Alert archive / Michigan / Flash Flood Warnings in 1986

Flash Flood Warning 20, NWS Grand Rapids, MI

September 22, 1986Clinton County, Gratiot County, Michigan

NWS Grand Rapids, MI issued this flash flood warning at Sep 22, 1986, 8:53 PM EDT for Clinton County, Gratiot County, Michigan. It was in force for 2 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Sep 22, 1986, 8:53 PM EDT (00:53 UTC)
Expired
Sep 22, 1986, 11:00 PM EDT
In force
2 hr
Issued by
NWS Grand Rapids, MI
Area
Whole counties

Counties Clinton County, MI, Gratiot 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, 0.9 hours before the alert went out and 105 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 1986-09-23Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1566 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 1986-09-23The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 176 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
1566 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-29 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1009 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
36 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
176 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
186 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.3
Supercell composite
7.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KLAN 230053
FFWLAN
MIC057-037-230300-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LANSING MI
853 PM EDT MON SEP 22 1986

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

CENTRAL LOWER MICHIGAN...GRATIOT AND CLINTON


AT 850 PM EDT RADAR INDICATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY
RAIN OVER GRATIOT COUNTY.  THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE INTO NORTHERN
CLINTON COUNTY BETWEEN 9 AND 10 PM EDT.  VERY HEAVY RAIN WILL CAUSE
FLASH FLOODING ACROSS GRATIOT AND NORTHERN CLINTON COUNTIES.

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS FLOODING IS IMMINENT OR HAS BEEN
REPORTED. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CROSS WATER OF UNKNOWN DEPTH OR FAST
MOVING CURRENTS. REMEMBER...MOST FATALITIES IN FLASH FLOODS OCCUR IN
AUTOMOBILES.

 THIS EXTENDS THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR CLINTON COUNTY UNTIL 11 PM
  EDT.
 FORTUNE

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, Sep 22, 5:47 PM EDT, 3 hours 6 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LANSING, MI
542 PM EDT MON SEP 22 1986

   ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING IN SOUTHCENTRAL LOWER MICHIGAN...

AN AREA OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS DEVELOPING OVER SOUTHCENTRAL LOWER
MICHIGAN AT 535 PM EDT THIS AFTERNOON.  THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS
WERE 10 MILES NORTHWEST OF ST JOHNS IN CLINTON COUNTY AND EXTENDED
NORTHWARD INTO SOUTHWEST GRATIOT COUNTY. THESE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE
INCREASED RAPIDLY IN INTENSITY AND AREAL COVERAGE. THE STORMS WERE
MOVING TO THE EAST AT 15 MPH.  PEOPLE IN NORTHERN CLINTON AND SOUTHERN
GRATIOT COUNTIES CAN EXPECT VERY HEAVY RAIN..STRONG WINDS..AND POSSIBLY
SMALL HAIL AS THESE THUNDERSTORMS MOVE ACROSS YOUR AREA._ EXERCISE
CAUTION WHEN DRIVING IN AREAS OF INTENSE RAIN AND REDUCED VISIBILITY.

BUNTING
Special weather statement, Sep 22, 6:20 PM EDT, 2 hours 33 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE  MUSKEGON MI
610 PM EDT MON SEP 22 1986

...RAPIDLY DEVELOPING THUNDERSTORMS OVER NORTHEAST MUSKEGON AND SOUTH
WEST NEWAYGO COUNTIES OF WEST MICHIGAN..
THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DEVELOPED RAPIDLY DURING THE LAST HOUR OVER MUSKEGON
AND NEWAYGO COUNTIES AND ARE MOVING SLOWLY TOWARDS THE EAST SOUTHEAST. THESE
THUNDERSTORMS WILL CAUSE BRIEF GUSTY WINDS..SMALL HAIL AND VERY HEAVY
RAINS DURING THE NEXT HOUR..DUE TO THE ALREADY WATER LOGGED GROUND AND
SWOLLEN RIVERS...RUNOFF COULD BE QUITE RAPID. IN ADDITION...UNDERPASSES
CAN FLOOD RAPIDLY.

PEOPLE ARE URGED TO USE CAUTION AND LISTEN TO YOUR LOCAL RADIO OR
TELEVISION STATION OR NOAA RADIO FOR FURTHER UPDATES AND POSSIBLE
WARNINGS.

HYNES
Special weather statement, Sep 22, 7:25 PM EDT, 1 hour 28 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI
725 PM EDT MON SEP 12 1986

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN...

AT 715PM EDT STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE INDICATED BY RADAR OVER
NORTHERN OTTAWA...NORTHERN KENT AND WESTERN MONTCALM COUNTIES.
THESE THUNDERSTORMS MAY PRODUCE HEAVY RAIN...SMALL HAIL AND WIND
GUSTS TO AROUND 35 MPH AS THEY MOVE THROUGH THE AREA.

THE HEAVY RAIN COULD CAUSE SOME FLOODING OF LOW LYING AREAS AND
INTERSECTIONS. THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING TO THE EAST AT ABOUT
10 TO 15 MPH. INTERESTED PERSONS SHOULD STAY TUNED TO LOCAL RADIO...
TV OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER INFORMATION AND POSSIBLE
WARNINGS.
BKR

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 22, 10:58 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningGRRClinton, Gratiot2 hr

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.