westMJim

1953 While on this side of the state the 1956 tornado is one that will come to minds of older folks. But being originally from the east side of the state the 1953 Flint tornado is the one that comes it mind. June 8, 1953 was a warm but not really hot day across lower Michigan. The high here in Grand Rapids that day was 85 and at Flint it was only 83. And that 83 was also the high to the north of Flint at Saginaw. And here is a big surprise much of lower Michigan did not receive much rain from this event either. With 0.28” here at GR and only 0.07” at Flint and 0.06” at Saginaw. Here is some information on what became known as the Flint/Beecher tornado or as known in Flint as the Coldwater road tornado. One of the nation's most devastating tornadoes occurred in the Flint, Michigan's Beecher district on Monday, June 8th, 1953, resulting in 116 deaths and injuring 844. To date, this F5 intensity tornado was the last one in the United States to result in over 100 fatalities. In a 2000 National Weather Service poll, both the general public, and area "weather experts" voted the Flint-Beecher Tornado as one of the the worst natural disaster in the state of Michigan in the 20th century. Some facts about the storm. Date/Time: Monday, June 8, 1953 8:30 pm EST Fujita scale: F5 F5 definition: Incredible damage. Strong frame houses leveled off foundations and swept away; automobile-sized missiles fly through the air in excess of 100 meters; trees debarked; incredible phenomena will occur. Wind speeds approximately 261-318 mph. (Only F5 in Southeast Lower Michigan) Fatalities: 116 113 occurred in a 4-mile stretch of Coldwater Road from 2500W to 1500E (Clio Road to Dort Highway) Oldest fatality: 80 Youngest fatality: 5 months Injuries: 844 Hospitals involved: Genesee County: Hurley; St. Joseph; Flint General; Flint Osteopathic; McLaren General Saginaw County: St. Mary; St. Luke; Saginaw General Damage: $19 million in 1953 dollars ($520 million in 2026 dollars) 340 homes were destroyed, 107 suffered "major damage", and 153 suffered "minor damage". Another 66 buildings destroyed or damaged to farms, businesses and other buildings. Path Length: 27 miles Start: between Linden and Webster Roads, Mt. Morris Township, Genesee County; End: Five Lakes Road, Deerfield Township, Lapeer County Path Width: 833 yards Speed of Tornado: Approximately 35 mph Highest Temperature and Dewpoint observed at Flint: Temperature: 82°F at 4:28 PM EST Dewpoint: 72°F at 9:28 PM EST Lowest Barometric Pressure observed at Flint: 29.71" of mercury recorded 8:28 PM EST First report of rain occurred at the Flint observation (airport) at 10:47 PM EST Daily summary: High temperature of 82°F, low temperature of 49°F, 0.07" of precipitation Total Michigan tornadoes June 8th 1953: 8 The Flint-Beecher Tornado was just one of eight tornadoes that occurred during that evening across the eastern portion of the Lower Peninsula tornado fatalities on June 8th, 1953: 126 This week will be a typical summer week here in Michigan with warm days and mild nights and several chances of showers and thunder. Highs will range from the low 80’s all the way up to around 90 or so. And lows will be in the 60’s. We could see some stronger storms on Wednesday night. The official H/L yesterday at Grand Rapids was 81/56 there were 4 Cooling Degree Days, no rainfall. For today the average H/L is 78/56 the record high of 97 was in 1933 the coolest high of 58 was in 1924 the record low of 38 was in 1949 and 1998 the warmest low of 75 was in 2011. The most rainfall of 2.32” was in 1974. Last year the H/L was 80/59 and there was 0.01” of rainfall.

With clear skies and light winds the over night low here in my yard was 58 at 8AM it is now clear and 64. Today looks to be mostly sunny with highs in the mid 80’s tonight should see partly cloudy skies with lows in the low 60’s Monday should be sunny and very warm with highs maybe around 90, Monday night there is a chance of showers and a low in the upper 60’s Tuesday and Wednesday will have a good chance of showers and maybe a thunderstorm or two with highs in the mid 80’s on Tuesday and maybe the lower 90’s on Wednesday. Lows will be warm in the upper 60’s to maybe the low 70’s and it will also be rather humid. Towards the end of the week temperatures will return to closer to average with highs in the lower 80’s and lows mostly in the 60’s. The official H/L yesterday at Grand Rapids was 83/61 there was 7 Cooling Degree Days, no rainfall, the highest wind gust was 34 MPH out of the NW. Weather events were Thunder, rain and fog. For today the average H/L is 77/56 the record high of 94 was in 2011 the coldest high of 56 was in 1909 the record low of 38 was in 1958 the warmest low of 76 was in 1933, the most rainfall of 1.87” was in 1939. Last year the H/L was 79/51. Some weather history for June 7th 1816, A famous June snow occurred in the northeastern U.S. Danville VT reported drifts of snow and sleet twenty inches deep. The Highlands were white all day, and flurries were observed as far south as Boston MA. (David Ludlum) 1988, Snow whitened some of the mountains of northern California and northwestern Nevada. Twenty-six cities in the central and eastern U.S. reported record high temperatures for the date, including Rapid City SD with a reading of 104 degrees, and Miles City, MT, with a high of 106 degrees. (The National Weather Summary) And here in Michigan 1958, One of the coolest Junes on record saw scattered frost across the region as temperature fell to the mid 30s.

After 11 days in a row with out even a trace of rainfall I had 0.58” yesterday. The official rainfall amount was 1.17” at GRR. In Muskegon the report was 0.41” Lansing 0.67” Kalamazoo 0.49” Holland 0.28” so it looks like the airport had the most in the area. The overnight low here in my yard was 61 and that is the 7 AM temperature as well. Today looks to be a nice day with a high near 80, tonight should be clear with a low around 60. Sunday will be warm with a high in the mid 80’s There is a chance of showers on Monday and Tuesday with highs in the 80’s and lows in the upper 60’s then a very warm spell looks to set in with highs with highs in the low to maybe mid 90’s and lows in the low 70’s. The official H/L yesterday at Grand Rapids was 76/65 there were 6 Cooling Degree Days. There was a reported 1.17” of rainfall. Some weather conditions reported were rain, light rain, fog and haze. For today the average H/L is 77/56 the record high of 95 was in 1925 the coolest high of 54 was in 1910 the record low of 37 was in 1958 the warmest low of 74 was in 2008. The most rainfall of 1.82” was in 1928. Last year the H/L was 78/52. Some weather history for June 6th, 1816, The temperature reached 92 degrees at Salem MA during an early heat wave, but then plunged 49 degrees in 24 hours to commence the famous year without a summer . (David Ludlum) 1988, Seventeen cities in the north central U.S. reported record high temperatures for the date, including Williston ND with a reading of 104 degrees. Thunderstorms in Florida produced wind gusts to 65 mph which damaged two mobile homes northwest of Melbourne injuring six people. (The National Weather Summary) Here in Michigan 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 at Lansing.

It has been 11 days with out rainfall here in Grand Rapids, that will end today. There are now some showers off to the west heading in this direction. It was a warm overnight and the low was warm 67, at 7 AM it is partly cloudy and 68. As stated today there is a good chance of showers and maybe a rumble or two. We do need the rain. Highs today and Saturday should be around 80 and lows tonight in the low 60’s and tomorrow night around 60. Sunday thought next Thursday look to be very summer like with highs in the mid to upper 80’s and maybe even a 90 or so for good measure. Lows will mostly be in the 60’s so it is time to get the AC running. The official H/L yesterday at Grand Rapids was 84/51 there were 3 Cooling Degree Days, There was no rainfall. For today the average H/L is 77/55 the record high of 95 was in 1925 the coldest high of 54 was in 1935 the record low of 36 was in 1945 the warmest low of 74 was in 1925. The most rainfall of 4.22” was in 1905. A lot of records with years ending in 5. Last year the H/L was 75/54. Some weather history for June 5th 1859, Frost was reported from Iowa to New England. The temperature dipped to 25 degrees in New York State, and up to two inches of snow blanketed Ohio. The cold and snow damaged the wheat crop. (David Ludlum) 1987, International Falls, MN, dipped to a record low reading of 34 degrees during the morning. Williston, ND, and Glasgow, MT, reported record warm afternoon highs of 94 degrees. Major flooding was reported along the Guadelupe River in South Texas, with the water level at Cuero reaching 18 feet above flood stage. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data) Here in Michigan 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.

With clear skies and a calm wind the temperature dropped down to 54 here in my yard. At 7AM it is clear and 55. Today will be the 11th day in a row of no rainfall, with the sunny skies it should be a warm day with highs in the mid to upper 80’s The low dew points will make it feel a little cooler than that. Friday should see the best chance of rain we have had is almost two weeks. Highs will be in the 80’s but it will be a little more humid and lows will thus stay in the 60’s. Next week looks to be very warm with highs in the mid to upper 80’s and a chance of maybe even a 90. Lows will be in the 60’s. The official H/L yesterday at Grand Rapids was 82/48 with that gave the day a average temperature of 65 that means there were no cooling or heating degree days. So if a day has a average temperature of 67 there would be 2 cooling degree days and if the average was 63 there would be 2 heating degree days. There was once again no rainfall yesterday. For today the average H/L is 76/55 the record high of 93 was in 1898 and 1925 the coolest high of 56 was in 1945 the record low of 32 was also in 1945 that is the coldest low for June at Grand Rapids and the lowest temperature for any meteorological summer day. The warmest low of 72 was in 1925 and 1899. The most rainfall of 1.09” was in 1911. Last year the H/L was 78/60 and there was 0.24” of rainfall. Some weather history for June 4th 1988, A dozen cities in the eastern U.S. reported record low temp- eratures for the date, including Atlantic City NJ with a reading of 40 degrees. Fifteen cities in the north central U.S. reported record high temperatures for the date, including Glasgow MT and Havre MT with readings of 102 degrees. (The National Weather Summary) Here in Michigan 1925, An early June heat wave began and lasted through the 6th with record highs in the mid and upper 90s.

With clear skies the overnight low here in my yard was 50. Today will be the 10 day in a row with no rainfall, The last time there was rainfall at Grand Rapids was on May 23rd and 24th when 1.36” fell over a two-day period. Other than those two days the rest of May only had 0.49” of rainfall. With an omega block in place warm, dry weather will continue through Thursday. The will be a good chance of some showers and maybe a rumble of thunder on Friday and Saturday before sunny dry conditions return for Sunday. Highs will mostly be in the 80’s maybe reaching the upper 80’s next week. Lows will mostly be near 60 to the low 60’s. The official H/L yesterday at Grand Rapids was 77/45 there were 4 Heating Degree Days. There was no rainfall the wind was once again out of the E. I lost track as to how many days we have had a wind of the east this year so far. For today the average H/L is 77/55 the record high of 96 was in 1934 the coldest high of 48 was in 1945 the record low of 38 was in 1947,1977 and 1986. The most rainfall of 1.76” was in 1892. Last year the H/L was 87/54. Some weather history for June 3rd 1959, Thunderstorms in northwestern Kansas produced up to eighteen inches of hail near Salden during the early evening. Crops were completely destroyed, and total damage from the storm was about half a million dollars. Hail fell for a record eighty-five minutes. The temperature dropped from near 80 degrees prior to the storm to 38 degrees at the height of the storm. (David Ludlum) Here in Michigan 1945, An early June cold spell brought widespread frost and freezing temperatures from June 3rd to the 5th. The temperature bottomed out at 32 degrees at Grand Rapids on the morning of the 4th, a record for the coldest June temperature and the latest freeze.

After a warm sunny day yesterday with clear skies and a calm wind it has now dropped down to 49 here in my yard. It is officially 47 at GRR. It will continue to be sunny and mild with no chance of rain until at least Friday when a chance of showers could happen. Temperatures will be in the low to mid 80’s lows will be in the 50’s before warming up into the 60’s The weekend looks to be warm with a better chance of showers. The official H/L yesterday at Grand Rapids was 80/52 there was 1 Cooling Degree Day. There was no rainfall the highest wind gust was 26 MPH out of the E. This has been one of the longest stretches of days with winds out of the east and northeast that I can remember. For today the average H/L is 76/55 the record high of 95 was in 1934 the coldest high of 47 was in 1910 the record low of 35 was in 1956 the warmest low of 69 was in several years the last time was in 2014. The most rainfall of 1.42” was in 2009 Last year the H/L was 79/39. Some weather history for June 2nd 1917, The temperature at Tribune, KS dipped to 30 degrees to establish a state record for the month of June. (The Weather Channel) Here in Michigan 1910, It was a cold day in June as temperatures in the upper 40s in the afternoon were more typical of late March. The high of 47 at Grand Rapids and Muskegon are the coldest high temperatures on record for any day in June. At Lansing the high was 49 degrees, second only to the 46 degree high on the previous day for being the coldest June day. 1950, Thunderstorms dropped one to three inches of rain across the region. Nearly an inch of rain fell in one hour in Grand Rapids, flooding streets and basements. Lansing had a storm total of 2.30 inches, which was a record for the day.

Welcome to meteorological summer, meteorological summer at Grand Rapids has a mean of 70.9°. The warmest summer was 74.7 in 1955 the coldest summer was 65.5° in 1992 last year the mean temperature was 72.1. On average there are 11 days in meteorological summer at Grand Rapids the most was 36 in 1988 there have been two years when there were no days of 90 or more 2014 and 1950 last year there were 15. On average there is 11.35” of rainfall in meteorological summer the wettest was 22.63” in1994 the dryest was 3.08” in 1894. Last year Grand Rapids had 6.83” The overnight low here in my yard was 53 with clear skies. The next seven days look to be on the mild/warm side, no chance of rain until the weekend and then a chance over the weekend. Highs will continue to be warm ranging from the upper 70’s to mid 80’s low will range from near 50 to the low 60’s. Winds will be mostly out of the east to northeast until later in the week. The month of May at Grand Rapids had a mean of 56.6 that is a departure from average of -2.6° The high for the month was 85 on the 17th the low was 32 on the 12th there were only 9 days above average and 22 days below average. It was also a dry month with only 1.85” of rainfall that is a departure of -2.15”. The official H/L yesterday at Grand Rapids was 76/44 there was no rainfall the day had 5 Heating Degree Days. There was no significant weather events. For today the average H/L is 75/54 the record high of 102 was in 1934 the coldest high of 50 was in 1946 the record low of 36 was in 1993 the warmest low of 74 was in 1934. The most rainfall of 2.65” was in 1970. Last year the H/L was 68/39. Some weather history for June 1st 1987, Severe thunderstorms in the Upper Mississippi Valley and the Lower Ohio Valley produced wind gusts to 81 mph at Albert Lea Airport in southern Minnesota, and baseball size hail around Otterbein IN, Sarona WI, and Danville IL. Two inches of hail totally destroyed 5000 acres of corn and soybean north of Danville. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data) Here in Michigan 1934: Blistering heat begins the month in one of the Dust Bowl summers of the 1930s. The mercury soared to 102 degrees at Grand Rapids and 97 degrees at Lansing. The 102 degree reading at Grand Rapids is tied for the highest June temperature with June 20, 1953.

While here in the great lakes it has been very dry

Today is the last day of May and the end of meteorological spring. May will end up dryer and cooler than average. Here in my yard, I had a crisp low of 47 with clear skies. The week ahead looks most sunny, dry and warm. Highs should be in the upper 70’s to lower 80’s lows with be in the 50’s then warm up to the low to mid 60’s it will be dry until at least Friday when there is a chance of showers over the weekend. The official H/L yesterday at Grand Rapids was 72/53 there were 2 Heating Degree Days, there was no rainfall the highest wind gust was 29 MPH out of the E. The day had no significant weather events. For today the average H/L is 75/45 the record high of 95 was in 1934 the coldest high of 41 was in 1910 the record low of 36 was in 1966 the warmest low of 73 was in 1937. The wettest was 1.37” in 1909. Last year the H/L was 63/44. Some weather history for May 31st 1889 The Johnstown disaster occurred, the worst flood tragedy in U.S. history. Heavy rains collapsed the South Fork Dam sending a thirty foot wall of water rushing down the already flooded Conemaugh Valley. The wall of water, traveling as fast as twenty-two feet per second, swept away all structures, objects and people. 2100 persons perished in the flood. (David Ludlum) 1985 Severe thuunderstorms spawned forty-one tornadoes across the Lower Great Lakes Region and southeastern Ontario which killed 74 persons. (Storm Data) Here in Michigan there was also a tornado outbreak in 1943: tornado outbreak hit southern Lower Michigan. Ten people were injured as homes were swept away by a powerful tornado that moved southeast of Morrice in Shiawassee County. A tornado killed livestock and destroyed a barn near Morley in Mecosta County. A home near Coopersville in Ottawa County was unroofed by a tornado and three people were injured. Another tornado struck near Bath in Clinton County destroying one barn

Tomorrow is the 28th anniversary of the May 31st derecho that swept across Michigan. It’s important not to confuse derechos with squall lines — both are lines of thunderstorms, but they behave differently. A squall line typically forms along or just ahead of a cold front and marks the boundary between air masses. Some squall lines stretch more than 1,000 miles and can travel similar distances in extreme cases. But while squall lines may weaken quickly or bring scattered severe weather, derechos tend to sustain their intensity and deliver widespread, long-track wind damage. On May 31, 1998 a long-lived derecho that tore through Grand Rapids and West Michigan during the early morning hours, packing straight-line winds between 90 to 130 MPH. It remains one of the most devastating and costliest weather events in the state's history. The storm hit Sunday, May 31, 1998, arriving just before 5:00 a.m. The storm raced across Lower Michigan at a speed of about 70MPH with on the ground wind speed of 60 to 90MPH but here in my area NW of Grand Rapids the winds were estimated between 90 and 130 MPH. The storm killed 4 people and injured 146. Hundreds of homes and businesses in the Grand Rapids area were completely destroyed. An estimated 860,000 Consumers Energy customers lost power—a historical record for outages in the state that stood for nearly two decades. Some Grand Rapids neighborhoods and surrounding rural communities were left without electricity or running water for up to 10 This year the end of May will be much calmer with sunny skies and mild temperatures. The next 7 days will be sunny, dry and warm with the next chance of showers not until next Friday. The official H/L yesterday at Grand Rapids was 78/48 there was no rainfall and with that low of 48 there were 2 Heating Degree Days. For today the average H/L is 75/54 the recored high of 92 was in 1919 the coldest high of 48 was in 1910 the record low of 34 was in 1965 and 1996 the warmest low of 68 was in 2018 and 1987. The most rainfall of 1.91” was in 1989. Last year the H/L was 72/46.

With clear skies and a calm wind the temperature dropped down to 49 here in my yard. At this time there is no rain in the forceable future. We look to have sunny skies and mostly mild temperatures to start before warming up mid week next week. Highs will be in the 70’s to near 80 then warm up into the 80’s Lows will range from the upper 40’s to the upper 50’s. The official H/L yesterday at Grand Rapids was 74/55 there was no rainfall. There were no heating or cooling degree days, however my air did kick on for a while later in the day. For today the average H/L is 74/53 the record high of 93 was in 2018 the coldest high of 49 was in 1947 the record low of 35 was in 1966 the warmest low of 73 was in 1991. The most rainfall of 0.80” was in 1916. Last year the H/L was 69/52 with 0.03” of rainfall. Some weather history for May 29th 1953 A tornado, 600 yards wide at times, killed two persons on its 20 mile path from southwest of Fort Rice ND into Emmons County. Nearly every building in Fort Rice was damaged. The Catholic church was leveled, with some pews jammed four feet into the ground. Here in Michigan 1895: The second heat wave of the month gets underway with record highs of 94 degrees at Grand Rapids and Lansing. 1947: Muskegon records its latest snow on record as some wet snowflakes mix in with a cold rain. The high temperature for the day is only 47 degrees after a low of 35.

June is the start of meteorological summer. Here in Grand Rapids the current mean temperature for June is 69.9° the average amount of rainfall is 3.94”. The top 5 warmest months of June at Grand Rapids are 1. 74.2 in 1919, 2. 74.0 in 1933, 3. 73.4 in 1921, 4. 73.2 in 1934 and 5. 72.9 in 2005. The top 5 coolest are 1. 61.8 in 1969, 2. 61.9 in 1928, 3. 62.0 in 1958, 4. 62.3 in 1926 and 5. 62.5 in 1945. The top 5 wettest are 1. 13.22” in 1892, 2. 8.49” in 2021, 3. 8.21” in 1967, 4. 8.04” in 2010 and 5. 8.03” in 1928. The top 5 dryest are 1. 0.25” in 1988, 2. 0.59” in 1959, 3. 0.62” in 1984, 4. 0.83” in 1908 and 5. 1.00” in 1904. It don’t reach 90° or better every June but the average number of days of 90 or more is 3 the record number is 12 in 1933, last year there were 5. The all time highest temperature for June is 102 on June 1st 1934 and again on June 20th 1953. In June 1916 the highest temperature for the month was just 81. The record coldest low for June is 32 on June 4th 1945 that was the 2nd night with 4 nights in the row with lows in the 30’s in fact lows in the 30’s are very common in June at Grand Rapids. With the temperature dropping below 40 in 33 years in Grand Rapids.

No I did not, but my youngest son who lives just off of Plainfield did.

With clear skies the overnight low here in my yard was 56. At 7:30 AM the skies are still clear with a temperature of 60. Today will be sunny and warm with a forecasted high in the upper 80’s a “backdoor cold front” will push thru today. A backdoor cold front is one that comes in from the NE instead of the NW. With this front there is a chance of some showers and thunder. Lows tonight should drop down into the mid 50’s the rest of the next 7 days look to have highs in the 70’s to around 80 and lows from around 50 to the mid 50’s it looks like a very dry period with a lot of sunshine. The official H/L yesterday at Grand Rapids was 82/57 there was no rainfall, and there were 5 Cooling Degree Days. There was no significant weather events. For today the average H/L is 74/52 the record high of 93 was set in 2018 the coldest high of 46 was in 1906 and 1907. The record low of 30 was in 1961 the warmest low of 69 was in 1987, 1939 and 1911. The most rainfall of 1.12” was in 1982. Last year the H/L was 75/52. Some weather history for May 27th 1896, A massive tornado struck Saint Louis, MO, killing 306 persons and causing thirteen million dollars damage. The tornado path was short, but cut across a densely populated area. It touched down six miles west of Eads Bridge in Saint Louis and widened to a mile as it crossed into East Saint Louis. The tornado was the most destructive of record in the U.S. up until that time. It pierced a five-eighths inch thick iron sheet with a two by four inch pine plank. A brilliant display of lightning accompanied the storm. (David Ludlum) Here in Michigan 1907: Wet snowflakes fall at Grand Rapids and Muskegon. It is the latest snow on record at Grand Rapids. 2012, Numerous trees were downed and the awning was torn off of an I-75 rest stop located near Exit 160 as thunderstorm winds of up to 75 mph swept across parts of Saginaw and Bay counties.