Hail storm causes wide-spread damage in Posen

Hail as large as two-and-a-half to three inches in diameter rained on Posen Tuesday evening, breaking windows, denting siding on homes, and destroying crops. The storm was part of a wave of severe thunderstorms to roll across northern Michigan. The initial line of storms fired ahead of a cold front just prior to 3 p.m.

The first thunderstorm warning was issued for Presque Isle County at 3:14 p.m. After the initial line went through, a second round of storms moved across the northern counties and were clearly the most severe of the season, according to a spokesman from the National Weather Service office in Gaylord. Hail was reported from Missaukee to Cheboygan counties with an average size of about an inch.

IT COULDN?T match the size of the hail in Posen, which was two to three sizes larger. Reports of hail as large as a tennis balls were reported to the NWS office. High winds tore branches from trees and heavy rains flooded fields and parking lots.

Many Posen businesses reported broken windows and were still assessing damage early Wednesday. ?I?ll tell you, I?m 71 years old, (and) I?ve never seen anything like that,? said Leonard Dembny, looking at the hundreds of dents in the siding on the south side of his home. Neighbor Kathy Wirgau was looking for a piece of cardboard in her garage to put over a window that was smashed out by a large hail ball, when the hail came down hard.

?I had to plug my ears it was so loud,? said Wirgau, who also will have to replace

a windshield . Grand Lake Highway near St. Casimir Church had so many leaves on the road it looked like a late fall evening.

DENNIS CHALUPNICZAK of West 634 Highway, who had several leaves stuck to the front of his house, said the winds must have reached 50 to 60 miles per hour. The highest wind gust reported to NWS was 65 m.p.h. in Alcona County. Ann Strzelecki of Posen was thankful she was not home, sparing her vehicle, but windows were broken out of her home and a camper. ?My camper is all smashed,? said Strzelecki. The vinyl siding of their home had several large holes in it and will have to be replaced.

According to Ken Wozniak of Stanley Wozniak Insurance Agency of Posen, the south side of nearly every home was damaged in a three mile area from Elm Highway to 638 Highway. The area of damage also extended west from the village of Posen toward Leer Road. He said that?s where the majority of the 75 phone calls from his company?s clients were coming from Tuesday and Wednesday. Wozniak said he wouldn?t be surprised if damage estimates from the storm don?t reach $1 million.

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