Alert archive / Michigan / Tornado Warnings in 1989

Tornado Warning 2, NWS Grand Rapids, MI

May 30, 1989Allegan County, Michigan

NWS Grand Rapids, MI issued this tornado warning at May 30, 1989, 6:34 PM EDT for Allegan County, Michigan. It was in force for 56 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
May 30, 1989, 6:34 PM EDT (22:34 UTC)
Expired
May 30, 1989, 7:30 PM EDT
In force
56 min
Issued by
NWS Grand Rapids, MI
Area
Whole counties

County Allegan 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 30, 7:14 PM EDTTornado F1Allegan, 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, 10.6 hours before the alert went out and 204 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 1989-05-30Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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 1989-05-30The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 19 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
NaN m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
16 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
19 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
86 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 KGRR 302238
TORGRR
MIC005-302330-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI
634 PM EDT TUE MAY 30 1989
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND RAPIDS HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  730 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN
          ...SOUTHERN ALLEGAN
 
AT 630 PM EDT WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM IN
SOUTHERN ALLEGAN COUNTY. CIVIL DEFENSE OFFICIALS REPORT A FUNNEL CLOUD
JUST ABOVE THE GROUND AT THE BORDER OF LEE AND CHESHIRE TOWNSHIP...
20 MILES NORTHWEST OF THE CITY OF KALAMAZOO MOVING NORTHEAST.
PERSONS IN SOUTHERN ALLEGAN COUNTY TAKE COVER NOW.
 
 
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
FOR A REINFORCED BUILDING OoR GET INTO A DITCH OR CULVERT.

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, May 30, 4:27 PM EDT, 2 hours 7 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LANSING, MI
424 PM EDT TUE MAY 30 1989

   ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH #358 IN EFFECT UNTIL 1100 PM EDT...
     ...VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORM MOVING THROUGH INGHAM COUNTY...

AT 420 PM EDT RADAR INDICATED A VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORM IN CENTRAL
INGHAM COUNTY OVER THE CITY OF MASON OR 7 MILES SOUTH OF LANSING. SMALL
HAIL...GUSTY WINDS AND BRIEF HEAVY RAIN ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM
AS IT MOVES TO THE EAST AT 35 MPH.
Special weather statement, May 30, 5:53 PM EDT, 41 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LANSING, MI
546 PM EDT TUE MAY 30 1989

   ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH #358 IN EFFECT UNTIL 1100 PM EDT...
   ...VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING THROUGH SOUTHERN GRATIOT AND
      NORTHERN CLINTON COUNTIES...

AT 545 PM EDT RADAR INDICATED A FEW VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER
SOUTHERN GRATIOT AND NORTHERN CLINTON COUNTIES. THESE THUNDERSTORMS
WERE PRODUCING BRIEF VERY HEAVY RAIN AND NUMEROUS LIGHTNING STRIKES
SETTING OFF SENSITIVE ALARM DEVICES.

THE VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE IN A LINE OF OTHER STRONG THUNDER-
STORMS STRETCHING FROM SAGINAW BAY SOUTHWEST TO 5 MILES NORTH OF ST.
JOHNS TO 10 MILES SOUTH OF IONIA.

ALL OF THE THUNDERST8ORMS WERE MOVING TO THE EAST-NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

KALLAS
Special weather statement, May 30, 5:56 PM EDT, 38 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT CORRECTED...ADDED FLOOD WATCH
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LANSING, MI
555 PM EDT TUE MAY 30 1989

   ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH #358 IN EFFECT UNTIL 1100 PM EDT...
                  ...FLOOD WATCH FOR TONIGHT...
   ...VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING THROUGH SOUTHERN GRATIOT AND
      NORTHERN CLINTON COUNTIES...

AT 545 PM EDT RADAR INDICATED A FEW VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER
SOUTHERN GRATIOT AND NORTHERN CLINTON COUNTIES. THESE THUNDERSTORMS
WERE PRODUCING BRIEF VERY HEAVY RAIN AND NUMEROUS LIGHTNING STRIKES
SETTING OFF SENSITIVE ALARM DEVICES.

THE VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE IN A LINE OF OTHER STRONG THUNDER-
STORMS STRETCHING FROM SAGINAW BAY SOUTHWEST> TO 5 MILES NORTH OF ST.
JOHNS TO 10 MILES SOUTH OF IONIA.

ALL OF THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TO THE EAST-NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

KALLAS

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 30, 6:07 PM EDTTornado WarningGRRVan Buren48 min
May 30, 6:44 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGRRKalamazoo61 min
May 30, 6:50 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGRRCalhoun55 min
May 30, 7:29 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGRRJackson61 min
May 30, 7:31 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGRRAllegan59 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Michigan, 1989Every tornado warning in 1989Tornadoes 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.