The Great Detroit Hurricane

On March 9,1986 a low pressure system in Canada began to interact with an upper low near Quebec,Canada. With warm waters in Lake Ontario, the low began to separate from the cold front attached to it ans slowly became tropical and more cyclonic in anatomy overview.

By March 11,1986 for the first time in history Tropical Storm and hurricane watches were being issued for most of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario and a state of emergency was activated in Ohio,New York, and Pennsylvania.

By March 12, 1986 the storm was a full blown Tropical storm and intensifying while getting ready to cross over into Lake Erie. 28 people were killed in New York and news of the storm was spreading internationally due to the full extent of this remarkable event.

By March 13,1986 the storm was a Hurricane with winds of 70Kts and caused heavy damage to nearby lake shore towns leading to the deaths of 240. Mostly due to wind and flooding. The storm then in a blink of an eye became a category 3 hurricane by the 14th of March and had destroyed 67% of Erie,PA and killing 986 in the city.

On the same day Cleveland was being hammered by 110kt winds killing 467 and damaging 96% of the city with 30" of rain.