Northern Michigan’s peak summer tourism corridor is under active severe weather today, with Severe Thunderstorm Watches covering 27 Michigan counties and 11 Wisconsin counties through 4 PM.
Simultaneous active Severe Thunderstorm Warnings already hitting Gaylord, the Cadillac area and the Ludington Lake Michigan shoreline this midday.
Active Warnings: Gaylord, Cadillac and Ludington Are Being Hit Right Now
The National Weather Service in Gaylord has issued multiple active Severe Thunderstorm Warnings:
A warning through 12:30 PM EDT covers southwestern Cheboygan, western Otsego, Antrim, western Crawford, Kalkaska and southeastern Charlevoix counties, tracking east at 50 mph toward Gaylord, Elmira, Vanderbilt and Otsego Lake State Park with 70 mph wind gusts and nickel-size hail. Confirmed by law enforcement.
“Expect considerable tree damage. Damage is likely to mobile homes, roofs, and outbuildings.”
A second warning covers eastern Crawford County (east of Grayling) moving toward Red Oak with 60 mph gusts and half-dollar size hail (1.25 inches). A third covers western Wexford and southeastern Manistee counties tracking through Mitchell State Park, Harrietta and Cadillac through 12:45 PM.
The NWS Grand Rapids office has active warnings for Mason County (Ludington area) tracking through Ludington State Park, Scottville, Hamlin Lake and Fountain with 60 mph gusts, and for northern Lake County (Luther, Irons) with the same wind threat.
Watch 428: All of Northern Michigan Through 4 PM EDT
Severe Thunderstorm Watch 428 covers 27 Michigan counties through 4 PM EDT — the entire northern lower Michigan tourism belt: Grand Traverse (Traverse City), Antrim (Bellaire, Elk Rapids), Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Emmet (Petoskey, Harbor Springs), Leelanau, Benzie, Kalkaska, Otsego, Crawford (Grayling), Roscommon, Manistee, Mason, Lake, Osceola, Missaukee, Clare, Alpena, Presque Isle, Montmorency, Oscoda, Ogemaw, Wexford, Arenac, Gladwin and more.
This watch covers the full spectrum of northern Michigan’s summer economy — from the Traverse City wine and cherry country and the Petoskey/Charlevoix resort strip to the Gaylord golf corridor and the Cadillac lake country.
Watch 429: Green Bay, Appleton and Eastern Wisconsin Through 4 PM CDT
Watch 429 covers 11 eastern Wisconsin counties through 4 PM CDT: Brown (Green Bay), Outagamie (Appleton), Winnebago (Oshkosh), Calumet, Fond du Lac, Green Lake, Kewaunee, Manitowoc, Sheboygan, Waupaca and Waushara. Both watches extend into Lake Michigan’s coastal waters from the Straits of Mackinac south through Manistee and from Sturgeon Bay WI south to Port Washington.
The Lake Michigan Boating Warning
Both watches include specific language for people on the water. “If on the water, get away from the water and move indoors or inside a vehicle,” the Gaylord NWS office directed. “Lightning can strike out to 15 miles from the parent thunderstorm. If you can hear thunder, you are close enough to be struck by lightning.”
This is July 4th week in the Great Lakes — Lake Michigan, Grand Traverse Bay, Little Traverse Bay, Green Bay and dozens of inland lakes are crowded with boaters, kayakers and anglers. A severe thunderstorm can build to life-threatening conditions on open water in under 10 minutes.
What Visitors Must Do This Afternoon
If you are on the water, get off immediately and seek substantial shelter onshore. If you are in a campground, cabin or mobile home, move to the lowest floor of the nearest sturdy building. Monitor weather.gov/apx (Gaylord) and weather.gov/grr (Grand Rapids) for continuous updates through the 4 PM watch expiration.
