Alert archive / Michigan / Tornado Warnings in 1988
Tornado Warning 4, NWS Grand Rapids, MI
NWS Grand Rapids, MI issued this tornado warning at Aug 16, 1988, 10:35 AM EDT for Clinton County, Michigan. It was in force for 25 min.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- Aug 16, 1988, 10:35 AM EDT (14:35 UTC)
- Expired
- Aug 16, 1988, 11:00 AM EDT
- In force
- 25 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, 2.6 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.
- 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
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
TTAA00 KLAN 161435
TORLAN
MIC037-161500-
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LANSING MI
1035 AM EDT TUE AUG 16 1988
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1100 AM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY
IN THE SOUTH CENTRAL PART OF LOWER MICHIGAN
CLINTON
AT 1035 A TORNADO WAS ON THE GROUND NEAR MAPLE RAPIDS MOVING
SOUTHEAST.
THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM SITUATION. ACT QUICKLY. IF YOU ARE
IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO MOVE TO A SHELTER BELOW GROUND IF
AVAILABLE. OTHERWISE...GO TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR POSSIBLE. AVOID WINDOWS. ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES...
TAKE COVER IN A REINFORCED BUILDING OR GET INTO A DITCH OR CULVERT.
SHNOWSKIWhat 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, Aug 16, 6:50 AM EDT, 3 hours 45 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. {{}}BOLENSpecial weather statement, Aug 16, 7:46 AM EDT, 2 hours 49 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 2 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, 7 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
The office that day
Everything else NWS Grand Rapids, MI issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 16, 9:56 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GRR | Isabella | 49 min |
| Aug 16, 10:11 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GRR | Gratiot | 64 min |
| Aug 16, 11:06 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GRR | Clinton | 7 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.