Alert archive / Michigan / Tornado Warnings in 1988
Tornado Warning 1, NWS Grand Rapids, MI
NWS Grand Rapids, MI issued this tornado warning at Apr 3, 1988, 4:20 PM EDT for Hillsdale County, Michigan. It was in force for 25 min.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- Apr 3, 1988, 4:20 PM EDT (20:20 UTC)
- Expired
- Apr 3, 1988, 4:45 PM EDT
- In force
- 25 min
- Issued by
- NWS Grand Rapids, MI
- Area
- Whole counties
County Hillsdale 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, 8.3 hours before the alert went out and 133 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
- 87 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -93 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 910 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 52 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 3 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 66 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- -0.3
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
TTAA00 KLAN 032020
TORLAN
MIC059-032045-
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LANSING MI
420 PM EDT SUN APR 3 1988
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 445 PM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY
IN THE SOUTH CENTRAL PART OF LOWER MICHIGAN
HILLSDALE
AT (415 EDT A TORNADO WAS REPORTED ON THE GROUND NEAR WALDRON
IN HILLSDALE COUNTY.
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.
IF YOU LIVE IN A HOME OR APARTMENT...FIND SHELTER IN THE INNERMOST
PORTION OF THE BUILDING ON THE LOWEST FLOOR. GET TO A BASEMENT IF
ONE IS AVAILABLE. AVOID WINDOWS. PROTECT YOURSELF FROM FLYHING
DEBRIS WITH CUSHIONS...BLANKETS...OR PILLOWS.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, Apr 3, 10:59 AM EDT, 5 hours 21 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI 1055 AM EDT SUN APR 3 1988 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE OVER SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN... AT 1050 AM EDT...WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS OVER PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN. THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED IN A LINE EXTENDING FROM EASTERN MONTCALM COUNTY...SOUTH THROUGH CENTRAL KENT COUNTY. THE SHERIFF IN KENT COUNTY REPORTED HAIL FELL NEAR THE CITY OF KENT CITY...20 MILES NORTH-NORTHWEST OF GRAND RAPIDS AS THE THUNDERSTOMS MOVED THROUGH THAT AREA AROUND 1045 AM EDT. THE SIZE OF THE HAIL WAS NOT DETERIMINED. THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE NORTHEAST AT AROUND 25 MPH AND PRODUCEG BRIEF HEAVY RAINFALL...WIND GUSTS NEAR 40 MPH...AND SMALL HAIL AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. REK
Special weather statement, Apr 3, 1:40 PM EDT, 2 hours 40 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MUSKEGON MI 140 PM EDT SUN APR 3 1988 ...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSHOWERS APPROACHING WESTERN LOWER MICHIGAN... AT 130 PM EDT RADAR INDICATED AN AREA OF RAIN WITH EMBEDED THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN...MOVING NORTHEAST ACROSS SOUTHERN LAKE MICHIGAN. THE RAIN EXTENDED FROM JUST OFFSHORE MUSKEGON SOUTH TO BERRIEN COUNTY OF EXTREME SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN. STRONG GUSTY WINDS...DANGEROUS LIGHTN$ING STRIKES...POSSIBLE SMALL HAIL AND REDUCED VISIBILITY MAY BE ENCOUNTERED AS THIS AREA MOVES INLAND. THE AREA WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR AND SHOULD REACH MUSKEGON AND NEWAYGO COUNTIES DURING THE NEXT TWO HOURS. DUBRISH
Special weather statement, Apr 3, 2:35 PM EDT, 1 hour 45 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LANSING, MI 235 PM EST SUN APR 03 1988 ...INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN... AT 225 PM EDT RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE OCCURRING IN VAN BUREN COUNTY. AN UNOFFICIAL REPORT OF 1 INCH HAIL WAS RECIEVED IN VAN BUREN. THESE INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT ABOUT 45 MILES AN HOUR AND SHOULD REACH SOUTH CENTRAL LOWER MICHIGAN BETWEEN 330 PwM AND 430 PM. THESE STORMS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE STRONG GUSTY WINDS...HAIL... AND VERY HEAVY RAIN. PERSONS IN THE PATH OF THESE INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY IF THREATENING WEATHER MOVES IN.
Special weather statement, Apr 3, 3:02 PM EDT, 1 hour 18 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LANSING, MI 305 PM EST SUN APR 03 1988 ...INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN... AT 300 PM EDT RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE OCCURRING IN KENT COUNTY. WIND GUSTS WERE REPORTED UP TO 59 MPH IN SOUTHEAST OTTAWA COUNTY OVER THE PAST 30 MINUTES. THESE STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT ABOUT 45 MILES AN HOUR AND SHOULD REACH ISABELLA...GRATIOT AND CLINTON COUNTIES BETWEEN 330 PM AND 430 PM. THESE STORMS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE STRONG GUSTY WINDS...HAIL... AND VERY HEAVY RAIN. PERSONS IN THE PATH OF THESE STRONG THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY IF THREATENING WEATHER MOVES IN.
Special weather statement, Apr 3, 4:07 PM EDT, 13 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LANSING, MI 405 PM EST SUN APR 03 1988 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR EATON..CALHOUN AND BRANCH COUNTIES HAVE BEEN CANCELLED...TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 700 PM EDT FOR ALL OF SOUTH CENTRAL LOWER MICHIGAN... AT 400 PM EDT RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS ARE OCCURRING THROUGHOUT SOUTH CENTRAL LOWER MICHIGAN. THESE STORMS ARE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH. AT THIS TIME THERE HAS BEEN NO REPORTS OF ANY SEVERE WEATHER. THESE STORMS STILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL FOR STRONG GUSTY WINDS...HAIL... AND VERY HEAVY RAIN. PERSONS IN THE PATH OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY IF THREATENING WEATHE=R MOVES IN.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Grand Rapids, MI issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 2:28 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GRR | Van Buren | 34 min |
| Apr 3, 2:54 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GRR | Kent | 51 min |
| Apr 3, 3:15 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GRR | Kalamazoo | 30 min |
| Apr 3, 3:25 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GRR | Branch, Calhoun | 65 min |
| Apr 3, 3:25 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GRR | Eaton | 65 min |
| Apr 3, 4:41 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GRR | Jackson | 49 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.