Alert archive / Michigan / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1988

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 41, NWS Grand Rapids, MI

August 16, 1988Clinton County, Michigan

NWS Grand Rapids, MI issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 16, 1988, 11:06 AM EDT for Clinton County, Michigan. It was in force for 7 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Aug 16, 1988, 11:06 AM EDT (15:06 UTC)
Expired
Aug 16, 1988, 11:13 AM EDT
In force
7 min
Issued by
NWS Grand Rapids, MI
Area
Whole counties

County Clinton 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

Detroit, MI (KFNT), launched 12:00Z, 3.1 hours before the alert went out and 99 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, Detroit, MI at 12:00Z on 1988-08-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 17 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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, Detroit, MI at 12:00Z on 1988-08-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 64 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
17 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-487 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1475 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
41 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
64 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
124 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

The text of this product is not in the archive. The NWS text archive before 2002 is incomplete.

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 16, 6:50 AM EDT, 4 hours 16 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE  MUSKEGON MI
645 AM EDT TUE AUG 16 1988

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INLAND OVER NORTHWEST LOWER
   MICHIGAN...

AT 645 AM EDT AN AREA OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS MOVING ACROSS
NORTHERN GRAND TRAVERSE BAY JUST OFF OLD LIGHTHOUSE POINT IN EXTREME
NORTHERN LEELANAU COUNTY.  THE STORMS WILL BE MOVING ONSHORE OVER
ANTRIM COUNTY NEAR TORCH LAKE NORTH TO NORWOOD IN CHARLEVOIX COUNTY.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR EMMET AND CHARLEVOIX
COUNTIES UNTIL 720 AM EDT THIS MORNING.  AS THE STORMS MOVE INLAND OVER
ANTRIM COUNTY...VERY HEAVY RAINS...STRONG GUSTING WINDS...SMALL HAIL
AND DEADLY LIGHTNING WILL BE ENCOUNTERED.

IF 6THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES...BE PREPARED TO SEEK SAFE SHELTER
IMMEDIATELY.    {{}}BOLEN
Special weather statement, Aug 16, 7:46 AM EDT, 3 hours 20 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE  MUSKEGON MI
745 AM EDT TUE AUG 16 1988

...LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS STRETCHING ACROSS NORTHWEST
   LOWER MICHIGAN AND ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS...

AT 745 AM EDT A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS STRETCHED ACROSS
NORTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN AND THE ADJOINING COASTAL WATERS FROM
JUST WEST OF LEELANAU COUNTY...ACROSS LEELANAU COUNTY AND GRAND
TRAVERSE BAY THROUGH ANTRIM COUNTY ONTO CRAWFORD COUNTY.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR EASTERN ANTRIM
COUNTY UNTIL 815 AM EDT THIS MORNING.  THE STORMS WERE PRODUCING LARGE
HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS...DEADLY LIGHTNING AND VERY HEAVY RAINS AS THEY
MOVE SOUTHEAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR.

THE STORMS WERE MOVING SOUTHEAST ALONG THE THUNDERSTORM LINE...VERY
HEAVY RAINS WILL LIKELY PRODUCE FLOODING IN LOW LYING AREAS IN LEELANAU
...ANTRIM AND CRAWFORD COUNTIES.
}BOATER/S AND FISHERMEN IN THE VICINITY OF THE STORMS SHOULD SEEK
SAFE HARBOR$ IMMEDIATELY.

BOLEN
Special weather statement, Aug 16, 9:33 AM EDT, 1 hour 33 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LANSING, MI
930 AM EDT TUE AUG 16 1988

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH #391 FOR CENTRAL LOWER MICHIGAN UNTIL 3PM...
...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO THE ISABELLA COUNTY AREA...

AT 930 AM RADAR DETECTED AN AREA OF VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING
FROM THE WESTERN EDGE OF THE SAGINAW BAY..WEST THROUGH GLADWIN..CLARE AND
OSELOA COUNTIES. THIS LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS MOVING SOUTH SOUTHEAST
BETWEEN 35 AND 45 MPH. VERY HEAVY RAINS..DAMAGING WINDS AND HAIL HAVE
BEEN REPORTED WITH THESE STORMS.  PERSONS IN THE PATH OF THESE STORMS
SHOULD BE PREPARED TO SEEK SHELTER IF THREATENING CONDITIONS DEVELOP.
STAY TUNED FOR FURTHER UPDATES.

SHNOWSKI

Special weather statement, Aug 16, 10:28 AM EDT, 38 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI
1020 AM EDT TUE AUG 16 1988

...INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS OVER EASTERN MONTCALM COUNTY...

AT 1020 AM EDT WEATHER RADAR INDICATED INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS OVER
EASTERN MONTCALM COUNTY...EXTENDING FROM ABOUT EDMORE TO VICKERYVILLE
...SOME 40 MILES NORTHEAST OF GRAND RAPIDS.  THESE THUNDERSTORMS
ARE MOVING TO THE SOUTHEST AROUND 30 MPH.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR MONTCALM AND IONIA
COUNTIES UNTIL 3PM EDT.  AT 1020 AM REPORTS FROM EASTERN MONTCALM
COUNTY INDICATED EXTREMELY DARK...TURBULENT AND BOILING CLOUDS
AS WELL AS HEAVY RAIN BUT NO HAIL AND NO SIGNIFICANT WIND.
COOLEY
Special weather statement, Aug 16, 10:56 AM EDT, 10 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Aug 16, 11:01 AM EDT, 5 minutes before
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    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
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The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 16, 9:56 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGRRIsabella49 min
Aug 16, 10:11 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGRRGratiot64 min
Aug 16, 10:35 AM EDTTornado WarningGRRClinton25 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.