Alert archive / Michigan / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1988

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 13, NWS Gaylord, MI

July 16, 1988Alcona County, Michigan

NWS Gaylord, MI issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 16, 1988, 12:15 AM EDT for Alcona County, Michigan. It was in force for 60 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jul 16, 1988, 12:15 AM EDT (04:15 UTC)
Expired
Jul 16, 1988, 1:15 AM EDT
In force
60 min
Issued by
NWS Gaylord, MI
Area
Whole counties

County Alcona 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 00:00Z, 4.3 hours before the alert went out and 209 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 00:00Z on 1988-07-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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 00:00Z on 1988-07-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 309 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
898 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
61 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
309 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
187 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
-0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KAPN 160415
SVRAPN
MIC001-160515-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM AND SPECIAL MARINE WARNING 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALPENA MI
1215 AM EDT SAT JUL 16 1988

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 
AND SPECIAL MARINE WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 115 AM EDT FOR 
PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY

   IN THE NORTHEAST PART OF LOWER MICHIGAN
      NORTHERN ALCONA

...THIS WARNING ALSO INCLUDES THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS FOR THE
COUNTY JUST MENTIONED

AT 1210 AM EDT A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM NEAR
HILLMAN IN MONTMORENCY COUNTY TO THE CITY OF ALPENA.

THE LINE WAS MOVING SOUTHEAST AROUND 45 MPH.

INTENSE LIGHTNING IS REPORTED WITH THIS STORbM.  IF OUTDOORS...
STAY AWAY FROM HIGH OBJECTS.  MOVE INDOORS IF POSSIBLE.  WHEN
INDOORS...STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS AND DOORS AND AVOID USING
TELEPHONES AND ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT.

THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM. TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY.

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 15, 8:46 PM EDT, 3 hours 29 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAULT STE MARIE MI
840 PM EDT FRI JUL 15 1988

...INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS IN SOUTHERN LUCE AND THE WESTERN HALF
OF MACKINAC COUNTY...

AT 830 PM EDT RADAR INDICATED INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS IN SOUTHERN
LUCE AND THE WESTERN HALF OF MACKINAC COUNTIES MOVING EAST ATD
40 MPH. THESE STORMS MAY PRODUCE STRONG GUSTY WINDS...HEAVY RAIN
...SMALL HAIL AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. THESE STORMS WILL LIKELY
MOVE IN.TO THE EASTERN SECTIONS OF MACKINAC...LUCE AND THE SOUTHERN
SECTIONS OF CHIPPEWA COUNTY DURING THE NEAXT HOUR OR TWO.

IF THREATENING CONDITIONS ARE SIGHTED TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY.

LDH
Special weather statement, Jul 15, 8:54 PM EDT, 3 hours 21 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAULT STE MARIE MI
840 PM EDT FRI JUL 15 1988

...INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS IN SOUTHERN LUCE AND THE WESTERN HALF
OF MACKINAC COUNTY...

AT 830 PM EDT RADAR INDICATED INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS IN SOUTHERN
LUCE AND THE WESTERN HALF OF MACKINAC COUNTIES MOVING EAST ATD
40 MPH. THESE STORMS MAY PRODUCE STRONG GUSTY WINDS...HEAVY RAIN
...SMALL HAIL AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. THESE STORMS WILL LIKELY
MOVE INTO ;THE EASTERN SECTIONS OF MACKINAC...LUCE AND THE SOUTHERN
SECTIONS OF CHIPPEWA COUNTY DURING THE NEAXT HOUR OR TWO.

IF THREATENING CONDITIONS ARE SIGHTED TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY.

LDH
Local storm report, Jul 15, 10:17 PM EDT, 1 hour 58 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAULT STE MARIE MI
1010 PM EDT FRI JUL 15 1988

PRELIMINARY REPORT OF WIND DAMAGE

16/1300Z 15/2100 EDT  EMMET COUNTY EXTREME NORTHERN LOWER
PENINSULA VICINITY CARP LAKE METAL ROOF BLOWN OFF OF POLE
BUILDING AND SHREDDED...DEBRIS SCATTERED ABOUT IN TREES
AND YARDS...UNCONFIRMED REPORT OF 2X4S THROUGH WALL OF HOUSE.
SEVERAL TREES DOWN ALONG US-31 BETWEEN MACKINAW CITY AND
CARP LAKE...TWISTED OF 8 FEET ABOVE GROUND...UTILITY LINES
DOWN...OTHER POSSIBLE WIND DAMAGE.

LHW
Local storm report, Jul 15, 10:54 PM EDT, 1 hour 21 minutes before
STORM REPORT  ...CORRECTION FOR TIME...
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAULT STE MARIE MI
1055 PM EDT FRI JUL 15 1988

PRELIMINARY REPORT OF WIND DAMAGE

16/0100Z 15/2100 EDT  EMMET COUNTY EXTREME NORTHERN LOWER
PENINSULA VICINITY CARP LAKE METAL ROOF BLOWN OFF OF POLE
BUILDING AND SHREDDED...DEBRIS SCATTERED ABOUT IN TREES
AND YARDS...UNCONFIRMED REPORT OF 2X4S THROUGH WALL OF HOUSE.
SEVERAL TREES DOWN ALONG US-31 BETWEEN MACKINAW CITY AND
CARP LAKE...TWISTED OF 8 FEET ABOVE GROUND...UTILITY LINES
DOWN...OTHER POSSIBLE WIND DAMAGE.

LHW

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 15, 9:16 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAPXPresque Isle74 min
Jul 15, 10:34 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAPXAlpena, Presque Isle56 min
Jul 15, 11:40 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAPXAlpena, Montmorency, Presque Isle65 min
Jul 16, 1:27 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAPXAlcona, Alpena63 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Michigan, 1988Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1988

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.