Alert archive / Michigan / Flash Flood Warnings in 1989

Flash Flood Warning 2, NWS Detroit, MI

June 21, 1989Oakland County, Michigan

NWS Detroit, MI issued this flash flood warning at Jun 21, 1989, 6:49 PM EDT for Oakland County, Michigan. It was in force for 5 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jun 21, 1989, 6:49 PM EDT (22:49 UTC)
Expired
Jun 21, 1989, 11:45 PM EDT
In force
5 hr
Issued by
NWS Detroit, MI
Area
Whole counties

County Oakland 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, 10.8 hours before the alert went out and 8 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 1989-06-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 131 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 1989-06-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 16 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
131 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-32 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
615 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
5 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
16 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
55 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KDTW 212249
FFWDTW
MIC125-220345-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED 
FLASH FLOOD WARNING 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT MI
649 PM EDT WED JUN 21 1989

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A FLASH FLOOD WARNING 
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1145 PM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY

   IN THE SOUTHEAST PART OF LOWER MICHIGAN
      SOUTHERN OAKLAND

HEAVY RAIN FROM PERSISTENT HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS FROM MID-MORNING
UNTIL MID-AFTRNOON ARE CAUSING LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING ACROSS
MUCH OF SOUTHERN OAKLAND FROM PONTIAC SOUTH TO THE WAYNE COUNTY
BORDER (8 MILE RD). SEVERAL MAJOR NORTHERN SUBURBS OF DETROIT IN
SOUTHERN OAKLAND COUNTY ARE EXPERIENCING FLOODING DUE TO HEAVY RAIN
AND THE NORTHERN BRANCH OF THE ROUGE RIVER FLOODING OVER ITS BANKS.

 SEVERAL REPORTS OF 1 TO 2 INCH RAINFALL AMOUNTS FELL OVER THESE
 AREAS WITH AN.. UNOFFICIAL REPORT ..OF 3.90 IN WEST BLOOMFIELD.
 ALL THIS RAIN FELL ON AN ALREADY SATURATED GROUND.

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS FLOODING IS OCCURRING OR IS IMMINENT.
MOST FLASH FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES.  DO NOT ATTEMPT TO
CROSS BRIDGES...DIPS...OR LOW SPOTS IF WATER COVERS THE ROADWAY.
NEVER TRY TO CROSS A FLOWING STREAM...EVEN A SMALL ONE...ON FOOT.
TO ESCAPE RISING WATER MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND.

DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROADWAY.
THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO CROSS SAFELY.
VEHICLES CAUGHT IN RISING WATER SHOULD BE ABANDONED IMMEDIATELY.
MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND.

 DEEDLER

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this flash flood 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, Jun 21, 2:49 PM EDT, 4 hours before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATAMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT MI
245 PM EDT WED JUNE 20 1989

..... RAINFALL CONTINUES IN NORTH AND WEST SECTIONS OF DETROIT AND
     NEARBY SUBURBS .....

RAIN CONTINUES ACROSS MUCH OF THE NORTHERN AND WESTERN SUBURBS OF
DETROIT AND INTO THE ADJACENT AREAS OF DETROIT. SEVERAL HEAVY AMOUNTS
OF RAIN HAVE BEEN RECEIVED ACROSS THESE AREAS SINCE EARLY THIS MORNING.

SOME AMOUNTS RECEIVED UP TO 230PM.............
MACOMB TOWNSHIP (WESTERN MACOMB COUNTY)  1.97
LIVONIA (NORTH-CENTRAL)................  1.54(.84 SINCE 1030AM)
PLYMOUTH...............................  1.31(SINCE 1230PM)
ANN ARBOR..............................  0.90
WARREN................................. ~ 0.10

NEEDLESS TO SAY WITH THE HEAVIER RAINFALL TOTALS...LOCAL STREET FLOODING
AND LOW LYING AREA FLOODING IS COMMONPLACE IN SOME AREAS AND MOTORISTS
ARE ADVISED TO DRIVE WITH CARE AND TO AVOID FLOODED ROADS WHERE
POSSIBLE.

DEEDLER
Special weather statement, Jun 21, 3:46 PM EDT, 3 hours 3 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT MI
338 PM EDT WED 21 JUN 1989

AT 330 PM...ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS A FEW WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN WERE OVER
THE EXTREME SOUTHEAST CORNER OF LOWER MICHIGAN MAINLY NEAR THE MICHIGAN
/OHIO BORDER AND ADJOINING NORTHWEST OHIO. STRONGEST STORM WAS OVER
DOWNTOWN TOLEDO WHERE TORRENTIAL DOWNPOURS ARE LIKELY TO CAUSE SOME
LOCAL STREET FLOODING.

THESE HEAVIER STORMS WERE TRACKING SOUTHEAST AROUND 15 MILES AN HOUR.

ELSEWHERE...SCATTERED LIGHT SHOWERS AND THUNDERSHOWERS WERE OVER THE
REMAINDER OF SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN AND NORTHERN OHIO.  THE SHOWERS IN THE
REST OF SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 10 MILES AN HOUR
WHILE SOUTHEAST AT 15 MILES AN HOUR IN OHIO.

SCATTERED REPORTS OF STREET FLOODING CONTINUE TO BE REPORTED ACROSS THE
WEST AND NORTHERN SUBURBS OF DETROIT DUE TO THE EXCESSIVE RAINFALL
EXPERIENCED EARLIER IN SOME AREAS.

DEEDLER
Special weather statement, Jun 21, 4:42 PM EDT, 2 hours 7 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT MI
430 PM EDT WED 21 JUN 1989

AT 430 PM...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN WAS OVER
NORTH CENTRAL NEAR TIFFIN AND THE ISLAND AREA OF MARBLEHEAD AND PORT
CLINTON. THIS STORM IS LIKELY TO CAUSE TORRENTIAL DOWNPOUR WITH SOME
LOCAL FLOODING...GUSTY WINDS ARE ALSO LIKELY WITH THIS STORM.

MOVEMENT OF THIS STORM WAS SOUTHEAST AROUND 15 MILES AN HOUR.

ELSEWHERE...SCATTERED LIGHT SHOWERS AND THUNDERSHOWERS WERE OVER THE
REMAINDER OF SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN AND NORTHERN OHIO.  THE SHOWERS IN THE
REST OF SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 10 MILES AN HOUR
WHILE SOUTHEAST AT 15 MILES AN HOUR IN OHIO.

SCATTERED REPORTS OF STREET FLOODING CONTINUE TO BE REPORTED ACROSS THE
WEST AND NORTHERN SUBURBS OF DETROIT DUE TO THE EXCESSIVE RAINFALL
EXPERIENCED EARLIER IN SOME AREAS.
Special weather statement, Jun 21, 4:45 PM EDT, 2 hours 4 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY  COR
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT MI
430 PM EDT WED 21 JUN 1989

AT 430 PM...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN WAS OVER
NORTH CENTRAL OHIO NEAR TIFFIN AND THE ISLAND AREA OF MARBLEHEAD
AND PORT CLINTON. THIS STORM IS LIKELY TO CAUSE TORRENTIAL DOWNPOUR
WITH SOME LOCAL FLOODING...GUSTY WINDS ARE ALSO LIKELY WITH THIS STORM.

MOVEMENT OF THIS STORM WAS SOUTHEAST AROUND 15 MILES AN HOUR.

ELSEWHERE...SCATTERED LIGHT SHOWERS AND THUNDERSHOWERS WERE OVER THE
REMAINDER OF SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN AND NORTHERN OHIO.  THE SHOWERS IN THE
REST OF SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 10 MILES AN HOUR
WHILE SOUTHEAST AT 15 MILES AN HOUR IN OHIO.

SCATTERED REPORTS OF STREET FLOODING CONTINUE TO BE REPORTED ACROSS THE
WEST AND NORTHERN SUBURBS OF DETROIT DUE TO THE EXCESSIVE RAINFALL
EXPERIENCED EARLIER IN SOME AREAS.

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Michigan, 1989Every flash flood warning in 1989

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.