Alert archive / Michigan / Flash Flood Warnings in 1986

Flash Flood Warning 3, NWS Detroit, MI

September 22, 1986Saginaw County, Michigan

NWS Detroit, MI issued this flash flood warning at Sep 22, 1986, 10:54 PM EDT for Saginaw County, Michigan. It was in force for 4 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued: Sep 22, 1986, 10:54 PM EDT (02:54 UTC)
Expired: Sep 23, 1986, 3:00 AM EDT
In force: 4 hr
Issued by: NWS Detroit, MI
Area: Whole counties

County Saginaw County, MI

The radar

The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.

The nearest sounding before it

Detroit, MI (KFNT), launched 00:00Z, 2.9 hours before the alert went out and 85 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.

Mixed-layer CAPE: 1566 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -29 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1009 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 36 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 176 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 186 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 1.3
Supercell composite: 7.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAAOO KFNT 230254 RRA
FFWFNT
MIC145-230700-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLINT MI
1054 PM EDT MON SEP 22 1986
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A FLASH FLOOD WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL  300 AM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES:
 
IN CENTRAL MICHIGAN
          ..SAGINAW

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THIS EVENING AND EARLY
MORNING. SAGINAW COUNTY OFFICIALS REPORT FLOODING FROM THE SAGINAW
RIVER IS NOW OCCURING IN SEVERAL LOW LYING AREAS IN THE VICINITY
OF THE SAGINW RIVER.
A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS OCCURRING OR IS
IMMINENT.  MOST FLASH FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES.  DO NOT
ATTEMPT TO CROSS BRIDGES, DIPS, OR LOW SPOTS IF WATER COVERS THE
ROADWAY.  NEVER TRY TO CROSS A FLOWING STREAM, EVEN A SMALL ONE,
ON FOOT.  TO ESCAPE RISING WATER MOVE UP TO HIGHER GROUND.
 
MOST DEATHS IN FLASH FLOODING OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES.  DO NOT
ATTEMP~T TO CROSS BRIDGES, DIPS, OR LOW SPOTS IF WATER COVERS THE
ROADWAY.  NEVER TRY TO CROSS A FLOWING STREAM, EVEN A SMALL ONE,
ON FOOT.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this flash flood warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Sep 22, 6:29 PM EDT, 4 hours 25 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLINT MI
625 PM EDT 22 SEP 1986

       ...THUNDERSTORMS OVER EAST CNETRAL LOWER MICHIGAN...
AT 625 PM THIS EVENING RADAR INDICATES SOME VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS
OCCURING IN GRATIOT AND CLINTON COUNTIES IN CENTRAL LOWER MICHIGAN.
THESE STORMS ARE DROPPING DIME SIZED HAIL AND HAVE CAUSED THE
WEATHER OFFICE IN LANSING TO ISSUE A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR
THOSE COUNTIES.

THE THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING EASTWARD AT ABOUT 15 MPH AND WILL ENTER
SHIAWASSEE COUNTY IN ABOUT 20 MINUTES. PERSONS IN THE PATH OF THIS
STORM SHOULD KEEP A CLOSE EYE ON THE WEATHER AS LARGE HAIL..DAMAGING
WINDS..AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING MAY ACCOMPANY THIS STORM. REMEMBER THAT
THUNDERSTORMS CAN OFTEN SPAWN TORNADOES WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCED
WARNING.

STAY TUNDE TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO..OR LOCAL TELEVISION  AND COMMERCIAL
RADIO STATIONS FOR FURTHER UPDATES ON THESE THUNDERSTORMS.

DICKS

Special weather statement, Sep 22, 9:35 PM EDT, 1 hour 19 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLINT MI
930 PM EDT MON SEP 22 1986

        ...BRIEF RESPITE FROM THUNDERSTORMS..MORE ON THE WAY...

AT 930 PM EDT THIS EVENING RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS MOVING ACROSS CENTRAL LOWER MICHIGAN. THESE STORMS
ARE MOVING TO THE EAST SOUTHEAST AT ABOUT 10 TO 15 MPH AND WILL
ENTER GENESEE COUNTY WITHIN THE NEXT HOUR.

ALREADY..SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DUMPED HEAVY RAINS..3/4 INCH HAIL..
STRONG GUSTY WINDS..AND MAGNIFICENT LIGHTNING DISPLAYS.

PERSONS IN THE KIH-29 LISTENING AREA SHOULD BE PARTICULARY ALERT FOR
THREATENING WEATHER THIS EVENING AS THE SECOND WAVE OF THUNDERSTORMS
PASSES THROUGH THE AREA.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO..OR LOCAL TELEVISION AND COMMERCIAL
RADIO STATIONS FOR FURTHER UPDATES ON THESE THUNDERSTORMS

DICKS

Special weather statement, Sep 22, 10:35 PM EDT, 19 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLINT MI
1030 PM EDT MON SEP 22 1986

      ...MORE THUNDERSTORMS MOVE INTO EAST CENTRAL LOWER MICHIGAN...

AT 1030 PM THIS EVENING WEATHER RADAR INDICATED NUMEROUS VERY HEAVY
THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING INTO GENESEE COUNTY. RADAR ALSO SHOWS HEAVY
RAINFALL OCCURING IN SHIAWASSEE..TUSCOLA..SAGINAW AND MIDLAND COUNTIES.
THE HEAVIEST THUNDERSTORMS ARE CURRENTLY IN SHIAWASSEE..SAGINAW..AND
GENESEE COUNTIES AND ALL OF THE STORMS ARE MOVING TO THE SOUTHEAST
AT 40 MPH.

PERSONS IN THE AFFECTED COUNTIES SHOULD MONITOR WEATHER CONDITIONS
CLOSELY AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE SHELTER IMMEDIATELY SHOULD SEVERE
WEATHER THREATEN. STRONG GUSTY WINDS..LARGE HAIL.j.FREQUENT LIGHTNING..
AND POSSIBLE TORNADOES MAY ACCOMPANY THESE STORMS.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO..OR LOCAL TELEVISION AND COMMERCIAL
RADIO STATIONS FOR FURTHER UPDATES ON THESE THUNDERSTORMS.

DICKS

The office that day

Everything else NWS Detroit, MI issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Sep 22, 8:23 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DTX	Genesee	67 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Michigan, 1986 Every flash flood warning in 1986

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.