Alert archive / Michigan / Tornado Warnings in 1986
Tornado Warning 15, NWS Grand Rapids, MI
NWS Grand Rapids, MI issued this tornado warning at Sep 26, 1986, 5:20 PM EDT for Kalamazoo County, Michigan. It was in force for 31 min.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- Sep 26, 1986, 5:20 PM EDT (21:20 UTC)
- Expired
- Sep 26, 1986, 5:51 PM EDT
- In force
- 31 min
- Issued by
- NWS Grand Rapids, MI
- Area
- Whole counties
County Kalamazoo 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, 9.3 hours before the alert went out and 180 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
- 2111 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -20 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 620 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 33 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 26 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 80 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.6
- Supercell composite
- 3.4
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KGRR 262120 TORGRR MIC077-262205- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI 520 PM EDT FRI SEP 26 1986 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 605 PM FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTY IN... SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN...KALAMAZOO AT 515 PM EDT RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER CENTRAL KALAMAZOO COUNTY MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH. A FUNNEL CLOULD WAS REPORTED OVER GALESBURG IN KALAMAZOO COUNTY MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.. PERSONS IN THIS AREA AND THE CITIES OF AUGUSTA..CLIMAX AND BATTLE CREEK SHOULD TAKE COVER. 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 STURDY SHELTER OR LIE FLAT IN A DITCH OR RAVINE. YOU MAY REPORT ANY SEVERE WEATHER SUCH AS TORNADOES...DAMAGING WINDS...LARGE HAIL...OTR FLOODING TO YOUR LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY AND ASK THEM TO RELAY YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE. KERSEY
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, Sep 26, 12:21 PM EDT, 4 hours 59 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LANSING, MI
1214 PM EDT FRI SEP 26 1986
...STRONG THUNDERSTORM OVER CENTRAL LOWER MICHIGAN...
...FLASH FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 5 PM EDT...
AT 1210 PM EDT A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS MOVING OVER SOUTHERN
ISABELLA COUNTY. HEAVY RAIN IS LIKELY ACROSS SOUTHERN ISABELLA
COUNTY...MOSTLY SOUTH OF MOUNT PLEASANT...BETWEEN NOON AND 1 PM EDT.
A LARGE AREA OF RAIN WITH A FEW STRONG THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED ACROSS
CENTRAL LOWER MICHIGAN. LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN IS POSSIBLE ACROSS THIS
AREA THROUGHOUT THIS AFTERNOON.
FORTUNESpecial weather statement, Sep 26, 2:15 PM EDT, 3 hours 5 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI 210 PM EDT FRI SEP 26 1986 ...INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS MOVING TOWARD SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN... AT 2 PM WEATHER RADAR INDICATED AN AREA OF INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS MOVING OUT OF THE CHIGAGO..MILWAUKEE AREAS ONTO LAKE MICHIGAN. IN THE CHICAGO AREA THE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCED VERY HEAVY RAIN.. REDUCING THE VISIBILITY TO NEAR ZERO..SMALL HAIL AND WIND GUSTS TO ABOUT 45 MPH. THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST ABOUT 30 MPH AND SHOULD REACH THE BENTON HARBOR..SOUTH HAVEN..GRAND HAVEN AREAS BY 3 TO 4 PM. BOATERS ON LAKE MICHIGAN SHOULD CONSIDER HEADING FOR A SAFE PORT. PERSONS ON SHORE SHOULD BRACE FOR ANOTHER ONSLAUGHT OF HEAVY RAINv AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS. SOME LOCAL FLOODING IS LIKELY AS THE THUNDERSTORMS MOVE ACROSS SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN. THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL GENERATE FREQUENT LIGHTNING. LIGHTNING IS DEADLY..OBSERVE THE LIGHTNING SAFETY RULES. COOLEY
Special weather statement, Sep 26, 3:44 PM EDT, 1 hour 36 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI 330 PM EDT FRI SEP 26 1986 ...INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS MOVING ONSHORE IN SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN... AT 330 PM WEATHER RADAR INDICATED AN AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS MOVING ONSHORE FROM SOUTH BEND TO HOLLAND AND INLAND TO SPARTA. THE THUNDERSTORMS RANGE FROM HEAVY TO VERY HEAVY INTENSITY. SCATTERED RAINFALL AMOUNTS WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS COULD RANGE UP TO AN INCH OR TWO. HEAVY RAIN COULD REDUCE VISIBILITY TO NEAR ZERO IN SOME AREAS. HEAVY RAIN COULD ALSO PRODUCE TEMPORARY FLOODING OF LOW SPOTS INCLUDING LOW ROADS AND INTERSECTIONS. ALLOW EXTRA TIME TO REACH YOUR DESTINATION AND DRIVE SAFELY. LIGHTNING WILL ACCOMPANY THESE THUNDERSTORMS. LIGHTNING IS DEADLY.. OBSERVE THE LIGHTNING SAFETY RULES. COOLEY
Special weather statement, Sep 26, 4:49 PM EDT, 31 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LANSING, MI
448 PM EDT FRI SEP 26 1986
...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM EDT...
...FLASH FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT...
AT 445 PM EDT RADAR SHOWED A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS IN SOUTHWEST
LOWER MICHIGAN. THE LEADING EDGE EXTENDED FROM NEAT GRAND RAPIDS
SOUTH INTO NORTHERN INDIANA. THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED
30 MILES SOUTH SOUTHWEST OF BATTLE CREEK.
VERY HEAVY #RAIN...SMALL HAIL...AND WIND GUSTS TO 45 MPH WILL ACCOMPANY
THESE STORMS AS THEY MOVE INTO WESTERN CALHOUN AND WESTERN BRANCH
COUNTIES BETWEEN 500 AND 600 PM EDT.
FORTUNE/COKELYSpecial weather statement, Sep 26, 4:54 PM EDT, 26 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LANSING, MI
454 PM EDT FRI SEP 26 1986
...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM EDT...
...FLASH FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT...
AT 445 PM EDT RADAR SHOWED A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS IN SOUTHWEST
LOWER MICHIGAN. THE LEADING EDGE EXTENDED FROM NEAR GRAND RAPIDS
SOUTH INTO NORTHERN INDIANA. THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED
30 MILES SOUTH SOUTHWEST OF BATTLE CREEK.+
VERY HEAVY RAIN...SMALL HAIL...AND WIND GUSTS TO 45 MPH WILL ACCOMPANY
THESE STORMS AS THEY MOVE INTO WESTERN CALHOUN AND WESTERN BRANCH
COUNTIES BETWEEN 500 AND 600 PM EDT.
FORTUNE/COKELYThe office that day
Everything else NWS Grand Rapids, MI issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 26, 4:30 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GRR | Allegan, Van Buren | 30 min |
| Sep 26, 5:53 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GRR | Calhoun, Hillsdale | 52 min |
| Sep 26, 6:26 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GRR | Jackson | 19 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.