Alert archive / Michigan / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1988
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 49, NWS Gaylord, MI
NWS Gaylord, MI issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 17, 1988, 8:33 PM EDT for Muskegon County, Michigan. It was in force for 57 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
- Aug 17, 1988, 8:33 PM EDT (00:33 UTC)
- Expired
- Aug 17, 1988, 9:30 PM EDT
- In force
- 57 min
- Issued by
- NWS Gaylord, MI
- Area
- Whole counties
County Muskegon 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 17, 8:36 PM EDT | Thunderstorm Wind 55 | Muskegon, 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, 0.6 hours before the alert went out and 233 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
- 2027 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -58 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1074 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 58 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 50 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 178 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 2.1
- Supercell composite
- 8.7
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
TTAA00 KMKG 180033
SVRMKG
MIC121-180130-
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MUSKEGON MI
833 PM EDT WED AUG 17 1988
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 930 PM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING
COUNTY
IN THE WEST CENTRAL PART OF LOWER MICHIGAN
MUSKEGON
AT 825 PM RADAR INDICATED A VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORM OVER
MUSKEGON.
IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER FROM THE WEATHER IN A
STRONG BUILDING. DAMAGING WIND...LARGE HAIL...VERY HEAVY RAIN...
AND DEADLY LIGHTNING ARE ALL POSSIBLE IN SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS.
STAY INSIDE AWAY FROM WINDOWS UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED.
IF YOU ARE IN AN AREA THREATENED BY THE STORM..GO TO A REINFORCED
SHELTER AND PREPARE FOR DAMAGING WIND...LARGE HAIL...VERY HEAVY RAIN
AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.
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, Aug 17, 2:51 PM EDT, 5 hours 42 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUGHTON LAKE MI 240 PM EDT WED AUG 17 1988 AT 240 PM EDT...SEVERAL THUNDERSTORMS MOVED ACROSS LAKE MICHIGAN FROM WISCONSIN AND WERE NEAR THE LAKE MICHIGAN COASTLINE ABOUT 35 MILES SOUTHWEST OF TRAVERSE CITY. ANOTHER THUNDERSTORM WAS ABOUT 15 MILES SOUTHWEST OF CADILLAC. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST SOUTHEAST AT ABOUT 35 MILES AN HOUR AND ARE EXPECTED TO INTENSIFY AS THEY MOVE INTO NORTH CENTRAL LOWER MICHIGAN. LLH
Special weather statement, Aug 17, 4:33 PM EDT, 4 hours before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUGHTON LAKE MI 430 PM EDT WED AUG 17 1988 AT 430 PM EDT...THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM SAGINAW BAY BACK INTO WISCONSIN WITH MOST OF THE STORMS TRACKING SOUTHEAST FROM NORTH OF MANISTEE...ACROSS CADILLAC TO JUST SOUTH OF HOUGHTON LAKE. THE STORMS WERE GENERALLY BECOMING LESS INTENSE AS THEY MOVED ACROSS THE STATE. NO SEVERE WEATHER HAS BEEN NOTED BUT THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH CONTINUE/S UNTIL 600 PM EDT. LLH
Special weather statement, Aug 17, 7:08 PM EDT, 1 hour 25 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUGHTON LAKE MI 700 PM EDT WED AUG 17 1988 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR CLARE AND GLADWIN COUNTIES UNTIL MMIDNIGHT EDT... AT 700 PM EDT...THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED WEST NORTHWEST FROM THE BAY CITY/SAGINAW AREA TO NEAR MANISTEE AND ACROSS LAKE MICHIGAN INTO WISCONSIN. SOME OF THESE STORMS CONTAINED VERY HEAVY RAIN...STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND SMALL HAIL. THE AREA OF STORMS WAS INCREASING AND THE STORMS WERE BECOMING MORE INTENSE. LLH
Local storm report, Aug 17, 7:13 PM EDT, 1 hour 20 minutes before
DELAYED STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAULT STE MARIE MI
712 PM EDT WED AUG 17 1988
TIME EVENT
1000 PM TUE LIGHTNING STRUCK BARN 1 MILE WEST OF NEWBERRY ROAD
AT M28 OR ABOUT 55 MILES WEST OF SAULT STE MARIE
MICHIGAN. LIGHTNING SET FIRE TO BARN AND BARN
TOTALLY DESTROYED BY FIRE.
1115 PM TUE MANY TREES DOWN 2 MILES WEST OF EPOUFETTE MICHIGAN.
EPOUFETTE IS ON LAKE MICHIGAN 30 MILES NORTHWEST OF
THE MACKINAC BRIDGE.
WALLISNearby
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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.