Alert archive / Michigan / Tornado Warnings in 1988
Tornado Warning 7, NWS Detroit, MI
NWS Detroit, MI issued this tornado warning at Jul 25, 1988, 8:26 PM EDT for Livingston County, Washtenaw County, Michigan. It was in force for 49 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
- Jul 25, 1988, 8:26 PM EDT (00:26 UTC)
- Expired
- Jul 25, 1988, 9:15 PM EDT
- In force
- 49 min
- Issued by
- NWS Detroit, MI
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Livingston County, MI, Washtenaw 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 25, 9:15 PM EDT | Thunderstorm Wind 61 | Livingston, 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, 0.4 hours before the alert went out and 49 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
- 1925 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -2 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1020 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 12 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 15 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 36 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 260026 RRA
TORDTW
MIC093-161-260115-
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT MI
826 PM EDT MON JUL 25 1988
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 915 PM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING
COUNTIES
IN THE SOUTHEAST PART OF LOWER MICHIGAN
LIVINGSTON...WASHTENAW
AT 820 PM EDT...WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A TORNADO NEAR WHITTMORE
LAKE IN NORTHERN WASHTENAW COUNTY...37 MILES WEST OF DOWNTOWN
DETROIT. SKYWARN SPOTTERS HAVE ALSO REPORTED FUNNEL CLOUDS NEAR
WHITTMORE LAKE. THIS STORM IS MOVING NORTH NORTHEAST AT 15 MILE
MILES AN HOUR AND WILL MOVING NEAR THE CITY OF BRIGHTON BY 830 PM.
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE IS IN
A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE.
IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...FIND SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM
SUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR. USE BLANKETS...PILLOWS...
OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY. AVOID WINDOWS.What 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, Jul 25, 6:29 PM EDT, 1 hour 57 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLINT MI 621 PM EDT MON JUL 25 1988 ...HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO EAST CENTRAL LOWER MICHIGAN... HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING INTO EAST CENTRAL LOWER MICHIGAN AT THIS TIME. DETROIT WEATHER RADAR INDICATES A LINE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS..SOME PRODUCING STRONG GUSTY WINDS IN EXCESS OF 50 MILES AN HOUR..FROM EAST TAWAS TO NEAR GRAND RAPIDS MICHIGAN. THESE STORMS ARE MOVING TO THE EAST SOUTHEAST AT ABOUT 20 MILES AN HOUR. AT 620 THE MIDLAND COUNTY SHERIFFS DEPARTMENT RECEIVED A CALL OF AN UNCONFIRMED FUNNEL CLOUD NEAR THE TOWN OF ST. LOUIS MICHIGAN.. SOUTHEAST OF MT. PLEASANT. PERSONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH OF THESE STORMS..ESPECIALLY IN THE COUNTIES OF BAY..ARENAC..AND MIDLAND SHOULD BE PREPARED TO TAKE SHELTER SHOULD THREATENING WEATHER OCCUR. PLEASE STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR LOCAL TELEVISION AND RADIO STATIONS FOR FURTHER UPDATES. KEITH DICKS WSO FLINT MI
Special weather statement, Jul 25, 6:59 PM EDT, 1 hour 27 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLINT MI 655 PM EDT MON JUL 25 1988 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR MIDLAND COUNTY TIL 730 PM... A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING IS CURRENTLY IN EFFECT UNTIL 730 PM EDT THIS EVENING FOR WEST CENTRAL MIDLAND COUNTY. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WERE REPORTED BY A.R.E.S. SPOTTERS NEAR THE CITY OF ST. LOUIS IN WEST CENTRAL MIDLAND COUNTY..MOVING EAST TO SOUTHEAST AT ABOUT 20 MPH. SEVERAL REPORTS OF UNCONFIRMED FUNNEL CLOUDS HAVE ALSO BEEN RECEIVED. PERSONS IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM SHOULD BE PREPARED TO SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY AS HIGH WINDS..LARGE HAIL..STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING WILL ACCOMPANY THIS STORM. REMEMBER..SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN..AND OCCASIONALLY DO SPAWN TORNADOES WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCED WARNING. PLEASE STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR LOCAL RADIO AND TELEVISION STATIONS FOR THE LATEST WEATHER UPDATES..STATEMENTS AND WARNINGS. KEITH DICKS, WSO FLINT MI
Special weather statement, Jul 25, 7:45 PM EDT, 41 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLINT MI 737 PM EDT MON JUL 25 1988 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR SAGINAW COUNTY TIL 815 PM... ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR MIDLAND COUNTY HAS EXPIRED... A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 815 PM EDT THIS EVENING FOR SAGINAW COUNTY. SHERIFFS DEPARTMENT PERSONNEL REPORT A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 5 MILES EAST OF THE CITY OF SAGINAW IN SAGINAW COUNTY. LARGE HAIL IN EXCESS OF 3/4 OF AN INCH ARE BEING REPORTED AS WELL AS STRONG GUSTY WINDS..HEAVY RAINS AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING. THE STORM IS MOVING EAST SOUTHEAST AT ABOUT 25 MILES AN HOUR. SEVERAL FUNNEL CLOUDS HAVE ALSO BEEN REPORTED WITH THESE STORMS BUT THEY ARE UNCONFIRMED AT THIS TIME. PERSONS IN SOUTHWEST BAY COUNTY SHOULD BE PREPARED TO SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY SHOULD THREATENING WEATHER APPROACH. PLEASE STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR LOCAL TELEVISION AND RADIO STATIONS FOR FURTHER WEATHER UPDATES..STATeEMENTS OR WARNINGS. KEITH DICKS WSO FLINT MI
The office that day
Everything else NWS Detroit, MI issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 25, 8:23 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DTX | Genesee | 52 min |
| Jul 25, 8:29 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | DTX | Genesee | 31 min |
| Jul 25, 9:09 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | DTX | Livingston, Oakland | 51 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Michigan, 1988Every tornado warning in 1988Tornadoes 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.