Alert archive / Michigan / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1988
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 21, NWS Grand Rapids, MI
NWS Grand Rapids, MI issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 22, 1988, 4:15 PM EDT for Branch County, Calhoun County, Michigan. It was in force for 25 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 22, 1988, 4:15 PM EDT (20:15 UTC)
- Expired
- Jul 22, 1988, 4:40 PM EDT
- In force
- 25 min
- Issued by
- NWS Grand Rapids, MI
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Branch County, MI, Calhoun 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 22, 4:35 PM EDT | Hail 1.75 | Branch, 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, 8.3 hours before the alert went out and 150 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
- 71 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -116 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1085 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 14 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 16 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 50 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 KLAN 222015
SVRLAN
MIC025-023-222115-
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LANSING MI
415 PM EDT FRI JUL 22 1988
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 515 PM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING
COUNTIES
IN THE SOUTH CENTRAL PART OF LOWER MICHIGAN
CALHOUN...NORTHERN BRANCH
AT 412 PM EDT A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED IN NORTHERN BRANCH
COUNTY APPROXIMATELY 15 MILES SOUTH OF BATTLE CREEK MOVING TO THE
NORTHEAST ABOUT 15 MPH. GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL..VERY HEAVY RAINS AND
STRONG GUSTY WINDS HAVE BEEN REPORTED WITH THIS STORM.
WHEN THUNDERSTORMS ARE OCCURRING...PEOPLE SHOULD MOVE INSIDE A
STRONG BUILDING. DO NOT STAND NEAR WINDOWS. DO NOT USE TELEPHONES
OR ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED. MOTORISTS
SHOULD AVOID LOW WATER CROSSINGS.
IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...FIND 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.
SHNOWSKIWhat 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 22, 1:47 PM EDT, 2 hours 28 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI 150 PM EDT FRI JUL 22 1988 ...STRONG THUNDERSHOWERS DEVELOPING OVER SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN... AT 140 PM EDT...WEATHER RADAR INDICATED SCATTERED STRONG THUNDERSHOWERS DEVELOPING OVER PARTS OF SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN. THE STRONGEST THUNDERSHOWER WAS LOCATED ABOUT 5 MILES NORTHWEST OF THE CITY OF KALAMAZOO. THE CELLS WERE MOVING TO THE EAST NORTHEAST AT 15 MPH. BRIEF HEAVY RAINl...SMALL HAIL AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING CAN BE EXPECTED AS THESE THUNDERSHOWERS PASS THROUGH THE AREA. MJK
Special weather statement, Jul 22, 2:10 PM EDT, 2 hours 5 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LANSING, MI 203 PM EDT FRI JUL 22 1988 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER SOUTHCENTRAL LOWER MICHIGAN... AT 2 PM A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS IN HILLSDALE COUNTY MOVING SLOWLY TO THE NORTHEAST. REPORTS FROM HILLSDALE COUNTY INDICATE THIS STORM CONTAINS HAIL, STRONG WINDS AND HEAVY RAINFALL. AN AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS LOCATED IN KALAMAZOO COUNTY STRACHES SOUTHEAST INTO HILLSDALE. THESE STORMS WILL CONTIUE TO MOVE TO THE EASTNORTHEAST AT 10 TO 15 MPH. SUTTLE
Special weather statement, Jul 22, 2:25 PM EDT, 1 hour 50 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI 225 PM EDT FRI JUL 22 1988 ...HEAVY RAINS IN THE KALAMAZOO AREA... AROUND 200 PM EDT...SKYWARN SPOTTERS REPORTED STREET FLOODING DUE TO THUNDERSHOWERS IN THE KALAMAZOO AREA. WEST MAIN STREET AT US131 AND M43 WAS FLOODED...WITH TRAFFIC MOVING VERY SLOWLY. FREQUENT LIGHTNING WAS ALSO REPORTED. AT 220 PM EDT...WEATHER RADAR INDICATED STRONG THUNDERSHOWERS IN THE KALAMAZOO AREA. THE STRONGEST THUNDERSHOWER WAS LOCATED SOUTH OF THE CITY OF ALLEGAN...ABOUT 20 MILES NORTHWEST OF KALAMAZOO. THE THUNDERSHOWERS WERE MOVING TO THE EAST NORTHEAST AT 15 MPH. CONTINUE TO EXPECT BRIEF HEAVY RAINFALL...DANGEROUS FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...AND SMALL HAIL FROM THESE THUNDERSHOWERS. IF YOU ARE OUTDOORS...MOVE INDOORS AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. MJK
Special weather statement, Jul 22, 2:43 PM EDT, 1 hour 32 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LANSING, MI 238 PM EDT FRI JUL 22 1988 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER SOUTHCENTRAL LOWER MICHIGAN... AT 230 PM RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM MOVING FROM HILLSDALE INTO SOUTHERN JACKSON COUNTY. THIS STORM WILL ENTER THE AREA OF THE CITY OF JACKSON AROUND 3PM TI 330PM. HEAVY RAINFALL, STRONG WINDS, AND FREQUENT LIGHTENING CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. SOME URBAN FLOODING CAN OCCUR AS THIS STORM PASSES. IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO A PROTECTED AREA. SUTTLE
Special weather statement, Jul 22, 4:00 PM EDT, 15 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LANSING, MI 351 PM EDT FRI JUL 22 1988 ...THUNDERSTORMS BRING HEAVY RAIN TO JACKSON AREA... AT 350 PM EDT RADAR SHOWED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN 30 MILES SOUTH AND SOUTHWEST OF LANSING...OVER NORTHERN JACKSON... SOUTHERN INGHAM AND SOUTHERN EATON COUNTIES. 1.27 INCHES OF RAIN FELL AT THE AIRPORT IN JACKSON BETWEEN 300 AND 340 PM EDT AND SOME LOW AREA FLOODING WAS REPORTED IN DOWNTOWN JACKSON. THE STORMS WERE MOVING NORTH-NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH AND WILL MOVE ACROSS THE LANSING AREA BETWEEN 5 AND 530 PM EDT. ANOTHER VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS 15 MILES SOUTH OF BATTLE CREEK... NEAR ATHENS MICHIGAN. EXTREMLY HEAVY RAIN AND SMALL HAIL IS POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM AS IT MOVES NORTH NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH. FORTUNE
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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.