Alert archive / Michigan / Tornado Warnings in 1986
Tornado Warning 6, NWS Detroit, MI
NWS Detroit, MI issued this tornado warning at May 17, 1986, 5:09 PM EDT for Midland County, Saginaw County, Michigan. It was in force for 51 min.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- May 17, 1986, 5:09 PM EDT (21:09 UTC)
- Expired
- May 17, 1986, 6:00 PM EDT
- In force
- 51 min
- Issued by
- NWS Detroit, MI
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Midland County, MI, 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 12:00Z, 9.2 hours before the alert went out and 107 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- No buoyant parcel
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1271 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 26 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 28 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 62 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KFNT 172109 TORFNT MIC111-145-172200- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLINT MI 509 PM EDT SAT MAY 17 1986 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 600 PM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES OF CENTRAL LOWER MICHIGAN...SOUTHERN MIDLAND AND NORTHWEST SAGINAW AT 5PM EDT POLICE AND SKY WARN SPOTTER REPORTED A FUNNEL CLOUD ALOFT NEAR ALMA 65 NORTHWEST OF FLINT. MOVING TOWARD THE EAST AT 30 MILES PER HOUR. 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 AREINFORCED SHELTER OR LIE FLAT IN A DITCH OR RAVINE. BURNS
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, May 17, 3:17 PM EDT, 1 hour 52 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ANN ARBOR MI
310 PM EDT SAT MAY 17 1986
...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 189 IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900PM FOR PERSONS IN
MUCH OF SOUTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN...
VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO DEVELOP ACROSS SOUTHERN LOWER
MICHIGAN FROM JUST WEST OF DETROIT TO JUST SOUTH OF MUSKEGON.
MARBEL SIZED HAIL AND STRONG WINDS WERE REPORTED AT 230 PM IN SOUTHERN
JACKSON COUNTY NEAR CLARK LAKE.
SEVERE LIGHTNING..HAIL AND STRONG WINDS ARE LIKELY WITH THESE STORMS.
THERE IS A POSSIBILITY OF DAMAGING WINDS..LARGE HAIL..AND TORNADOES
AS THEY MOVE TO THE NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.
PERSONS IN AND NEAR THE WATCH AREA SHOULD BE ALERT FOR THREATENING
CONDITIONS AND BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO SAFETY. THE STORMS ARE
DEVELOPING RAPIDLY AND COULD BECOME VERY DANGEROUS.
DGHSpecial weather statement, May 17, 3:24 PM EDT, 1 hour 45 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLINT MI 320 PM EDT SAT MAY 17 1986 ...TORNADO WATCH FOR SOUTH CENTRAL LOWER MICHIGAN TILL 9PM. AT 220 PM RADAR INDICATED AN AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS IN THE LOWER PORTIONS OF THE STATE FROM SOUTH OF MUSKEGON LANSING AND FLINT RT
Special weather statement, May 17, 4:03 PM EDT, 1 hour 6 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLINT MI 410 PM EDT SAT MAY 17 1986 ...TORNADO WATCH FOR SOUTH CENTRAL LOWER MICHIGAN TILL 9PM. AT 335 PM RADAR INDICATED AN AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS AND HEAVY RAIN OVER THE SOUTHERN PORTIN OF MICHIGAN WITH THE HEAVIEST STORMS NEAR ANN ARBOR. A SMALL AREA OF RAIN SHOWERS WAS BEGINNING TO MOVE INTO WESTERN SAGINAW COUNTY. BURNS
The office that day
Everything else NWS Detroit, MI issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 17, 2:46 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DTX | Lenawee, Washtenaw | 29 min |
| May 17, 3:16 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DTX | Washtenaw | 29 min |
| May 17, 3:46 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DTX | Washtenaw | 44 min |
| May 17, 4:10 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | DTX | Washtenaw | 25 min |
| May 17, 4:32 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | DTX | Washtenaw, Wayne | 28 min |
| May 17, 5:03 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DTX | Wayne | 57 min |
| May 17, 7:51 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DTX | Saginaw, Shiawassee | 39 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.