The good news is that truly extreme weather only happens sporadically in Michigan. The bad news is that it can be deadly, as we saw this month when a fast-forming EF-1 tornado felled a tree onto a house in Livonia, killing a child.
“Most people only face killer weather for about 2 minutes of their life, so that’s why they really don’t understand it,” said Mark Torregrossa, chief meteorologist for MLive.
“Even in the biggest severe weather outbreak in Michigan, 99 percent of us are going to be fine. But that 1 percent, if they get in the heart of a severe storm, they just cannot believe how severe it is.”
That infrequency can breed complacency and complacency compounds the potential dangers of a violent weather outburst. Typically, a storm will give about 30 seconds of notice before it strikes where you’re standing, Torregrossa said.
“If it gets really noisy outside of your house, and it’s something you haven’t encountered before, move to the interior part of your house away from windows,” he said. “If you have a basement, go to it. That 30 seconds could save your life.”
This advice is becoming increasingly important in Michigan due to weather patterns that more and more are influenced by warming temperatures across the globe. The planet is in a 20-month stretch in which each month has set a record for average temperature.
I don’t intend to address – at least in this column – the influence of humankind on this global warming trend. If you want to read more on that, revisit this fine package of stories that MLive journalists produced on Michigan becoming a “climate haven.”
What is not debatable is that these higher temperatures directly affect weather patterns – and not in a way that makes them more docile or predictable.
“The oceans are warmer and the land is warmer and that all turns into energy,” Torregrossa said. “Energy turns into storms in the atmosphere, which turns into wind.”
While weather can take sudden turns – the Livonia tornado formed too quickly for alerts to be issued – the storm systems that spawn severe weather are more trackable. MLive readers have the benefit of excellent daily forecasts by Torregrossa, which he shares on posts on our site and via a morning Facebook live broadcast.
Also, we launched a Weather Insider Text service in January that allows readers to get in-the-moment updates from Torregrossa and the rest of our team when weather patterns take a turn for the worse.
Even when the weather is more benign, Torregrossa uses the service to provide updated forecasts, maps and graphics and fields questions generated by subscribers.
“If I get a question I’ll answer it,” he said. “Some of them are pretty good, and I’ve turned them into posts.”
Weather Insider Texts offer a free 14-day trial period. To start your free trial and begin getting weather updates immediately, click this link to enter your phone number. Once the trial period ends, the service costs $1.99 per month.
With the way Michigan weather can change, especially during this hot spell, it might be an ideal time to give the free trial a spin and start engaging with Torregrossa.
“I would leave people with this – I don't think we've had the big outbreak yet that has worked upon the hotter temperatures and the great energy,” he said. “I would say this weather pattern fits a big outbreak. I still think it's coming.”
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