Alert archive / Michigan / Tornado Warnings in 1986

Tornado Warning 13, NWS Detroit, MI

July 18, 1986Saginaw County, Michigan

NWS Detroit, MI issued this tornado warning at Jul 18, 1986, 8:15 PM EDT for Saginaw County, Michigan. It was in force for 45 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jul 18, 1986, 8:15 PM EDT (00:15 UTC)
Expired
Jul 18, 1986, 9:00 PM EDT
In force
45 min
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, 0.3 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-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Detroit, MI at 00:00Z on 1986-07-19Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1593 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Detroit, MI at 00:00Z on 1986-07-19The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 102 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
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
1593 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-58 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1337 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
18 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
102 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
143 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
5.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KFNT 190015
TORFNT
MIC145-190100-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED 
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLINT MI
815 PM EDT FRI JUL 18 1986

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING 
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 900 PM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY OF

CENTRAL LOWER MICHIGAN...EASTERN SAGINAW

A FUNNEL CLOUD HAS BEEN REPORTED BY RESIDENT IN ZILWAKEE...20 MILES
NNE OF SAGINAW...IN SAGINAW COUNTY OF MICHIGAN.  THE ADVANCING EDGE
OF THUNDERSTORM AREA IS MOVING SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE COUNTY.

IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO..GO TO A BASEMENT SHELTER IF
AVAILABLE. OTHERWISE GO TO A CENTRAL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR.  DO NOT STAY IN A CAR OR MOBILE HOME..FIND A REINFORCED
SHELTER OR LIE FLAT IN A DITCH OR RAVINE.

JOHNSON

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 18, 9:08 PM EDTTornado WarningDTXGenesee52 min
Jul 18, 9:38 PM EDTTornado WarningDTXGenesee, Shiawassee52 min
Jul 18, 10:09 PM EDTTornado WarningDTXGenesee, Shiawassee51 min
Jul 19, 5:45 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXRoscommon60 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Michigan, 1986Every tornado warning in 1986Tornadoes 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.