A severe thunderstorm warning was issued Monday night for Wayne and Monroe counties as a line of storms pushed through southeast Michigan, bringing strong winds, hail and the risk of flash flooding. In Wayne County, the warning remained in effect until 9:30 p.m.
At 8:37 p.m. EDT, the storm was over Romulus and moving east at 25 mph, with radar showing gusts up to 60 mph and hail about three-quarters of an inch in diameter. Forecasters said it was expected to reach Taylor, Dearborn, Wyandotte and Trenton by about 8:45 p.m., then Grosse Ile and Greenfield Village around 8:55 p.m., with Inkster, Melvindale, Gibraltar, Wayne and Ecorse also in its path. The National Weather Service warned the storm could damage roofs, siding and trees, and said heavy rainfall was already raising the risk of localized flooding.
By 8:51 p.m. EDT, the storms were along a line from near Carleton to near Monroe and moving east at 30 mph. Monroe was expected to be hit immediately, with Newport, Estral Beach, South Rockwood, Detroit Beach, Rockwood, Scofield, Stony Point and Woodland Beach also in the path. The weather service said torrential rainfall was occurring, increasing the risk of flash flooding, and urged people to move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building and avoid driving through flooded roadways.
The threat fit a familiar pattern for severe weather moving through southeast Michigan on Monday night: fast-moving storms, radar-indicated hail and wind, and enough rain to turn streets into a hazard in minutes. What made this warning matter was not the size of the system but how quickly it was crossing populated suburbs, leaving little margin for anyone caught outside or on the road.
The warning answers its own question in the weather service's timing: the danger was immediate, and for Wayne County it was set to ease after 9:30 p.m. until then, the safest move was to stay inside, away from windows, on the lowest floor of a sturdy building.
