Severe weather area shows where, when damaging t-storms, isolated tornado may develop in Michigan today

A line of severe thunderstorms is expected to develop right over northern Lower Michigan early this evening. As the thunderstorms drift southeast they could start producing severe wind gusts, large hail or even an isolated tornado.

The radar forecast from our best short-term severe weather model shows the line of storms erupting over northern Michigan and slowly moving south only into central Lower Michigan during the evening hours.

The Storm Prediction Center thinks the severe weather with these storms will occur across the northern half of Lower Michigan and part of west-central Lower Michigan.

Here are the severe weather forecasts for this evening for the three types of severe weather: Gusts over 57 mph, large hail and tornadoes.

The overall combined severe weather threat outline does a good job at showing where the severe storms are expected. On the northern edge of the severe weather expectations are Traverse City, Gaylord and West Branch. The southern edge of the severe weather risk area covers the Grand Rapids area, Alma, Ithaca and the Saginaw/Bay City/Midland area.

It’s no surprise that the individual types of severe weather are also expected in the same area as the overall severe weather risk.

Since the movement of the line of storms is going to be fairly slow you could have a severe storm around your location in northern Michigan for an hour this evening.

Also know that newest data shows what I expected yesterday. The zone of thunderstorms will drift into southern Michigan tonight and weaken. Then the zone of storms will move back northward across Lower Michigan Sunday. We could have another round of potent thunderstorms somewhere in Lower Michigan Sunday. The area most likely for the heavier storms Sunday would again be northern Michigan in the late afternoon and evening.

Stay updated with this fairly stormy weekend weather here.