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Strong/severe storm risk later today
Strong/severe storms moving through 4-7pm with damaging winds, hail and isolated tornado the main threats!
DETROIT (FOX 2) - Severe weather was expected to hit Metro Detroit on Thursday afternoon and, just before the window of when we were expecting severe weather, the first Severe Thunderstorm Warning was issued.
Around 2:30, the National Weather Service issued a Thunderstorm warning for Lapeer County until 4 p.m. This warning was issued just as the outer edges of the storm arrived in near Flint.
This warning is expected to be only the beginning as the rest of Southeast Michigan is under a Severe Thunderstorm Watch until 8 p.m.
Shortly after that warning was issued, others came in for Oakland, Macomb, and Wayne Counties.
The storms are all bringing hail as the storms track to the east at about 30 to 45 MPH. These are slow movers, they're loud, and they could be dangerous.
FOX 2 will be streaming live throughout the day on this page as we track this storm. Check for updates in the live player below.
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Here's what to expect:
Storm timing
As of 1 p.m. Thursday, the window for severe weather is 3-7 p.m., though it will most likely hit the Metro Detroit area between 4-6 p.m.
The storms will initiate as individual cells before evolving into a solid line.
The line of storms should move out by 7 p.m. with quieter weather to follow tonight. There could be a stray shower to follow this evening but expect mainly dry and more comfortable conditions.
Severe weather threat
Large hail and strong winds will be the biggest threat during these thunderstorms.
Hail larger than 1 inch could fall and winds could exceed 70+ mph. The National Weather Service said scattered hail as large as a tennis ball is possible in some areas of Michigan; the severe thunderstorm watch includes most of the southern part of the state and stretches past the middle part of the state.
Which areas are included in the watch
All counties in Southeast Michigan are included in the watch, along with many other counties across the state:
- Allegan
- Arenac
- Barry
- Bay
- Calhoun
- Clare
- Clinton
- Eaton
- Genesee
- Gladwin
- Gratiot
- Huron
- Ingham
- Ionia
- Iosco
- Isabella
- Jackson
- Kalamazoo
- Kent
- Lapeer
- Lenawee
- Livingston
- Macomb
- Mecosta
- Midland
- Monroe
- Montcalm
- Oakland
- Ogemaw
- Ottawa
- Saginaw
- Sanilac
- Shiawassee
- St. Clair
- Tuscola
- Van Buren
- Washtenaw
- Wayne
Keep up with the latest forecast on the FOX 2 Weather app.
What's next
The end of the week looks quiet and cooler with highs in the upper 70s with mainly dry conditions through the day. Really nice weekend ahead of us with highs in the lower to mid-80s with sunshine.
Big-time heat returns through the latter half of the week with highs flirting with 90 through the end of the week.