‘We Need a Rain’: Michigan Sugar Beet Producer Mike Houghtaling Details Dry Conditions, Strict Fungicide Regimes

Across the Thumb region of Michigan, sugar beet producers are staring down a relentless dry spell that is pushing crops and growers to the limit. With blistering 90-degree heat and a severe lack of moisture, the state’s premier root crop is fighting an uphill battle just weeks ahead of harvest.

Contiguous US sets record for hottest month as climate change raises the baseline

HIGHLAND, Mich. (WBUP / WJMN) — Last month was the hottest on record for the contiguous United States, breaking a long-standing mark set back during the Dust Bowl. With heat blanketing almost the entire country, including Michigan, the national average hit 76.89 degrees Fahrenheit, just edging out July 1936. Jeff Masters, a meteorologist with Yale Climate Connections who spoke to ABC News from Highland, Michigan, didn't mince words about what passing that 1936 milestone means. “The hottest summer prior to this past July was in 1936, the Dust Bowl year,” said Masters. “And that was a crazy sort of situation where you put tens of millions of people in motion. You had this great migration because of the drought and the heat that hit the center of the U.S. Just a cataclysmic event in U.S. history. If we're exceeding records from the Dust bowl, that says that we're in deep trouble." The heat wave in 1936 was mostly trapped in the Midwest and made worse by farming practices at the time. This summer's heat was far more widespread. Russ Vose, who monitors data for NOAA's National Center for Environmental Information, pointed out just how many states baked last month. “What's

Watch the Moment Lightning Strikes Michigan Home

You hear about homes getting struck by lightning, but you don’t usually get to actually watch it happen. That’s exactly what a Ring camera captured Monday morning in New Baltimore as storms rolled through the area. The video (below) shows a huge flash as lightning strikes a home...

Nearly 7K without power near Jackson after overnight storms

JACKSON COUNTY, MI - Nearly 7,000 people are without power in Jackson County after severe thunderstorms overnight. Several outages immediately north of the City of Jackson knocked out power for a little less than 3,500 people as early as around 5 a.m. Monday, Aug. 10, according to the Consumers Energy Outage Map.

Record rainfall Monday and more on the way Tuesday

Heavy rain fell across West Michigan Monday morning, shattering the Aug. 10 record in Grand Rapids.

Photos: Late night and early morning thunderstorms in West Michigan

Thunderstorms thudded through West Michigan Sunday night and Monday morning, bringing flood watches that have since been cancelled. Your weather outlook | Trending much quieter. Flood Watches are cancelled. Heavy rains from thunderstorms with winds warned up to 60mph Sunday night into Monday morning brought a flood watch Van Buren,...

Some more rain possible again Tuesday

SAGINAW, Mich. (WNEM) - We have yet another chance of rain in the forecast today. While this time around we aren’t waking up to the rain, it does still fall in many of the same places as yesterday, but during this afternoon. We want to especially highlight this chance for any Back to the Bricks attendees, as today is Bricks Flicks at the US-23 Drive In. More below.

Flood Watch Covers Seven Southwestern Michigan Counties Overnight as Thunderstorms Bring Damaging Wind and Flash Flood Threat Toward Kalamazoo

MICHIGAN — Forecasters continue monitoring a lead boundary bringing showers and thunderstorms to parts of west Michigan early Monday morning, with light rain extending down toward Marshall and Hillsdale. Thunderstorms carrying the threat of damaging winds and flash flooding continue moving toward southwestern Michigan overnight, prompting an extended flood watch across seven counties.

More Rain Chances

East Lansing invites residents to learn about flood resiliency plan

EAST LANSING, Mich. (News 10) - The city of East Lansing is inviting residents to learn more about its Wet Weather Resiliency Plan and efforts to better understand and reduce flood risks. The plan comes after recent storms caused flooding in several neighborhoods. It serves as a roadmap for reducing...

Storms possible tonight for Mid-Michigan

One or possibly two rounds of showers and thunderstorms are expected to track through Mid-Michigan this evening and tonight, particularly south of the area. These storms will be capable of producing damaging wind gusts, large hail, and localized flooding. Again, the best threat looks south. Overnight lows will settle into the upper 60s.

Storms Arrive Tonight

FEMA denies appeal for individual aid for deadly March tornadoes in Southwest Michigan

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has denied Michigan’s appeal for individual assistance aid in Branch, Cass, and St. Joseph counties. The request was made for those recovering from deadly March tornadoes that killed four. FEMA also denied an appeal for Hazard Mitigation Grant Program aid statewide, the Michigan State...

Severe weather Monday morning: Storms move through SE Michigan

FOX 2 - Southeast Michigan is waking up to a wet and stormy start as another round of active weather rolls through the region. Heavy rain and thunderstorms will continue tracking from west to east through the morning hours, and some communities could pick up quite a bit of rain in a short period of time.