Alert archive / Michigan / Tornado Warnings in 1986
Tornado Warning 7, NWS Grand Rapids, MI
NWS Grand Rapids, MI issued this tornado warning at May 17, 1986, 9:03 PM EDT for Hillsdale County, Michigan. It was in force for 27 min.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- May 17, 1986, 9:03 PM EDT (01:03 UTC)
- Expired
- May 17, 1986, 9:30 PM EDT
- In force
- 27 min
- Issued by
- NWS Grand Rapids, MI
- Area
- Whole counties
County Hillsdale 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, 1.1 hours before the alert went out and 133 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
- 306 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -45 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1248 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 14 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 80 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 133 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 180103 TORLAN MIC059-180200- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LANSING MI 903 PM EDT SAT MAY 17 1986 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1000 PM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY OF SOUTH CENTRAL LOWER MICHIGAN...HILLSDALE AT 9 PM EDT A FUNNEL CLOUD WAS REPORTED JUST WEST OF THE CITY OF HILLSDALE...IN HILLSDALE COUNTY MOVING NORTH NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH. STRONG WINDS FROM THIS THUNDERSTORM CAUSED DAMAGE IN SOUTHEAST BRANCH COUNTY AROUND 845PM 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 ULOWEST 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, 3:15 PM EDT, 5 hours 48 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, 5 hours 36 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, 5 hours 13 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
Special weather statement, May 17, 5:57 PM EDT, 3 hours 6 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI 555 PM EDT SAT MAY 17 1986 THE PUBLIC HAS REPORTED PEA SIZED HAIL FALLING IN KENTWOOD, A SOUTHERN SUBERB OF GRAND RAPIDS. WEATHER RADAR INDICATED INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS OVER SOUTHWEST KENT COUNTY. ALL PERSONS IN SOUTHERN KENT COUNTY SHOULD WATCH FOR RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS. TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 189 REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN UNTIL 900 PM EDT. KERSY
Special weather statement, May 17, 7:40 PM EDT, 1 hour 23 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LANSING MI 736 PM EDT SAT MAY 17 1986 ...TORNADO WATCH FOR SOUTH CENTRAL LOWER MICHIGAN TILL 9 PM EDT... SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR CLINTON COUNTY TIL 8PM... AT 735 PM A FUNNEL CLOUD WAS SIGHT 4 MILES E OF FLOWER MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH. PERSONS LIVING OR IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM SHOULD TAKE SHELTER IN A REINFORCED BUILDING OR IN AN INTERIOR HALLWAY. SUTTLE
Local storm report, May 17, 8:34 PM EDT, 29 minutes before
STORM REPORT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI 835 PM EDT SAT MAY 17 1986 ALL TIMES EDT... 234 VAN BUREN COUNTY, POSSIBLE FUNNEL CLOUD AT LAWERENCE. 403 KENT COUNTY, PEA SIZED HAIL IN CALEDONIA. 440 MONTCALM COUNTY, FUNNEL CLOUD AT CRYSTAL. 549 KENT COUNTY, PEA SIZED HAIL IN KENTWOOD. 605 ALLEGAN COUNTY, 1/2-3/4 INCH HAIL IN THE CITY OF ALLEGAN. 626 IONIA COUNTY, 1/2-3/4 INCH HAIL IN SARANAC, ROTATING WALL CLOUD. 636 KENT COUNTY, 3/8-1/2 INCH HAIL IN CALEDONIA. 638 KENT COUNTY, 1/2 INCH HAIL IN CALEDONIA. 653 IONIA COUNTY, PEA SIZED HAIL. 658 IONIA COUNTY, WALL CLOUD AND HIGH WINDS NEAR CLARKSVILLE. 726 KENT COUNTY, 3/8 INCH HAIL NEAR CANNONSBURG. ALL TIMES ARE TIME C,ALL WAS RECIEVED AT WSO GRR, EVENT OCCURRED 5 TO 10 MINUTES BEFORE CALL WAS RECIEVED. REK
The office that day
Everything else NWS Grand Rapids, MI issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 17, 9:26 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GRR | Jackson | 34 min |
| May 17, 9:51 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | GRR | Allegan | 24 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.