Alert archive / Michigan / Flash Flood Warnings in 1986

Flash Flood Warning 2, NWS Grand Rapids, MI

June 11, 1986Eaton County, Ingham County, Michigan

NWS Grand Rapids, MI issued this flash flood warning at Jun 11, 1986, 9:44 PM EDT for Eaton County, Ingham County, Michigan. It was in force for 4 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jun 11, 1986, 9:44 PM EDT (01:44 UTC)
Expired
Jun 12, 1986, 2:00 AM EDT
In force
4 hr
Issued by
NWS Grand Rapids, MI
Area
Whole counties

Counties Eaton County, MI, Ingham 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, 1.7 hours before the alert went out and 97 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 1986-06-12Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1637 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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 1986-06-12The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 81 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
1637 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-1 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
547 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
36 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
81 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
109 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.5
Supercell composite
2.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KLAN 120144
FFWLAN
MIC045-065-120600-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LANSING MI
944 PM EDT WED JUN 11 1986

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A FLASH FLOOD WARNING 
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 200 AM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES OF

SOUTH CENTRAL LOWER MICHIGAN...EATON AND INGHAM

THIS WARNING INCLUDES THE GREATER LANSING AREA.  STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO PRODUCE EXTREMELY HEAVY RAIN OVER CENTRAL
LOWER MICHIGAN...PARTICULARLY IN EATON AND INGHAM COUNTIES.

SMALL STREAMS WILL RISE RAPIDLY AND LOW AREAS WILL HAVE SUBSTANTIAL
AMOUNTS OF HIGH WATER AS THE HEAVY DOWNPOURS CONTINUE.

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS FLOODING IS IMMINENT OR HAS 4BEEN
REPORTED.  TAKE ACTION TO SAFEGUARD LIFE AND PROPERTY.

 THIS EXTENDS THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR INGHAM COUNTY AND ADDS
THE EATON COUNTY INTO THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING AREA.

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, Jun 11, 4:51 PM EDT, 4 hours 53 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LANSING MI
450 PM EDT WED JUN 11 1986

....TORNADO WATCH FOR SOUTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN UNTIL 9 PM EDT...
      ...STRONG THUNDERSTORM IN CENTRAL LOWER MICHIGAN...

AT 445 PM EDT A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS IN SOUTHERN IONIA COUNTY MOVING
TO THE NORTHEAST AT 15 TO 20 MPH.  THIS MOVEMENT WILL BRING THE STORM
INTO CLINTON COUNTY BETWEEN 5 AND 6 PM EDT.  VERY HEAVY RAIN...SMALL
HAIL...GUSTY WINDS AND DANG\EROUS LIGHTNING CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THIS
STORM.

THE SLOW MOVEMENT OF THIS STORM WILL ALSO CAUSE FLOODING IN LOW
AREAS.
FORTUNE
Special weather statement, Jun 11, 5:20 PM EDT, 4 hours 24 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LANSING MI
520 PM EDT WED JUN 11 1986

....TORNADO WATCH FOR SOUTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN UNTIL 9 PM EDT...
      ...STRONG THUNDERSTORM IN CENTRAL LOWER MICHIGAN...

AT 515 PM EDT A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS IN CENTRAL EATON COUNTY MOVING
EAST NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.  THIS STORM WILL MOVE INTO THE CITY OF LANSING
BETWEEN 520 AND 6 PM EDT AND WILL PRODUCE VERY HEAVY RAIN...SMALL HAIL
...GUSTY WINDS AND DANGqEROUS LIGHTNING.

THE SLOW MOVEMENT OF THIS STORM WILL ALSO CAUSE ADDITIIONAL FLOODING
IN LOW AREAS THAT WILL ADD TO THE PROBLEM CREATED BY HEAVY RAIN EARLIER
IN THE AFTERNOON.
FORTUNE
Special weather statement, Jun 11, 8:41 PM EDT, 1 hour 3 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LANSING MI
840 PM EDT WED JUN 11 1986

....TORNADO WATCH FOR SOUTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN UNTIL 9 PM EDT...

AT 830 PM EDT A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS IN SOUTHERN BARRY COUNTY...ABOUT
15 MILES NORTH OF BATTLE CREEK MICHIGAN.  THE STORM WAS MOVING NORTHEAST
AND WILL MOVE INTO WESTERN EATON COUNTY NEAR VERMONTVILLE BETWEEN 9 PM
AND 930 PM EDT.   HEAVY RAIN...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND STRONG WIND
WAS REPORTED8 IN THE NASHVILLE AREA...30 MILES SOUTHWEST OF LANSING.
AT 830 PM EDT.
FORTUNE

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 11, 8:41 PM EDTTornado WarningGRRKent29 min
Jun 11, 8:47 PM EDTTornado WarningGRRBarry28 min
Jun 11, 9:05 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGRREaton55 min
Jun 11, 9:23 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGRRClinton, Ingham37 min
Jun 11, 9:49 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningGRRIngham11 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Michigan, 1986Every 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.