West Michigan got hit with severe weather time and time again this year.
In case you forgot about some of the high-impact and unusual weather events, the National Weather Service recapped what happened.
Here is their list and how 13 ON YOUR SIDE covered those stories:
January 28-31: Record-breaking cold and lake effect snow
These frigid few days now seem like a distant memory, but this extreme cold outbreak and heavy snowfall created dangerous conditions across the state. Hundreds of West Michigan schools and businesses closed, the state declared a state of emergency and a fire at a Consumers Energy station prompted the utility to ask customers to reduce their gas usage during the freezing conditions.
Feb. 6-7: Ice storm pummels West Michigan
Just a week after Michigan experienced extreme cold and heavy snow, several West Michigan counties were hit again with back-to-back rounds of freezing rain. Ice accumulations exceeded 1/2 an inch, which brought down trees and power lines. Over 150,000 people lost power during the storm, and it took five days for the outages to be fully restored.
February: Ice jam causes issues in Portland
An ice jam formed on the Grand River just north of Portland in February, which caused prolonged flooding in the area. Bridges were closed and more than 50 residents were forced from their homes. Whitmer also declared a state of emergency for Ionia County to help deal with the damage from the ice jam.
June 1: Massive hail falls in Battle Creek
Large hail hits Battle Creek
Severe thunderstorms rolled through lower West Michigan on June 1. The second round brought massive hail, some as large as baseballs, to Battle Creek. There was also wind damage across other mid-Michigan counties.
July 20: Severe storms hit the area, knocking down a house in Jenison
Early on Saturday, July 20, severe storms hit the area, bringing down trees and power lines. Wind gusts measured 60-70 mph in Muskegon, Ottawa and Kent counties, but in Jenison winds reached 80 mph and knocked down a house. About 150,000 Consumers Energy customers lost power across the state, with a third of those being in Kent County. Thunderstorms also rolled through Mason and Lake counties, and rainfall measured 8 to 12 inches. A new state record for 24-hour rainfall was measured in Branch Township where 19.92 inches of rain was recorded.
Aug. 29: Grant hit with storm, hail, lightning
Strong and severe storms moved across lower Michigan on the evening on Aug. 29. Those storms brought tennis-ball sized hail, damaging winds, heavy rain and lots of lightning. The National Weather Service said there were more than 13,000 cloud to ground strikes and 40,000 in-cloud flashes over a period of eight hours.
Sept. 11: Strong winds wreak havoc on Grand Rapids
At first, this storm was thought to be a tornado that damaged buildings in Grand Rapids' Belknap neighborhood, but NWS later said it was winds that neared 100 mph that ripped a roof off an apartment building. The strong storms impacted a 50-mile swath from Walker to Lake Odessa, NWS said.
Oct. 16 and 22: Big waves, lakeshore flooding and beach erosion
Two storms in mid-October ravaged the West Michigan lakeshore. The near-record high water levels from this year coupled with the strong storms hit the shoreline hard. On Oct. 16, wind gusts reached 50 mph and waves topped 10 feet. The hardest hit areas were south of Grand Haven, and NWS reported that 10-20 feet of dune bluff was eroded in 12 hours. Less than a week later, another storm hit the battered lakeshore again. On Oct. 22, a storm with 50 mph winds and 10-foot waves hit the shoreline the hardest north of Grand Haven.
Nov. 11: Early snow storm dumps on Michigan
Photos: Around two feet of snow falls in Saugatuck overnight
This storm dumped snow on Michigan and brought cold temperatures to the area. Those two elements are relatively common here, but it was unusual for Nov. 11. The early-season storm brought record-breaking cold temperatures with wind chills in the single digits.
Dec. 15: NWS reports wettest year for Grand Rapids
On Sunday, the National Weather Service said Grand Rapids experienced the wettest year since they started keeping records in 1892. Precipitation in Grand Rapids during 2019 reached 48.81 inches, which included rain, snow and ice.
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