Severe Storms Target Michigan’s Upper Peninsula Over Two Days
From fast-moving 65 mph storms on Monday evening to a fresh watch issued Tuesday morning, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula faced back-to-back severe weather threats across more than a dozen communities.
MARQUETTE, MICHIGAN — The National Weather Service in Marquette issued a series of severe thunderstorm alerts across Michigan’s Upper Peninsula on June 29 and June 30, 2026, warning residents of damaging winds, hail, and the potential for property damage across multiple counties.
Monday’s Warnings Bring Fast-Moving Storms
At 5:43 p.m. EDT on June 29, NWS Marquette issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Houghton County, northwestern Baraga County, and northeastern Ontonagon County, all in the Upper Peninsula. The warning remained in effect until 6:30 p.m. EDT.
Radar detected severe thunderstorms at 5:43 p.m. EDT along a line stretching from 9 miles west of Redridge to Mass City, moving east at 65 mph. The NWS warned of 60 mph wind gusts and penny-size hail, with expected damage to roofs, siding, and trees.
Communities in the path of the storm included Houghton, Calumet, Hancock, Laurium, Chassell, Lake Linden, South Range, Redridge, Houghton County Airport, the Lower Entrance of Portage Canal, Dollar Bay, and Hubbell, according to the NWS.
Watch Covers Eight Counties Monday Evening
Earlier that same evening, at 5:02 p.m. EDT on June 29, NWS Marquette had placed eight Upper Peninsula counties under Severe Thunderstorm Watch 416, which ran until 11:00 p.m. EDT. The watch covered Baraga, Dickinson, Iron, Marquette, Gogebic, Houghton, Keweenaw, and Ontonagon counties.
The affected cities listed under that watch included Ahmeek, Baraga, Beechwood, Bessemer, Caspian, Crystal Falls, Hancock, Houghton, Iron Mountain, Iron River, Ironwood, Ishpeming, Kingsford, L’Anse, Laurium, Marquette, Norway, Ontonagon, Stambaugh, and Wakefield.
Severe Thunderstorm Watch Continues Into Tuesday
Severe weather continued into Tuesday morning. At 9:39 a.m. EDT on June 30, NWS Marquette issued Severe Thunderstorm Watch 422 for Menominee County in central Upper Michigan, covering the city of Menominee. The watch was set to expire at 2:00 p.m. CDT, or 3:00 p.m. EDT, that afternoon.
Residents in all affected areas were urged to monitor local conditions and take shelter if severe thunderstorms approach. Updates are available through the National Weather Service at weather.gov.
