Alert archive / Michigan / Tornado Warnings in 1989

Tornado Warning 3, NWS Grand Rapids, MI

May 30, 1989Allegan County, Kalamazoo County, Michigan

NWS Grand Rapids, MI issued this tornado warning at May 30, 1989, 8:06 PM EDT for Allegan County, Kalamazoo County, Michigan. It was in force for 46 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 30, 1989, 8:06 PM EDT (00:06 UTC)
Expired
May 30, 1989, 8:52 PM EDT
In force
46 min
Issued by
NWS Grand Rapids, MI
Area
Whole counties

Counties Allegan County, MI, Kalamazoo 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 00:00Z, 0.1 hours before the alert went out and 191 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 00:00Z on 1989-05-31Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 209 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 00:00Z on 1989-05-31The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 234 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
209 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-35 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
606 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
32 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
234 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
356 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 310007
TORGRR
MIC005-077-310115-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI
806 PM EDT TUE MAY 30 1989
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND RAPIDS HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  915 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
 
IN SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN
          ...SOUTHERN ALLEGAN...NORTHERN KALAMAZOO
 
AT 804PM EDT CIVIL DEFENSE OFFICIALS IN ALLEGAN COUNTY, IN SOUTHWEST
MICHIGAN, REPORTED A TORNADO ON THE GROUND 10 MILES SOUTH OF OTSEGO,
NEAR THE ALLEGAN AND KALAMAZOO COUNTY LINES....10 MILES NORTHWEST OF
THE CITY OF KALAMAZOO. THE TORNADO WAS MOVING TO THE SOUTH. TAKE COVER
NOW.
 
 
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IS A
BASEMENT.  GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE.
IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM
SUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR.  USE BLANKETS...PILLOWS...
OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY.  AVOID WINDOWS.
 
REK

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, 3 hours 39 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, 2 hours 13 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, 2 hours 10 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
Special weather statement, May 30, 6:44 PM EDT, 1 hour 22 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LANSING, MI
637 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 SOUTH CENTRAL LOWER MICHIGAN...

AT 635 PM EDT RADAR INDICATED VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING THROUGH
SOUTH CENTRAL LOWER MICHIGAN. VERY HEAVY RAIN HAS BEEN REPORTED WITH
THESE THUNDERSTORMS. THESE STORMS ARE MOVING TO THE EAST NORTHEAST AT
35 MPH.

WITH HEAVY RAINFALL OCCURING IN THE GREATER LANSING AREA, CLINTON COUNTY.
SOME URBAN FLOODING CAN BE EXPECTED.

IF YOU ARE DRIVING WITH IN THE AREA BE PREPARED TO ENCOUNTER AREAS OF
WATER ALONG RwOADS, AND IN LOW LYING AREAS. AND UNDERPASSES.

SUTTLE

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 31, 5:19 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGRREaton41 min
May 31, 5:33 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGRRBranch, Hillsdale57 min
May 31, 5:50 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningGRRClinton, Eaton, Ingham2 hr
May 31, 6:11 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGRRIngham64 min
May 31, 6:12 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGRRIngham63 min
May 31, 6:15 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGRRClinton45 min
May 31, 6:23 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGRRIonia24 min
May 31, 6:43 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGRRCalhoun32 min
May 31, 6:48 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGRRJackson57 min
May 31, 7:15 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGRRHillsdale60 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.