The threat of severe weather has ended in West Michigan. There is still a chance of a severe storm in the warm air in the far SE part of Lower Michigan and in eastern Indiana and Ohio.

There is ponding of water in fields and there are a number of river flood advisories. I had another 1.26″ of rain at my house. The Grand River in Comstock Park is at 12.9 feet. The river is expected to rise to 15 feet by Saturday. Flood stage is 12 feet at Comstock Park.

Flood warnings are posted for the Grand River at Robinson Township, also the Thornapple, Red Cedar and Maple Rivers. This is the wettest start to the year ever in Grand Rapids.

Here’s lightning data.

There were at least 5 fatalities in the tornado that occurred in Bollinger County, Missouri, south of St. Louis. This looks like another tornado that could be rated EF3 or higher.

Know the Tornado Safety Rules.. 1) Get to the lowest level – if you have a basement (below ground, that’s the best place to be. 2) Stay away from windows, especially windows on the south and west side of the structure. 3) Try to put more than one wall between you and the outside – if you’re on the first floor, move to an interior bathroom or closet. 4) Get under a sturdy object like a table. 5) Protect your head (put on a bicycle or motorcycle helmet if you have time. 5) Before the storm, secure objects like garbage bins (move them into the garage). 6) Park your car in a garage. 7) Keep your garage door closed, especially if it faces west or south 8) Turn trampolines upside down 9) take down wind chimes and perhaps bird feeders – side note…if you really want to be safe in a tornado situation, head to an underground parking area, like under the one in downtown G.R. under Calder Plaza.

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Here’s the Severe Storm Reports from Tuesday, April 4. There were 14 tornadoes – 10 in Illinois and 4 in Iowa. Here’s some video and pics. from the Peoria area. There were 42 reports of wind damage. The airport at Moline IL recorded a wind gust to 90 mph. At least five semis were tipped over by the strong winds.

Finally, there were 308 reports of severe criteria hail and that included 56 reports of hail golfball-size and bigger. It’s rare to get hail that big in Michigan, but there was a swath of large hail that fell from S. Allegan Co. east-northeast across northwest Barry Co. and into Ionia County, with hailstones up to 3″ in diameter.

Strong winds took the roof off a barn in Tallmadge Township

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