Grand Rapids, MI

Weather Forecast Office

Event Summaries

Thunderstorms / Tornadoes
Flooding
Winter
Other

Severe Thunderstorms & Tornadoes

The following summaries cover "significant" or widespread thunderstorm outbreaks and tornadoes. Tornadoes, hail, wind damage, and associated flooding impacts can be found in these summaries. If the event was focused mainly on flooding it will be found under the "Flooding" section.

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2025

May 15: Squall Line Brought Destructive Winds and Tornadoes
Mar 30: Squall Line Destructive Winds and Tornadoes

2024

Jun 25: Damaging Morning Squall Line
May 7: Portage EF-2 Tornado
Feb 27-28:Tornadoes, Hail, Record Highs

2023

Aug 24:Tornadoes and Wind Damage

2022

Sep 25: Gusty lakeshore winds
Sep 21: Large Hail
Aug 29: Wind damage and heavy rain
Aug 03: Wind damage and heavy rain
Jul 23-24: Wind damage and heavy rain
Jun 13-14: Wind damage and large hail

2021

Sep 07: Wind Damage and Large Hail
Aug 09 - 12: Severe
Jul 29: Wind Damage
Jul 24: Wind Damage
Jun 26: 6 Tornadoes
Jun 12: Large Hail
Jun 11: Wind Damage
Apr 10: Brief Tornado

2020

Apr 07: Severe Hail
Jun 10: Severe Winds and Heavy Rain
Jun 26: Severe Winds and Heavy Rain
Aug 10:Derecho Severe Winds and Heavy Rain

2019

Mar 14: Tornado and Severe Weather Event in SE Michigan
May 19: Barry County Tornado
Jun 01: Battle Creek Severe Hail and Wind Event
Jul 20: High Wind Event through Western Lower Michigan
Aug 29: Large Hail and Funnel Clouds
Sep 11: Damaging Winds through greater Grand Rapids area

2018

Aug 28: Tornado and Wind Event
Sep 01: Labor Day Tornado Event

2017

Apr 10: Kent and Ionia County EF-1 Tornado
Jun 30: EF-0 Landspout near Grand Junction, MI
Jul 07: Severe winds across western Lower Michigan

2016

Aug 12: Allegan County Tornado Event
Aug 20: Western Lower Michigan Tornado Event

2015

Aug 02: Severe Weather Event
Nov 21: Storm Summary
Nov 11-13: Storm Summary
Aug 14: Storm Summary
Jun 22: Portland EF-1 Tornado

2014

Jul 07: Tornadoes in Ionia and Clinton Counties
Jul 06: Kentwood EF-1 Tornado

2008

Jun 07-08: Deadly Thunderstorms Winds, Tornadoes, and Floods

Historic

Nov 17, 2013: Severe Wind and Tornado Damage
May 31, 1998: Derecho Event
Apr 11, 1965: Palm Sunday Tornado Outbreak
Apr 3, 1956: Tornado Outbreak
May 13, 1980: F-3 Kalamazoo Tornado
Jun 24, 1950: Northwest Airlines Flight 2501

Flooding

The following summaries cover "significant" or widespread flooding. River and flash flooding can be found in these summaries. If the flooding event accompanied severe thunderstorms or tornado outbreaks, it will likely be included in that event's summary under the "Thunderstorms / Tornadoes" section.

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2025

2024

2023

2022

May 11: Heavy Rain, Flooding and a Few Large Hail Events
Feb 17: Heavy Rain, Snowmelt, and River Flooding, then Snow

2021

May 23: Reed City flooding Event

2020

Nov 01: Strong Winds and Lakeshore Flooding
May 17-18: Heavy Rain and River Flooding
May 17-18: River Floods Aspect only
Late April: Heavy Rainfall and Lakeshore Flooding

2019

Jul 20: Major Flooding
Jul 04: Local Flooding
Jun 19-20: Heavy Rainfall
Mar 14: Snow Melt Flooding

2018

Coming Soon!

2017

Oct 22-24: Heavy Rainfall
Jun 23: Mount Pleasant Flood

2016

Feb 02: Record Rainfall in February
Aug 15-16: Heavy Rain and Flooding Event

2015

Aug 10: Lansing Record Rainfall and Flood
Jun 11-16: Total Rainfall

Historic

Coming Soon!

Winter Weather

The following summaries cover significant or widespread winter storms. Heavy snow, sleet, freezing rain, blizzards, and extreme cold can be found in these summaries.

2024

Jan 12-14: Winter Storm
Dec 04-05-14: Winter Storm with Snow Squalls

2023

Mar 03-04: Winter Storm
Feb 22-23: Snow/Ice Storm

2022

Dec 22-25: Lake Effect Blizzard
Dec 15: Freezing Rain and Wind Event
Nov 14: Lake Effect Snow
Feb 25: Synoptic Scale Snowstorm early in AM Central Lower Michigan
Feb 17: Snow Following Heavy Rain, Snowmelt, and River Flooding
Feb 02: Record Snowfall in Lansing
Jan 05-07: Near Blizzard and Cold

2021

Feb 15-16: Heavy Snow and Cold
Feb 08: Mesoscale Snow Band - Ottawa County
Feb 04-06: Heavy Snow Event
Jan 25-26: Snow Event

2020

Jan 11: Heavy Rain, Ice, Sleet and Some Snow
Jan 17-19 Heavy Wet Snow
Feb 05-06
Feb 07
Feb 09
Feb 12-13
Feb 17-18/a>
Feb 25-26: Snow Event
Dec 11-12: Central and Northern MI Heavy Snow Event
Dec 24 -25: Synoptic and Lake effect Snow Event
Dec 29-30: Heavy Wet Snow Central Lower Michigan

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2019

Jan 28 - 31: Days of Snow, Low Visibility, and Extreme Cold
Jan 29-30:Lake Enhanced Snow Event
Feb 06-07: Waves of Freezing Rain across Central Lower Michigan
Feb 24-25: Blizzard Conditions and High Winds
Apr 14: Late Season Winter Storm with Broken Daily Snowfall Records
Nov 11-12: Early Season Snowfall and Cold
Dec 10-11 Lake effect Snow
Dec 31: Lake Enhanced Snow Event

2018

Late December 2017/Early January 2018: Cold Wave and Lake-Effect Snow

2017

Dec 11-13: Alberta Clipper System and Lake-Effect Snow
Dec 24-31: Week of Snow and Cold

2016

Feb 9-11: Winter Storm and Lake-Effect Snow
Feb 24-25: Winter Storm

2015

Nov 21: Winter Storm
Nov 11-13: Winter Storm
Dec 18: Lake-Effect Snow
Dec 28: Sleet, Freezing Rain, and Strong Winds
Dec 28, 2015 Winter Storm Summary

2013

Dec 21-22: Ice Storm

2011

Feb 02: Historic Blizzard

2006

Oct 12 - Early Season Snowfall

Historic

The Blizzard of February 2 2011
The Great Blizzard of January 26-27 1978
The Blizzard of January 26-27 1967
The April 16 1961 Heavy Snowstorm
Armistice Day Storm of November 11 1940 - Thanks to NWS La Cross
The "White Hurricane" Storm of November 1913 - Thanks for NWS Detroit for Creating This Study!

Other Events

The following summaries cover events that don't fall under the other categories - such as high wind events (not associated with thunderstorms) and heat waves. Stories about regional storms not directly related to Western Lower Michigan may be found here, as well.

45th Anniversary of Edmund Fitzgerald - Thanks to NWS Marquette for Creating This Story!
Storm that sunk the Edmund Fitzgerald - Thanks to NWS Marquette for Creating This Story!
October 16, 2019: High Winds and Beach Erosion
October 22, 2019: High Winds and Beach Erosion - Part 2
December 11 2021 High Wind Event

2015

Dec 23-24, 2015: High Winds and Record High Temperatures
Nov 2015 Climate Summary
Fall 2015 Climate Summary
Pier Safety This Fall
Oct 2015 Climate Summary
Labor Day Weather Extremes
Upwelling Produces Cooler Water
Grand Rapids Reaches 90 Degrees
Michigan Earthquake June 30
Smoke Hampers Sunny Day: June 9
Spring 2015 Climate Summary
May 2015 Climate Summary
Michigan Earthquake May 2