Alert archive / Michigan / Tornado Warnings in 1986

Tornado Warning 19, NWS Detroit, MI

August 2, 1986Macomb County, Michigan

NWS Detroit, MI issued this tornado warning at Aug 2, 1986, 3:25 PM EDT for Macomb County, Michigan. It was in force for 25 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Aug 2, 1986, 3:25 PM EDT (19:25 UTC)
Expired
Aug 2, 1986, 3:50 PM EDT
In force
25 min
Issued by
NWS Detroit, MI
Area
Whole counties

County Macomb 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 12:00Z, 7.4 hours before the alert went out and 43 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 12:00Z on 1986-08-02Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 307 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 12:00Z on 1986-08-02The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 79 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
307 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-61 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
862 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
36 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
79 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
96 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KDTW 021925
TORDTW
MIC099-021950-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED 
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT MI
325 PM EDT SAT AUG 2 1986

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING 
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 350 PM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY OF

SOUTHEAST LOWER MICHIGAN...MACOMB

RADAR INDICATES TORNADO 15 MILES NORTHWEST OF MT CLEMANS MICHIGAN
MOVING EAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR.

IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES GO TO A BASEMENT SHELTER IF
AVAILABLE. OTHERWISE GO TO A CENTRAL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR POSSIBLE. CARS AND MOBILE HOMES SHOULD BE ABANDONED FOR A
REINFORCED BUILDING. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO..COMMERCIAL
RADIO..OR TELEVISION FOR LATER STATEMENTS OR POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

MARINO

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, Aug 2, 1:22 PM EDT, 2 hours 3 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLINT MI
115 PM EDT SAT AUG 2 1986

... INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO SHIAWASSEE COUNTY...

WEATHER RADAR SHOWS INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO EXTREME
NORTHWEST SHIAWASSEE COUNTY OF CENTRAL LOWER MICHIGAN.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF EAST CENTRAL
AND SOUTHEAST LOWER MICHIGAN UNTIL 7PM EDT.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS A PART OF A LINE OF HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS STRETCHING
FROM THE SOUTHWEST THUMB TO KALAMAZOO.

IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES... MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY.
JOHNSON
Special weather statement, Aug 2, 1:40 PM EDT, 1 hour 45 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ANN ARBOR MI
135 PM EDT SAT AUG 2 1986

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 451 CONTINUES IN EFFECT UNTIL
700PM FOR MUCH OF SOUTHEAST LOWER MICHIGAN...

A LINE OF VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUES TO MOVE EAST ACROSS
LOWER MICHIGAN THIS AFTERNOON. RADAR INDICATES THAT SOME OF THESE
STORMS HAVE BECOME DANGEROUS AND WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO UNTIL THE
LINE MOVES EAST OF THE STATE THIS EVENING.

PERSONS IN OR NEAR THE WATCH AREA SHOULD BE ALERT FOR THREATENING
CONDITIONS AND BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY.

STAY TUNED TO YOUR LOCAL RADIO OR TV STATION OR THE NEAREST NOAA
WEATHER RADIO STATION FOR THE LATEST STATEMENTS AND WARNINGS.,

DGH
Special weather statement, Aug 2, 2:25 PM EDT, 1 hour before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLINT MI
230 PM EDT SAT AUG 2 1986

...INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS MOVING THRU GENESEE AND SHIAWASEE COUNTIES ...

REPORTS OF HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS..FUNNEL CLOUDS..WINDS IN EXCESS OF 50 MPH
AND HAIL WERE RECEIVED IN SOUTHERN GENESSEE COUNTY DURING PAST HOUR.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF EAST CENTRAL
AND SOUTHEAST LOWER MICHIGAN UNTIL 7PM EDT.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS A PART OF A LINE OF HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS STRETCHING
FROM THE SOUTHERN THUMB TO HILLSDALE.

IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES... MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY.
TOERPE
Special weather statement, Aug 2, 2:53 PM EDT, 32 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLINT MI
255 PM EDT SAT AUG 2 1986

 ...INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS MOVING THRU GENESEE AND LAPEER COUNTIES ...

REPORTS OF HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS STRONG WINDS AND HAIL WERE RECEIVED IN
SOUTHERN GENESSEE AND SOUTHERN LAPEER COUNTIES DURING THE PAST HOUR.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF EAST CENTRAL
AND SOUTHEAST LOWER MICHIGAN UNTIL 7PM EDT.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 330PM EDT FOR SOUTHERN
LAPEER COUNTY.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE PART OF A LINE OF HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS STRETCHING
FROM THE SOUTHEASTERN THUMB TO JACKSON.

IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES... MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY.
TOERPE
Special weather statement, Aug 2, 3:16 PM EDT, 9 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ANN ARBOR MI
315 PM EDT SAT AUG 2 1986

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 451 CONTINUES IN EFFECT UNTIL
700PM FOR MUCH OF SOUTHEAST LOWER MICHIGAN...

A LINE OF VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUES TO MOVE EAST ACROSS
LOWER MICHIGAN. AT 3 PM THE LINE EXTENDED FROM WESTERN ST CLAIR
COUNTY TO NORTHWEST MONROE COUTNY. OTHER STORMS ARE DEVELOPING
WEST OF THIS LINE TOWARD JACKSON AND FROM SOUTHERN SAGINAW BAY INTO
CENTRAL LAKE HURON.

PERSONS IN OR NEAR THE WATCH AREA SHOULD BE ALERT FOR THREATENING
CONDITIONS AND BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY.

STAY TUNED TO YOUR LOCAL RADIO OR TV STATION OR THE NEAREST NOAA
WEATHER RADIO STATION FOR THE LATEST STATEMENTS AND WARNINGS.

DGH

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 2, 2:13 PM EDTTornado WarningDTXGenesee32 min
Aug 2, 2:26 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXLenawee, Washtenaw44 min
Aug 2, 2:26 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXLivingston44 min
Aug 2, 2:35 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXLapeer55 min
Aug 2, 3:47 PM EDTTornado WarningDTXSaint Clair28 min
Aug 2, 3:57 PM EDTTornado WarningDTXWayne23 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.