MANISTEE -- It was a stormy start to the day Sunday for folks in Manistee and near Lake City.
A severe thunderstorm that developed along a warm front that was lifting into Northern Michigan came ashore at Manistee around 5:30 a.m. Sunday morning.
A lot of wind wrapped up in the storm crashed down to the surface over parts of Manistee with a wind gust of 79 mph recorded at the Manistee Harbor. Blacker Airport a little further inland reported a 62 mph gust. Those winds created a one square mile area of damage on the northside of Manistee where several buildings were damaged or destroyed. About 50 minutes later around 6:20 a.m., that same storm reached Missaukee County where it intensified and produced another downburst with the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Gaylord during a storm survey estimating winds near Lake City at 90 mph.
Numerous trees and powerlines were damaged here with the worst weather on the south side of Lake Missaukee near Goldenrod Road wrapping around to the intersection of highway(s) M-55/M/66. Although windy Monday, the severe weather threat is over, with some snow even in the forecast Friday into early next weekend.
