Michigan Once Had a Hurricane – Here’s the Story
As Hurricane Ian makes its way to Florida, I’m keeping everyone in the Sunshine State in my prayers. I have friends and family that live down there, as well as…
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As Hurricane Ian makes its way to Florida, I'm keeping everyone in the Sunshine State in my prayers. I have friends and family that live down there, as well as Michigan friends who go down for the winter, so it's terrifying to see the size of this storm. I just hope it turns out to be less severe than predicted.
Here in Michigan, we don't really get hurricanes. I mean, the technical definition of a hurricane, according to the Glossary of Weather and Climate edited by Ira W. Geer (via Weather.gov), is "a severe tropical cyclone with maximum 1-minute sustained surface wind speed greater than 64 knots (74 mph) in the North Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico and the Eastern North Pacific off the west coast of Mexico to the International Dateline. West of the Dateline they are known as typhoons." So, just by our geography, we don't qualify.
But, we do have the Great Lakes, and once, Michigan actually had a cyclone. So, it's our own form of a hurricane. This happened back in 1996 and is known as Hurricane Huron. According to Wikipedia, Hurricane Huron was an "extremely rare, strong cyclonic storm system that developed over Lake Huron" whose "system resembled a subtropical cyclone at its peak, bearing some characteristics of a tropical cyclone." It was also the very first time a storm like this had ever formed over the Great Lakes region.
Hurricane Huron formed on Sept. 11, 1996. As strong of a storm as it was, thankfully, it was over by the next day. The cyclone's overall strength grew while moving over the Great Lakes, with surface sustained winds getting to a whopping 11 to 67 mph. By Sept. 12, a cold front rained on this cyclone's parade (pun definitely intended), and the cyclone's central pressure fell from 1012 mbar to 1006 mbar. This very rare storm is an example of how the right conditions can result in a very unexpected natural disaster- and why never to question the power of mother nature.
Michigan is already the 10th most populated state in the U.S., and now, certain cities in the Mitten are growing. The latest Census data shows that 10 Michigan cities are growing at a faster rate than any others, so if you're looking to start a small business or find a job, these places might be a good bet.
HomeSnacks.com has put together a list of the 10 fastest growing cities in Michigan for 2022, according to the most recent census data. "To figure out which cities are growing the most, we simply had to look at the growth rates for cities sine the beginning of the decade, according to the American Community Survey put out by the census every year," they stated. Specifically, they looked at current population, population in 2010 and the growth rate from 2010 to now using the latest available data, which came out in December 2018.
They ranked all 148 Michigan cities with a population more 5,000 people from highest growth rate to lowest. Seeing that 5,000 was the bottom number, this study is very comprehensive, because it mixes large and smaller cities. "The city with the highest growth rate during this time was crowned the fastest growing city in the Wolverine State," they state.
Read on for the 10 fastest growing cities in Michigan for 2022. I'm familiar with quite a few of these towns, and it's nice to see them getting some recognition. It's worth nothing that one of the most wealthiest areas in the state is on this list, too, in East Grand Rapids. If your town is on the list, think of it as good thing, because it means business is booming, even if things are getting a bit more crowded and built up. Find the full study and more information of Michigan's fastest growing towns via HomeSnacks.com here.
10. Rochester
9. Kentwood
8. New Baltimore
7. Frankenmuth
6. Chelsea
Chelsea is a beautiful area in the summer.
https://www.homesnacks.com/mi/chelsea/
5. East Grand Rapids
4. Coldwater
I've been to Coldwater a few times to try out their cool drive-in movie theater!
https://www.homesnacks.com/mi/coldwater/
3. Novi
2. Auburn Hills
1. Rockford
The population in Rockford grew 13.9% during the study period!
10 Fastest Growing Cities In Michigan For 2022
Find the full study and more information via HomeSnacks.com here.
