Alert archive / Michigan / Flash Flood Warnings in 1986
Flash Flood Warning 4, NWS Grand Rapids, MI
NWS Grand Rapids, MI issued this flash flood warning at Sep 10, 1986, 10:26 PM EDT for Kent County, Michigan. It was in force for 3 hr.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- Sep 10, 1986, 10:26 PM EDT (02:26 UTC)
- Expired
- Sep 11, 1986, 1:00 AM EDT
- In force
- 3 hr
- Issued by
- NWS Grand Rapids, MI
- Area
- Whole counties
County Kent 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, 2.4 hours before the alert went out and 176 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
- 200 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -49 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 661 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 51 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 247 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 307 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 1.2
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KGRR 110226 FFWGRR MIC081-110500- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED FLASH FLOOD WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI 1026 PM EDT WED SEP 10 1986 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 100 AM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY OF SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN...KENT AT 1015 PM EDT..RADAR INDICATED AN AREA OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS DRIFTING SLOWLY SOUTH THROUGH NORTHERN AND CENTRAL KENT COUNTY. INDIVIDUAL CELLS IN THIS AREA WERE MOVING TO THE SOUTHEAST AT 35 MPH. FLOODING HAS ALREADY BEEN REPORTED ON MOST SMALL CREEKS AND STREAMS IN KENT COUNTY. INDIAN MILL CREEK AT THREE MILE ROAD AND WALKER WAS 4 FEET ABOVE FLOOD STAGE AT 1015 PM. MILL CREEK AT M37 AND ALPINE WAS 1 FOOT ABOVE FLOOD STAGE. WITH NEARLY SIX INCHES OF RAINFALL IN THE PREVIOUS 24 HRS..AND WITH STORMS PRODUCING RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 2 TO 5 INCHES PER HOUR.. FLASH FLOODING IS IMMINENT THROUGHOUT KENT COUNTY. A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS FLOODING IS IMMINENT OR HAS BEEN REPORTED. TAKE ACTION TO SAFEGUARD LIFE AND PROPERTY. MJK
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 10, 5:58 PM EDT, 4 hours 28 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LANSING, MI 551 PM EDT WED SEP 10 1986 ...INTENSE THUNDERSTORM MOVING INTO NORTHERN CALHOUN AND SOUTHERN EATON COUNTIES... AT 550 PM EDT RADAR INDICATED AN INTENSE THUNDERSTORM 10 MILES NORTH OF BATTLE CREEK MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH. THIS THUNDERSTORM WILL MOVE ACROSS NORTHERN CALHOUN AND SOUTHERN EATON COUNTIES BETWEEN 551 PM AND 630 PM EDT. TORRENTIAL RAIN...FREQUENT LIGHTNING..AND STRONG WINDwS HAVE BEEN REPORTED WITH THIS STORM. PEOPLE IN BELLEVUE AND OLIVET ARE NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STRONG THUNDERSTORM. BE ALERT FOR RAPID FLOODING OF STREETS AND LOW-LYING AREAS AS THIS STORM PASSES. BUNTING
Special weather statement, Sep 10, 7:05 PM EDT, 3 hours 21 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI 705 PM EDT WED SEP 10 1986 ...MINOR FLOODING CONTINUES TO BE A POSSIBLITY THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT.. IN SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN AS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE... AT 700 PM EDT KENT COUNTY SHERRIFF REPORTED PEA SIZE HAIL..STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND HEAVY RAIN IN THE PLAINFIELD AREA OF NORTHEAST GRAND RAPIDS. KRAFT ORCHARDS REPORTED STRONG GUSTY WINDS WITH MANY BRANCHES DOWN IN THUNDERSTORMS RUNNING THROUGH THAT NORTHWEST GRAND RAPIDS AREA ALONG WITH EXTREMELY HEAVY RAIN. THESE STORMS CAN PRODUCE HEAVY RAIN, STRONG GUSTY WINDS..DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND SOME SMALL HAIL. SOME STREET FLOODING IS OCCURING IN MANY AREAS OF SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHGAN AND WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO AS THESE STORMS CONTINUE TONIGHT. ALSO LOW LYING AREAS AND AND SMALL STREAMS MAY FLOOD DURING THE EVENING AND NIGHTTIME HOURS. PERSONS SHOULD NOT DRIVE VEHICLES INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE RO ADWAY. THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT AND THE CAR MAY STALL. THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TONIGHT AND MOST OF THURSDAY AS A LOW PRESSURE AREA MOVES TOWARD THE GREAT LAKES OUT OF THE NORTHERN PLAINS STATES. DBS
Special weather statement, Sep 10, 8:45 PM EDT, 1 hour 41 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI 845 PM EDT WED SEP 10 1986 ...HEAVY RAINFALL AMOUNTS IN SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN TODAY... AS OF 830 PM EDT..THE FOLLOWING 24 HOUR RAINFALL AMOUNTS HAVE BEEN REPORTED IN SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN... KENT COUNTY AIRPORT 3.22" SPARTA 7.83" PLAINFIELD 5.16" CANNONSBURG 5.90" PEACH RIDGE 5.33" ROCKFORD ~ 5.19" MJK
Special weather statement, Sep 10, 9:34 PM EDT, 52 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MUSKEGON MI 925PM EDT WED SEP 10 1986 ..VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS WESTERN MICHIGAN... THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR MUSKEGON AND NEWAGO COUNTIES EXPIRED AT 915PM EDT BUT A FLASH FLOOD WARNING IS NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 1100PM EDT FOR THE NORTHERN HALF OF MUSKEGON AND SOUTHERN NEWAGO COUNTIES. AT 905PM EDT RADAR INDICATED THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN FROM 50 MILES NORTHWEST TO 40 MILES NORTHEAST OF MUSKEGON. THESE STORMS CONTAIN VERY HEAVY RAIN AND WERE MOVING FROM WEST TO EAST AT ABOUT 35 MILES AN HOUR. THIS VERY HEAVY RAIN ON TOP OF THE OVER 4 INCHES RECEIVED ALREADY TODAY MAY CAUSE FLASH FLOODING IN PARTS OF MUSKEGON AND NEWAGO COUNTIES. STAY TUNED TO YOUR LOCAL RADIO OR TELEVISION STATIONS OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER STATEMENTS OR WARNINGS. END WSO MKG
Local storm report, Sep 10, 9:57 PM EDT, 29 minutes before
LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LANSING MI
945 PM EDT WED SEP 10 1986
TIME (EDT) LOCATION REPORT
1805 BEDFORD...10 N BTL TORNADO TOUCHDOWN SIGHTED BY SHERIFF AND FIRE
DEPARTMENTS. PATH 150 YDS WIDE. TWO
TRANSMISSION TOWERS DESTROYED INTO TWISTED
WRECKAGE. LARGE TREES UPROOTED AND POWER
LINE DOWN.
1845 2 WEST OF ONANDAGA FUNNEL CLOUD SIGHTED BY FIRE DEPT...MINOR
15 S OF LAN DAMAGE TO TREES.
1900 GRAND LEDGE SMALL HAIL..HEAVY RAIN
(10 W LAN)
1945 3 N STOCKBRIDGE LARGE TREES UPROOTED AND TWISTED. SOME
30 SE LAN STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO 3 HOMES. PICKUP CAMPER
DESTROYED. DAMAGE OCCURRED ALONG KANE ROAD
BETWEEN M36 AND MILNER RD IN EXTREME EASTERN
INGHAM CO..ADDITIONAL DAMAGE IN LIVINGSTON CO.
FORTUNESpecial weather statement, Sep 10, 10:06 PM EDT, 20 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LANSING MI 1005 PM EDT THU SEP 10 1986 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO GRATIOT COUNTY... AT 10 PM EDT RADAR SHOWED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS NEAR ALMA MICHIGAN ...40 MILES NORTH OF LANSING. VERY HEAVY RAIN...GUSTY WINDS AND SMALL HAIL IS LIKELY WITH THIS STORM AS IT MOVES EAST AT 35 MPH. TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR CLINTON AND GRATIOT COUNTIES UNTIL 1 AM EDT. FORTUNE
The office that day
Everything else NWS Grand Rapids, MI issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 10, 9:34 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GRR | Kent | 41 min |
| Sep 10, 11:07 PM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | GRR | Gratiot | 3 hr |
| Sep 10, 11:47 PM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | GRR | Montcalm | 4 hr |
| Sep 11, 1:11 AM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | GRR | Kent | 4 hr |
| Sep 11, 3:03 AM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | GRR | Montcalm | 4 hr |
| Sep 11, 5:05 AM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | GRR | Kent, Montcalm | 4 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.