The Upper Peninsula can be called Michigan’s tornado alley so far this year. So far, the Upper Peninsula has had more tornadoes this year than all of the Lower Peninsula.
The map above shows all of the severe weather reports so far in 2016. The red dots signify locations of tornado touchdowns. There have been only five tornadoes in Michigan so far this year, and three of those have occurred in the U.P.
Looking back to 2010, the U.P. had only one other year with a tornado. In 2012 there was one tornado in the U.P. All other years back to 2010 had no tornadoes in the Upper Peninsula.
The U.P. also has a total of 34 severe wind, large hail and tornado reports this year. This gives the Upper Peninsula 17 percent of Michigan’s severe weather in 2016. Normally the Upper Peninsula has only seven percent of Michigan’s severe weather reports.
But, while it’s been an active severe weather season in the U.P., Michigan as a whole has seen fairly tame severe weather.
Michigan’s total severe weather reports in 2016 are 195. Looking back to 2010, the average number of severe weather reports is 433. So Michigan is pacing at having its least severe weather back to 2010.
Of course the severe weather season isn’t over, but is in the declining time period. We usually have one or two more severe weather days in August and September. In recent years, we have even had a severe weather day in October and November.
But it would take a lot of severe weather in the next two months to bring Michigan up to an average severe weather year.
Let’s hope we don’t get there. If we do, we will have gone through a very stormy period. I don’t see that happening right now. I do think, however, we will still have a few days of severe weather before the other type of weather, the white stuff, takes over.
By: Mark Torregrossa | August 03, 2016 at 12:20 PM, updated August 03, 2016 at 2:42 PM
Photo: By Nanette Paquette “Roof blown off the ice skating rink due to straight-line winds in Wakefield, MI in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.”
