Alert archive / Michigan / Tornado Warnings in 1987
Tornado Warning 3, NWS Detroit, MI
NWS Detroit, MI issued this tornado warning at Jun 29, 1987, 6:55 PM EDT for Washtenaw County, Wayne County, Michigan. It was in force for 35 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 29, 1987, 6:55 PM EDT (22:55 UTC)
- Expired
- Jun 29, 1987, 7:30 PM EDT
- In force
- 35 min
- Issued by
- NWS Detroit, MI
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Washtenaw County, MI, Wayne 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 29, 7:28 PM EDT | Thunderstorm Wind 0 | Wayne, 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, 10.9 hours before the alert went out and 51 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
- 81 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -161 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1193 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 37 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 109 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 145 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 KDTW 292255
TORDTW
MIC163-292330-
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT MI
655 PM EDT MON JUN 29 1987
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 730 PM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
IN SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN
...WESTERN WAYNE...EASTERN WASHTENAW
AT 6:55PM EDT ...RADAR INDICATED A TORNADO NEAR YPSILANTI IN EASTERN
WASHTENAW COUNTY 30 MILES WEST OF DETROIT. THIS STORM IS MOVING EAST
AT 35 MPH.
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IS A
BASEMENT. GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE.
IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM
SUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR. USE BLANKETS...PILLOWS...
OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY. AVOID WINDOWS.
DO NOT USE YOUR CAR TO TRY TO OUTRUN A TORNADO. CARS ARE EASILY
TOSSED AROUND BY TORNADO WINDS. IF YOU ARE CAUGHT IN THE PATH OF
A TORNADO...LEAVE THE CAR AND GO TO A STRONG BUILDING. IF NO
STRUCTURE IS NEARBY...SEEK SHELTER IN A DITCH OR LOW SPOT.
ZALESKI/TEAGANWhat 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, Jun 29, 1:52 PM EDT, 5 hours 3 minutes before
-ARBSPSDTW SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT MI 135 PM EDT MON JUNE 29 1987 ...THUNDERSTORM WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN OVER SOUTHEAST LOWER MICHIGAN AT 125 PM DETROIT WEATHER RADAR INDICATED NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN..SMALL HAIL...GUSTY WINDS AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING OVER SOUTHEAST LOWER MICHIGAN COUNTIES THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 33 MILES AN HOUR. RT
Special weather statement, Jun 29, 2:32 PM EDT, 4 hours 23 minutes before
-ARBSPSDTW SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT MI 230 PM EDT MON JUNE 29 1987 ...THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN WERE OVER SOUTHEAST LOWER MICHIGAN. SOME INTENSE STORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN AND POSSIBLE GUSTY WINDS AND HAIL WERE OVER PORTIONS OF LIVINGSTON AND OAKLAND COUNTIES. THESE STORMS COULD PRODUCE DANGEROUS LIGHTING. MOVEMENT OF THE STORMS WERE EAST NORTHEAST AT 33 MILES AN HOUR. STAY TUNE TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER UPDATES POSSIBLE WATCHES OR WARNINGS AND WEATHER STATEMENTS. JWK
Special weather statement, Jun 29, 3:00 PM EDT, 3 hours 55 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLINT MI 245 PM EDT MON JUN 29 1987 ....THUNDERSTORMS MOVING ACROSS EAST-CENTRAL LOWER MICHIGAN.... RADAR SHOWS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MOVING ACROSS GENESEE, LAPEER AND SANDUSKY COUNTIES IN EAST CENTRAL LOWER MICHIGAN AT 245 PM EDT MOVING TO THE EAST-NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH. LOCALLY MORE INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS ARE INDICATED OVER LIVINGSTON AND OAKLAND COUNTIES, ALSO MOVING TO THE EAST-NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH. PERSONS IN THESE COUNTIES ARE URGED TO KEEP A CLOSE EYE ON THE WEATHER AS THESE STORMS MOVE ACROSS EAST-CENTRAL LOWER MICHIGAN AND BE PREPARED TO SEEK SHELTER SHOULD THREATENING WEATHER DEVELOP. FURTHERMORE... ALL PERSONS IN EAST-CENTRAL LOWER MICHIGAN ARE URGED TO STAYED ABREAST OF RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS OVER THE NEXT TWENTY-FOUR HOURS AS THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER WITH LOCALLY HEAVY PRECIPITATION PERSISTS THROUGH TONIGHT. ...FRUEHAUF...
Special weather statement, Jun 29, 4:15 PM EDT, 2 hours 40 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLINT MI
410 PM EDT MON JUN 29 1987
....SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT FOR SHIAWASSEE.. GENESEE..
AND LAPEER COUNTIES UNTIL 10 PM EDT....
AT 4 PM EDT WEATHER RADAR SHOWED AN AREA OF INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS...
A FEW PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAIN AND SMALL HAIL... EXTENDING FROM PORT
HURON SOUTHWESTWARD TO THE NORTHERN SUBURBS OF DETROIT, MOVING TO THE
EAST AT 35 MPH.
ALSO AT 4 PM RADAR INDICATED A NEWLY-DEVELOPED AREA OF SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS IN SOUTHWESTERN LOWER MICHIGAN NEAR GRAND RAPIDS AND
EXTENDING SOUTHWESTWARD FOR 40 TO 50 MILES. MOVEMENT HAS NOT YET BEEN
DETERMINED ON THESE STORMS.
STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEHATHER RADIO OR LOCAL RADIO OR TV STATIONS FOR
FURTHER UPDATES AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE SHELTER QUICKLY SHOULD A
WARNING BE ISSUED FOR YOUR AREA OR THREATENING WEATHER DEVELOP.
...FRUEHAUF...Special weather statement, Jun 29, 5:36 PM EDT, 1 hour 19 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLINT MI
525 PM EDT MON JUN 29 1987
....SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH CONTINUES IN EFFECT FOR SHIAWASSEE..
GENESEE AND LAPEER COUNTIES UNTIL 10 PM EDT....
AT 525 PM EDT WEATHER RADAR SHOWED AN AREA OF VERY STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS OVER CENTRAL LOWER MICHIGAN MOVING EASTWARD AT 35 TO
40 MPH WITH THE STRONGEST CELLS LOCATED 15 MILES SOUTH OF LANSING.
VERY STRONG WINDS, LARGE HAIL, AND DEADLY LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE WITH
THESE STORMS AS THEY MOVE INTO THE EAST CENTRAL LOWER MICHIGAN AREA.
STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR LOCAL RADIO OR TV STATIONS FOR
FURTHER UPDATES AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE SHELTER QUICKLY SHOULD A
WARNING BE ISSUED FOR YOUR AREA OR THREATENING WEATHER DEVELOP.
...FRUEHAUF...Special weather statement, Jun 29, 6:17 PM EDT, 38 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLINT MI
610 PM EDT MON JUN 29 1987
....SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH CONTINUES IN EFFECT FOR SHIAWASSEE..
GENESEE AND LAPEER COUNTIES UNTIL 10 PM EDT....
AT 605 PM EDT WEATHER RADAR SHOWED AN AREA OF SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS COVERING THE SOUTHERN HALF OF SAGINAW COUNTY, MOST OF
GENESEE COUNTY, THE EASTERN PORTIONS OF SHIAWASSEE COUNTY AND EXTENDING
SOUTHWESTWARD ACROSS INGHAM AND LIVINGSTON COUNTY INTO JACKSON COUNTY.
MOST OF THESE STORMS ARE MOVING EASTWARD AT 30 TO 40 MPH.
LOCALLY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS WERE INDICATED OVER SOUTH-CENTRAL SAGINAW
COUNTY AND NORTHEASTERN GENESEE COUNTY.
TO THE SOUTHWEST, LOCALLY SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE INDICATED ON RADAR
OVER SOUTHERN INGHAM AND NORTHERN JACKSON COUNTIES AND SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM WARNINGS HAVE BEEN ISSUED FOR THESE AREAS EFFECTIVE
UNTIL 630 PM EDT.
PERSONS IN THE EAST CENTRAL LOWER MICHIGAN AREA SHOULD STAY TUNED TO
NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR LOCAL RADIO OR TV STATIONS FOR FURTHER
DEVELOPMENTS AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE SHELTER QUICKLY SHOULD A
WARNING BE ISSUED FOR YOUR AREA OR THREATENING WEATHER DEVELOPMENT.
...FRUEHAUF...The office that day
Everything else NWS Detroit, MI issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 29, 1:40 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DTX | Gladwin | 40 min |
| Jun 29, 2:44 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DTX | Roscommon | 51 min |
| Jun 29, 3:05 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DTX | Ogemaw | 45 min |
| Jun 29, 6:36 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DTX | Washtenaw | 39 min |
| Jun 29, 6:44 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DTX | Oakland, Wayne | 61 min |
| Jun 29, 7:22 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DTX | Lenawee | 68 min |
| Jun 29, 7:36 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | DTX | Wayne | 24 min |
| Jun 29, 7:59 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | DTX | Wayne | 31 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Michigan, 1987Every tornado warning in 1987Tornadoes 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.