Alert archive / Michigan / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1990

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 39, NWS Detroit, MI

September 6, 1990Macomb County, Oakland County, Michigan

NWS Detroit, MI issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Sep 6, 1990, 6:45 PM EDT for Macomb County, Oakland County, Michigan. It was in force for 30 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
Sep 6, 1990, 6:45 PM EDT (22:45 UTC)
Expired
Sep 6, 1990, 7:15 PM EDT
In force
30 min
Issued by
NWS Detroit, MI
Area
Whole counties

Counties Macomb County, MI, Oakland 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
Sep 6, 7:00 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 52Macomb, 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, 10.8 hours before the alert went out and 24 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 1990-09-06Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1594 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 1990-09-06The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 185 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
1594 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-56 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
630 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
39 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
185 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
178 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
6.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KDTW 062245
SVRDTW
MIC125-099-147-062330-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM AND SPECIAL MARINE WARNING 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT MI
645 PM EDT THU SEP 6 1990

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 
AND SPECIAL MARINE WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 730 PM EDT FOR 
PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES

   IN THE SOUTHEAST PART OF LOWER MICHIGAN
      OAKLAND...MACOMB...EXTREME SOUTHERN ST. CLAIR

...THIS WARNING ALSO INCLUDES THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS FOR THE
COUNTIES JUST MENTIONED

AT 628 PM EDT...WEATHER RADAR INDICATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER
SOUTHERN OAKLAND AND MACOMB COUNTIES.  THE OAKLAND COUNTY DISASTER
PREPAREDNESS OFFICE REPORTED MINOR INJURIES AND PROPERTY DAMAGE DUE
TO WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MILES AN HOUR IN ROCHESTER...25 MILES
NORTH OF DOWNTOWN DETROIT.  MOVEMENT WAS EAST SOUTHEAST AT 30 MILES
AN HOUR.

A TORNADO WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR THE WARNED AREA.  REMEMBER...
SEVE=RE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE TORNADOES
WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING.  REMAIN CALM BUT BE ALERT TO
RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS.

 ZALESKI/THIES

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm 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, Sep 6, 3:37 PM EDT, 3 hours 8 minutes before
MIZ001>050-062100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ANN ARBOR MI
335 PM EDT THU SEP 6 1990

...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 724 HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR MUCH OF CENTRAL AND
SOUTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN UNTIL 1100 PM EDT...

A TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR MUCH OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN LOWER
MICHIGAN UNTIL 1100 PM EDT. THUNDERSTORMS HAVE BEEN REDEVELOPING IN
LOWER MICHIGAN THIS AFTERNOON ALONG A WARM FRONT THAT EXTENDED FROM
JUST NORTH OF MUSKEGON TO PORT HURON.

CONDITIONS ARE SUCH THAT SOME OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS MAY PRODUCE LARGE
HAIL... DAMAGING WINDS... AND POSSIBLE TORNADOES OVER THE REMAINDER
OF THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

INCLUDED IN THE TORNADO WATCH AREA ARE ALL COUNTIES IN MICHIGAN SOUTH
OF A LINE FROM MANISTEE TO NEAR OSCODA.
>
PERSONS IN THE WATCH AREA SHOULD STAY TUNED TO NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE RADIO... OR YOUR LOCAL RADIO OR TELEVISION STATION
FOR FURTHER UPDATES AND STATEMENTS ON THIS POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS
W EATHER SITUATION.

WAGENMAKER
Special weather statement, Sep 6, 3:49 PM EDT, 2 hours 56 minutes before
MIZ026-031>034-036>039-042-062100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLINT MI
349 PM EDT THU SEP 6 1990

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR EAST CENTRAL MICHIGAN TIL 11 PM...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH FOR THE EAST
CENTRAL MICHIGAN COUNTIES OF GENESEE...LAPEER...SHIAWASSEE...SAGINAW...
TUSCOLA...SANILAC...HURON...BAY...MIDLAND AND ARENAC UNTIL 11 PM EDT
THIS THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THIS WATCH GENERALLY INCLUDES ALL
COUNTIES IN SOUTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN.

AT 345 PM RADAR SHOWED THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING JUST WEST OF SAGINAW
COUNTY...ABOUT 45 MILES NORTHWEST OF FLINT. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL
PRODUCE STRONG GUSTY WINDS...VERY HEAVY RAIN...AND FREQUENT DANGEROUS
LIGHTNING AS THEY MOVE EAST ACROSS THE SAGINAW AREA DURING THE NEXT
HOUR. SOME SMALL HAIL IS ALSO POSSIBLE IN NORTHERN SAGINAW COUNTY.

PERSONS THROUGHOUT EAST CENTRAL MICHIGAN SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR
THE APPROACH OF THREATE-NING WEATHER CONDITIONS. LISTEN FOR LATER
STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

YORK
Special weather statement, Sep 6, 6:12 PM EDT, 33 minutes before
MIZ001>050-070000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ANN ARBOR MI
610 PM EDT THU SEP 6 1990

...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 724 REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF CENTRAL AND
SOUTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN UNTIL 1100 PM EDT...

AT 600 PM... NUMEROUS STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED ACROSS PARTS OF
SOUTHEAST LOWER MICHIGAN. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST SOUTHEAST AT
35 MILES AN HOUR.

OTHER STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVELOPING ACROSS PARTS OF CENTRAL
LOWER MICHIGAN AND CENTRAL WISCONSIN THIS EVENING. THESE STORMS ARE
EXPECTED TO INCREASE IN INTENSITY AS THE EVENING PROGRESSES.

THUS... TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 724 REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1100 EDT FOR
ALL OF LOWER MICHIGAN SOUTH OF A LINE FROM MANISTEE TO NEAR OSCODA.
SOME THUNDERSTORMS IN THE WATCH AREA WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING
LARGE HAIL... DAMAGING WINDS... AND POSSIBLE TORNADOES.

PERSONS IN THE WATCH AREA SHOULD STAY TUNED TO NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE RADIO... OR YOUR LOCAL RADIO OR TELEVISION STATION
FOR FURTHER UPDATES AND STATEMENTS ON THIS POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS
WEATHER SITUATION.

WAGENMAKER

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 6, 5:00 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXCrawford60 min
Sep 6, 3:20 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXWashtenaw55 min
Sep 6, 4:02 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXSaginaw58 min
Sep 6, 4:21 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXGenesee, Tuscola54 min
Sep 6, 4:35 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXGenesee40 min
Sep 6, 4:53 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXLapeer67 min
Sep 6, 5:28 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXMacomb, Oakland, Saint Clair62 min
Sep 6, 5:43 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXGenesee32 min
Sep 6, 5:55 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXWashtenaw, Wayne65 min
Sep 6, 6:45 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXSaint Clair30 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Michigan, 1990Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1990

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.