Skip to main content
Snow icon
36º

Metro Detroit weather: A look at recent impactful storms in SE Michigan

Storms led to flooding in neighborhoods, downed power lines and trees

No description found

From flooding the weekend of June 25 to the recent round of heavy storms Aug. 11-12, severe weather in Southeast Michigan has led to damage of buildings, vehicles and roads.

Here’s a look at the last few impactful storms:

Recommended Videos



Read: Dearborn Heights residents frustrated with constant flooding

Read: Residents frustrated with constant water in basements in Detroit, St. Clair Shores

Late June flooding rain/Port Austin tornado

Torrential rain and storms pounded the area June 25-28. While an EF-2 tornado caused some damage in Port Austin, the bigger issue with these storms was all the rain. Upwards of 8 inches of rain fell in parts of the area. Here are some of the rainfall totals:

  • 8.19 inches in Grosse Pointe Park
  • 8.00 inches in Detroit
  • 6.76 inches in Ypsilanti
  • 6.50 inches in Grosse Pointe Farms
  • 5.60 inches in Ann Arbor
  • 5.20 inches in Dearborn Heights

July 16 flooding rains

While this rain event wasn’t as much as what we had in late June, it was still enough to cause flooding. Here are some of the rainfall totals:

  • 3.94 inches in Grosse Pointe Farms
  • 3.80 inches in Milan
  • 3.76 inches in Dexter
  • 3.64 inches in Detroit
  • 3.40 inches in Dearborn
  • 3.07 inches in Plymouth

White Lake Township/Armada tornadoes

On July 24, a storm system tracked through lower Michigan and produced a total of four tornadoes, two of which were in Southeast Michigan.

The first was in White Lake Township as an EF-1 tornado. The estimated peak winds were 100 miles per hour and the tornado carved a path 1.8 miles long. It was on the ground for only three minutes but left one person injured.

The second was in Armada and was an EF-1 tornado. The estimated peak winds were 105 miles per hour and the tornado carved a path 3.6 miles long. It was on the ground for 14 minutes and nobody was injured or killed.

August 11-12 wind damage and flooding

The storms that blew through Southeast Michigan Wednesday and early Thursday was a one-two punch. The first was damaging winds, which gusted well over 75 miles per hour.

More: Massive power outages hit Michigan, nearing historic 2017 wind storm totals

Damage was seen all across Metro Detroit, but that was just the first of it. The second came with torrential rain overnight into early Thursday. Radar estimates were over 8 inches in parts of Livingston County, but the highest measured report came out of Pinckney where it received 5.77 inches of rain.

Here are some of the other rainfall totals from this storm:

Genesee County

  • Atlas -- 1.2 inches
  • Burton -- 1.51 inches
  • Flint -- 1.63 inches
  • Grand Blanc -- 1.9 inches

Lapeer County

  • Lapeer -- 1.22 inches

Livingston County

  • Fenton -- 3.5 inches
  • Fowlerville -- 4.9 inches
  • Pinckney -- 5.77 inches
  • Whitmore Lake -- 3.56 inches

Macomb County

  • Richmond -- 1.52 inches
  • Shelby Township -- 1.07 inches

Oakland County

  • Beverly Hills -- 2.3 inches
  • Bloomfield Hills -- 2.21 inches
  • Farmington -- 2.62 inches
  • East White Lake -- 2.15 inches
  • Northwest White Lake -- 2.63 inches

Shiawassee County

  • Owosso -- 1.92 inches

Washtenaw County

  • Ann Arbor -- 3.53 inches
  • Clinton -- 1.29 inches
  • Dexter -- 1.93 inches
  • Manchester -- 2.45 inches
  • Saline -- 1.97 inches
  • Ypsilanti -- 3.12 inches

Wayne County

  • Canton Township -- 2.4 inches
  • South-southwest Canton Township -- 3.47 inches
  • Dearborn -- 3.22 inches
  • Detroit -- 2.32 inches
  • Garden City -- 3.75 inches
  • Romulus -- 3.08 inches
  • Southgate -- 3.04 inches
  • Wyandotte -- 3.04 inches

About the Authors
Brett Collar headshot
DeJanay Booth headshot

DeJanay Booth joined WDIV as a web producer in July 2020. She previously worked as a news reporter in New Mexico before moving back to Michigan.

Loading...

Recommended Videos