It would be interesting how much our totals would chance if we figured in a 100 year period for mean temperatures and average rain and snowfall.

We are still below normal for precipitation for most of the state (feature graphic) with many areas picking up 10 to 25 percent of normal for July.  Areas north of Grand Rapids are closer to normal.  Grand Rapids average is 3.78 inches, Lansing 2.83 and Battle Creek 3.83.  Here in Otsego we have received only .40 of an inch so far this month so we are around three inches short….

With these dry conditions and low humidity for today we have an elevated fire risk.

A large high pressure system centered over Northern Lower Michigan this morning will remain nearly stationary through today and into tonight. This fair weather system will act to keep the skies mainly clear and temperatures below normal for this time of the year. This system tracks east of the region on Thursday. A southwesterly flow of warmer and increasingly moist air will develop. Rain showers will be on the increase by Friday as a result.

Unsettled weather is anticipated this weekend with occasional showers and thunderstorms as a result of an upper level low pressure system that will move slowly east across the Great Lakes region. Greatest coverage of precipitation should occur during the afternoon and evening hours as a result of instability from daytime heating and with the pool of colder air aloft.  The latest GFS shows around an inch of rain for most of the state.

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