Alert archive / Michigan / Tornado Warnings in 1986

Tornado Warning 9, NWS Grand Rapids, MI

June 11, 1986Kent County, Michigan

NWS Grand Rapids, MI issued this tornado warning at Jun 11, 1986, 8:41 PM EDT for Kent County, Michigan. It was in force for 29 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: Jun 11, 1986, 8:41 PM EDT (00:41 UTC)
Expired: Jun 11, 1986, 9:10 PM EDT
In force: 29 min
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.

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Jun 11, 8:45 PM EDT	Thunderstorm Wind 0	Kent, 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 00:00Z, 0.7 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.

Skew-T log-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 1637 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -1 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 547 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 36 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 81 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 109 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.5
Supercell composite: 2.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KGRR 120041
TORGRR
MIC081-120110-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED 
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI
841 PM EDT WED JUN 11 1986

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING 
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 910 PM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY OF

SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN...NORTHERN KENT

AT 835 PM EDT..WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO NEAR
WALKER..ABOUT 5 MILES NORTH OF GRAND RAPIDS. THE TORNADO WAS MOVING
NORTH AT 40 MPH. PERSONS IN NORTH KENT COUNTY IN THE CITIES OF
COMSTOCK PARK AND SPARTA SHOULD TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY.

IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO..GO TO A BASEMENT SHELTER IF
AVAILABLE. OTHERWISE GO TO A CENTR9AL 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.

MJK

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jun 11, 8:47 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	GRR	Barry	28 min
Jun 11, 9:05 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GRR	Eaton	55 min
Jun 11, 9:23 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GRR	Clinton, Ingham	37 min
Jun 11, 9:44 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	GRR	Eaton, Ingham	4 hr
Jun 11, 9:49 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	GRR	Ingham	11 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Michigan, 1986 Every tornado warning in 1986 Tornadoes 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.