Alert archive / Michigan / Tornado Warnings in 1986
Tornado Warning 4, NWS Grand Rapids, MI
NWS Grand Rapids, MI issued this tornado warning at May 17, 1986, 4:23 PM EDT for Gratiot County, Michigan. It was in force for 67 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.
The area
The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.
The facts
- Issued
- May 17, 1986, 4:23 PM EDT (20:23 UTC)
- Expired
- May 17, 1986, 5:30 PM EDT
- In force
- 67 min
- Issued by
- NWS Grand Rapids, MI
- Area
- Whole counties
County Gratiot County, MI
The radar
The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 17, 4:50 PM EDT | Hail 0.83 | Gratiot, MI |
NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in. Storm Data before 1996 records only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail.
The nearest sounding before it
Detroit, MI (KFNT), launched 12:00Z, 8.4 hours before the alert went out and 115 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 KLAN 172023 TORLAN MIC057-172130- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LANSING MI 423 PM EDT SAT MAY 17 1986 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 530 PM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY OF CENTRAL LOWER MICHIGAN...GRATIOT RADAR HAS INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO IN EXTREME EASTERN MONTCALM COUNTY MOVING EAST NORTHEAST INTO WESTERN GRATIOT COUNTY. THE POSSIBLE TORNADO WILL MOVE TO THE CITY OF ITHACA BETWEEN 4:30 PM AND 5:30 PM EDT. 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 REINFORCED SHELTER OR LIE FLAT IN A DITCH OR RAVINE.
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, 2:32 PM EDT, 1 hour 51 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LANSING MI 220 PM EDT SAT MAY 17 1986 ...TORNADO WATCH FOR SOUTH CENTRAL LOWER MICHIGAN TILL 9 PM EDT... AT 220 PM RADAR INDICATES AN AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS IN THE NORTH EAST SECTION HILLSDALE COUNTY, A LINE FROM VANBUREAN TO KALAMAZOO COUNTIES MOVING THE NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH. SUTTLE
Special weather statement, May 17, 2:33 PM EDT, 1 hour 50 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI 230 PM EDT SAT MAY 17 1986 AT 230 PM WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A FEW THUNDERSTORMS SCATTERED ACROSS SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN AND SOUTHERN LAKE MICHIGAN. THE MOST SIGNIFICANT THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM THE SOUTH HAVEN AREA SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE KALAMAZOO AREA TOWARDS COLDWATER. THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST TO NORTHEAST ABOUT 20 TO 30 MPH. NO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE BEEN REPORTED AT THIS TIME. THERE IS GOOD POTENTIAL FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND POSSIBLY TORNADOES. A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF THE SOUTHERN HALF OF LOWER MICHIGAN UNTIL 9 PM THIS EVENING. COOLEY
Special weather statement, May 17, 2:54 PM EDT, 1 hour 29 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI 250 PM EDT SAT MAY 17 1986 AT 250 PM WEATHER RADAR INDICATED INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS FROM ABOUT 40 MILES WEST OF KALAMAZOO TO ABOUT 10 MILES WEST OF KALAMAZOO. MORE SPECIFICALLY THE THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM THE SOUTH HAVEN AREA EAST TO NEAR ALAMO. A VERY INTENSE THUNDERSTORM WAS INDICATED IN NORTHEAST VAN BUREN COUNTY NEAR GOBLES..ABOUT 15 MILES NORTHWEST OF KALAMAZOO. THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE SPREADING NORTH AT ABOUT 20 MPH. THERE IS POTENTIAL FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND POSSIBLY TORNADOES. BE ON THE WATCH AND TAKE COVER IF NECESSARY. A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM THIS EVENING. COOLEY
Special weather statement, May 17, 3:15 PM EDT, 1 hour 8 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LANSING MI 315 PM EDT SAT MAY 17 1986 ...TORNADO WATCH FOR SOUTH CENTRAL LOWER MICHIGAN TILL 9 PM EDT... AT 310 PM RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS FROM NORTHEAST INDIANA TO WEST CENTRAL LOWER MICHIGAN. A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS MOVING INTO SOUTHWEST HILLSDALE COUNTY WHILE ANOTHER WAS APPROACHING THE CITY OF BATTLE CREEK. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH AND MAY PRODUCE STRONG GUSTY WINDS...HEAVY RAIN AND SMALL HAIL. PERSONS IN HILLSDALE COUNTY AND CALHOUN COUNTY SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR STRONG THUNDERSTORM WEATHER. FORTUNE
Special weather statement, May 17, 3:27 PM EDT, 56 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI 325 PM EDT SAT MAY 17 1986 THE PUBLIC HAS REPORTED A POSSIBLE FUNNEL CLOUD A FEW MILES WEST OF GRAND RAPIDS. AT 325 PM WEATHER RADAR INDICATED INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS OVER SOUTHWEST KENT COUNTY. ALL PERSONS SHOULD BE ON THE ALERT FOR POSSIBLE TORNADO DEVELOPMENT AND TAKE COVER IF NECESSARY COOLEY
Special weather statement, May 17, 3:50 PM EDT, 33 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LANSING MI 350 PM EDT SAT MAY 17 1986 ...TORNADO WATCH FOR SOUTH CENTRAL LOWER MICHIGAN TILL 9 PM EDT... AT 345 PM RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS FROM NEAR THE CITY OF HILLSDALE...IN HILLSDALE COUNTY...TO GRAND RAPIDS MICHIGAN. THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH. A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS 2 MILES SOUTHWEST OF BATTLE CREEK MICHIGAN. ANOTHER STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS MOVING INTO SOUTHWEST EATON COUNTY NEAR THE CITY OF BELLEVUE. THESE THUNDERSTORMS MAY PRODUCE STRONG WINDS AND VERY HEAVY RAIN AS THEY MOVE EAST NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH. FORTUNE
The office that day
Everything else NWS Grand Rapids, MI issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 17, 4:20 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | GRR | Montcalm | 25 min |
| May 17, 5:26 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GRR | Clinton | 3 hr |
| May 17, 5:59 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GRR | Gratiot | 2 hr |
| May 17, 6:04 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | GRR | Kent | 26 min |
| May 17, 6:12 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GRR | Allegan | 23 min |
| May 17, 6:37 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | GRR | Ionia | 38 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.