Alert archive / Michigan / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1987

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 27, NWS Gaylord, MI

July 12, 1987Chippewa County, Michigan

NWS Gaylord, MI issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 12, 1987, 4:15 PM EDT for Chippewa County, Michigan. It was in force for 45 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jul 12, 1987, 4:15 PM EDT (20:15 UTC)
Expired
Jul 12, 1987, 5:00 PM EDT
In force
45 min
Issued by
NWS Gaylord, MI
Area
Whole counties

County Chippewa 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

Sault Ste Marie, MI (KSSM), launched 12:00Z, 8.3 hours before the alert went out and 24 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-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Sault Ste Marie, MI at 12:00Z on 1987-07-12Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 44 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Sault Ste Marie, MI at 12:00Z on 1987-07-12The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 23 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
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
44 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-493 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1000 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
33 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
23 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
65 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KSSM 122011
SVRSSM
MIC033-122015-

BULLETIN...IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM AND SPECIAL MARINE WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAULT STE MARIE MI
415 PM EDT SUN JUL 12 1987

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
AND SPECIAL MARINE WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 500 PM EDT FOR PERSONS IN
THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES OF

NORTHERN MICHIGAN...EASTERN CHIPPEWA AND ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS OF
NORTHERN LAKE MICHIGAN AND NORTHERN LAKE HURON INCLUDING THE STRAITS
AREA AND THE ST MARY'S RIVER SYSTEM...

AT 405 PM EDT WEATHER RADAR INDICATED SEVERAL HEAVY THUNDERSTORM
CELLS ...ONE 25 MILES EAST NORTHEAST OF MACKINAW CITY OR 10 MILES
SOUTHWEST OF DETOUR AND ANOTHER CELL JUST OVER BOIS BLANC ISLAND.. 
WHICH IS ABOUT 5 MILES SOUTHWEST OF MACKINAW ISLAND.  ALL THESE CELLS
ARE MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.                       

REMEMBER A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAN PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS
OF 60 MPH...LARGE HAIL...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND HEAVY RAINS THAT CAN
QUICKLY FLOOD A LOW LYING AREA.

IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES...YOU SHOULD GO TO A SAFE PLACE
IMMEDIATELY...AND YOU SHOULD ASK YOUR NEAREST LAW ENORCEMENT AGENCY
TO RELAY YOUR SEVERE WEATHER REORTS TO THFE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.
BOATERS SHOULD GO TO A SAFE HARBOR IMMEDIATELY.

MAS

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm 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, Jul 12, 1:21 PM EDT, 2 hours 54 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALPENA MI
115 PM EDT SUN JUL 12 1987

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT...
A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF EASTERN UPPER
MICHIGAN...PORTIONS OF NORTHERN AND WESTERN LOWER MICHIGAN...LAKE
MICHIGAN AND A SMALL PART OF NORTHWEST LAKE HURON.

THIS INCLUDES THE FOLLLOWING COUNTIES OF NORTHEAST LOWER MICHIGAN...
PRESQUE-ISLE AND MONTMORENCY...AND THE ADJOINING COASTAL WATERS FROM
MIDDLE ISLAND TO 20 MILES NORTHWEST OF HAMMOND BAY.

ALTHOUGH NO SEVERE WEATHER HAS BEEN OBSERVED OR REPORTED...CONDITIONS
ARE SUCH THAT SEVERE WEATHER COULD OCCUR.

STAY TUNED TO YOUR LOCAL RADIO OR TV STATION...OR TO THE NOAA WEATHER
RkADIO FOR THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS OF THIS WATCH AREA.
DS
Special weather statement, Jul 12, 2:43 PM EDT, 1 hour 32 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALPENA MI
237 PM EDT SUN JUL 12 1987

...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 374 IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1100 EDT TONIGHT...
A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE EAST END OF UPPER MICHIGAN AND
ALL OF LOWER MICHIGAN INCLUDING THE COASTAL WATERS OF LAKE HURON AND
LAKE MICHIGAN.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 372 IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT.

ALTHOUGH NO SEVERE WEATHER HAS BEEN OBSERVED OR REPORTED OVER
NORTHEAST LOWER MICHIGAN...CONDITIONS EXIST IN WHICH SEVERE WEATHER
COULD OCCUR.

STAY TUNED TO THE NOAA WEATHER RAIDO OR TO YOUR LOCAL COMMERCIAL TV
OR RADIO STATION FOR THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS CONCERNING THIS WATCH
AREA.
Special weather statement, Jul 12, 3:03 PM EDT, 1 hour 12 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAULT STE MARIE MI
300 PM EDT SUN JUL 12 1987

...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 1100 PM EDT...
...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING AND SPECIAL MARINE WARNING FOR
   MACKINAW COUNTY CANCELLED...

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING IN EFFECT FOR EASTERN CHIPPEWA
COUNTY HAS BEEN CANCELLED.  HOWEVER A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT
UNTIL 1100 PM EDT FOR MACKINAW..CHIPPEWA AND LUCE COUNTIES AS WELL
OF ALL OF LOWER MICHIGAN. ONE HALF INCH HAIL AND WINDS GUSTING TO
AROUND 40 MPH WAS REPORTED AT 215 PM EDT IN THE DAFTER AREA
...APPROXIMATELY 10 MILES SOUTH OF SAULT STE MARIE MICHIGAN. THE AREA
OF THUNDERSTORMS HAS MOVED NORTHEAST INTO CANADA. RADAR DOES SHOW
ANOTHER LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS JUST EAST OF MARQUETTE EXTENDING SOUTH.
THESE STORMS ARE MOVING NORTHEAST AND SHOWING SIGNS OF INTENSIFING.

MAS
Special weather statement, Jul 12, 3:11 PM EDT, 1 hour 4 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTION...
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAULT STE MARIE MI
300 PM EDT SUN JUL 12 1987

...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 1100 PM EDT...
...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING AND SPECIAL MARINE WARNING FOR
   CHIPPEWA COUNTY CANCELLED...

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING IN EFFECT FOR EASTERN CHIPPEWA
COUNTY HAS BEEN CANCELLED.  HOWEVER A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT
UNTIL 1100 PM EDT FOR MACKINAW..CHIPPEWA AND LUCE COUNTIES AS WELL
OF ALL OF LOWER MICHIGAN. ONE HALF INCH HAIL AND WINDS GUSTING TO
AROUND 40 MPH WAS REPORTED AT 215 PM EDT IN THE DAFTER AREA
...APPROXIMATELY 10 MILES SOUTH OF SAULT STE MARIE MICHIGAN. THE AREA
OF THUNDERSTORMS HAS MOVED NORTHEAST INTO CANADA. RADAR DOES SHOW
ANOTHER LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS JUST EAST OF MARQUETTE EXTENDING SOUTH.
THESE STORMS ARE MOVING NORTHEAST AND SHOWING SIGNS OF INTENSIFING.

MAS

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 12, 2:15 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAPXChippewa45 min
Jul 12, 4:50 PM EDTTornado WarningAPXChippewa25 min
Jul 12, 5:12 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAPXAlpena, Presque Isle63 min
Jul 12, 5:12 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAPXMontmorency38 min
Jul 12, 5:15 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAPXChippewa45 min
Jul 12, 5:41 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAPXAlpena, Presque Isle49 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Michigan, 1987Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1987

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.