Alert archive / Michigan / Tornado Warnings in 1986

Tornado Warning 16, NWS Detroit, MI

July 18, 1986Genesee County, Shiawassee County, Michigan

NWS Detroit, MI issued this tornado warning at Jul 18, 1986, 10:09 PM EDT for Genesee County, Shiawassee County, Michigan. It was in force for 51 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued: Jul 18, 1986, 10:09 PM EDT (02:09 UTC)
Expired: Jul 18, 1986, 11:00 PM EDT
In force: 51 min
Issued by: NWS Detroit, MI
Area: Whole counties

Counties Genesee County, MI, Shiawassee 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, 2.2 hours before the alert went out and 50 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: 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 190209
TORFNT
MIC155-049-190300-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED 
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLINT MI
1009 PM EDT FRI JUL 18 1986

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING 
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1100 PM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES OF

EAST CENTRAL LOWER MICHIGAN...SHIAWASSEE AND GENESEE

SHAIWASSEE COUNTY SHERIFF REPORTED FUNNEL CLOUD NEAR OVID
20 WEST NORTHWEST OF OWOSSO. MOVEMENT WAS TOWARDS THE SOUTHEAST.  .

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 FIN A DITCH OR RAVINE.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this tornado 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, Jul 18, 6:14 PM EDT, 3 hours 55 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLINT MI
605 PM EDT FRI JUL 18 1986

....SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT TILL 11PM EDT....
...FOR MIDLAND BAY ARENAC SANILAC TUSCOLA AND HURON COUNTIES...

AT 600 PM RADAR SHOWED AN AREA OF RAIN SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
FROM JUST SOUTH OF TAWAS TO ALPENA EXTENDING OUT OVER LAKE HURON.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING TOWARDS THE SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH
AND WILL MOVE OVER THE NORTHEAST PORTION OF :SAGINAW BAY AND NORTHERN
HURON COUNTY WITHIN THE HOUR.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS MAY CONTAIN HEAVY RAIN GUSTY WINDS AND DANGEROUS
LIGHTENING.

BURNS

Special weather statement, Jul 18, 8:26 PM EDT, 1 hour 43 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLINT MI
825 PM EDT FRI JUL 18 1986

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT TILL 11PM EDT FOR HURON AND ARENAC
COUNTIES.
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT TILL 1PM FOR LAPEER MIDLAND SAGINAW
SANILAC SHIAWASSEE BAY GENESEE AND TUSCOLA COUNTIES.

AT 820PM RADAR SHOWED AN AREA OF RAIN SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
OVER SAGINAW BAY AND THE THUMB AREA OF LOWER MICHIGAN.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING TOWARDS THE SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH
TO 35 MPH.

BURNS

Special weather statement, Jul 18, 9:18 PM EDT, 51 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ANN ARBOR MI
919 PM EDT FRI JUL 18 1986

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCHS CONTINUE FOR MOST PORTIONS OF NORTHERN
   LOWER MICHIGAN..AND FOR ALL OF SOUTHERN LOWER MICHIHIGAN...

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 389 IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 PM EDT
FOR MOST PORTIONS OF NORTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN. THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
WATCH NUMBER 392 IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 AM EDT SATURDAY MORNING FOR ALL
OF SOUTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN.

THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE THIS EVENING OVER LOWER MICHIGAN..AT 830 PM EDT
RADAR SHOWED THE STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS FROM NORTHWEST OF HOUGHTON LAKE
TO NORTHEAST OF FLINT.  THEY WERE MOVING TO THE SOUTHEAST AT ABOUT 35
MILES AN HOUR.  A FEW FUNNEL CLOUD REPORTS HAVE ALSO BEEN RECEIVED THIS
EVENING IN EAST CENTRAL LOWER MICHIGAN. DANGEROUS LIGHTNING..HIGH GUSTY
DAMAGING WINDS..LARGE HAIL MAY ACCOMPANY THESE STORMS.

STAY TUNE TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO..OR ANY COMMERCIAL RADIO OR TV FOR
FURTHER UPDATES CONCERNING THESE STORMS.

RUNYAN

Special weather statement, Jul 18, 10:07 PM EDT, 2 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ANN ARBOR MI
1000 PM EDT FRI JUL 18 1986

...THE EASTERN PORTION OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH..NUMBER 392
   REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 AM EDT.  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH
   NUMBER 389 AND WESTERN PORTION OF WATCH 392 ARE CANCELLED..

THE EASTERN PORTION OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 392 REMAINS
IN UNTIL 1 AM SATURDAY MORNING.  THIS WATCH INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING
COUNTIES OF GRATIOT..SAGINAW..TUSCOLA..HURON..SANILAC..CLINTON..
SHIAWASEE..GENESEE..LAPEER..ST CLAIR..EATON..INGHAM..LIVINGSTON..
OAKLAND..MACOMB..CALHOUN..JACKSON..WASHTENAW..WAYNE..BRANCH..
HILLSDALE..LENAWEE AND MONROE.  THIS ARE INCLUDES ADJACENT COASTAL
AREAS.

RADAR AND SEVERAL REPORTS INDICATE STRONG THUNDERSTORMS REMAIN IN THESE
COUNTIES MOVING TO THE SOUTHEAST AT ABOUT 30 MILES AN HOUR. DANGEROUS
LIGHTNING..HIGH GUSTY DAMAGING WINDS..LARGE HAIL MAY ACCOMPANY THESE
STORMS. FUNNEL CLOUDS ARE STILL BEING REPORTED WITH A FEW OF THESE
STORNGER THUNDERSTORMS.

THE WESTERN HALF OF OF THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 392 AND
ALL OF THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 389 HAVE BEEN CANCELLED AT THIS
TIME.

STAY TUNE TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO..A COMMERCIAL RADIO OR TEELEVISION
STATION IN YOUR AREA FOR FURTHER UDATES CONCERNING THESE STORMS.

RUNYAN

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 18, 8:15 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	DTX	Saginaw	45 min
Jul 18, 9:08 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	DTX	Genesee	52 min
Jul 18, 9:38 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	DTX	Genesee, Shiawassee	52 min
Jul 19, 5:45 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DTX	Roscommon	60 min

Nearby

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