Alert archive / Michigan / Tornado Warnings in 1991

Tornado Warning 4, NWS Gaylord, MI

May 29, 1991Iosco County, Michigan

NWS Gaylord, MI issued this tornado warning at May 29, 1991, 9:07 AM EDT for Iosco County, Michigan. It was in force for 23 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 29, 1991, 9:07 AM EDT (13:07 UTC)
Expired
May 29, 1991, 9:30 AM EDT
In force
23 min
Issued by
NWS Gaylord, MI
Area
Whole counties

County Iosco County, MI

The nearest sounding before it

Detroit, MI (KFNT), launched 12:00Z, 1.1 hours before the alert went out and 176 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 1991-05-29Temperature 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 1991-05-29The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -5 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
10 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-5 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
31 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 KAPN 291307
TORAPN
MIC069-291330-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED 
TORNADO AND SPECIAL MARINE WARNING 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALPENA MI
907 AM EDT WED MAY 29 1991

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO AND SPECIAL 
MARINE WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 930 AM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE 
FOLLOWING COUNTY

   IN THE NORTHEAST PART OF LOWER MICHIGAN
      EASTERN IOSCO

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

AT 902 AM A TORNADO WAS SIGHTED BY WURTSMITH AIR FORCE BASE
PERSONNEL ABOUT 5 MILES NORTH OF THE AIRPORT. IT WAS MOVING EAST
AROUND 45 MPH.

IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO...GO TO A BASEMENT SHELTER
IF AVAILABLE...OTHERWISE TO A CENTRAL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR.  ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES FOR A REINFORCED BUILDING.

IF YOU ARE IN AN AREA THREATENED BY THE STORM..GO TO A REINFORCED
SHELTER AND PREPARE FOR DAMAGING WIND...LARGE HAIL...VER7Y HEAVY
RAIN AND LIGHTNING.

THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM.  TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY.

ONCE THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER HAS PASSED...REPORT ANY INJURIES OR
DAMAGE TO YOUR NEAREST EMERGENCY SERVICES OR LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY.

RC

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 29, 7:35 AM EDT, 1 hour 32 minutes before
MIZ043-044-045-046-047-063-291300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUGHTON LAKE MI
730 AM EDT WED MAY 29 1991

...BLUSTERY THUNDERSTORMS MOVE THROUGH NORTH CENTRAL MICHIGAN...

AT 730 AM EDT...A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH VERY HEAVY
RAINS...POSSIBLY SMALL HAIL...AND GUSTY WINDS TO 45 MPH...EXTENDED
FROM GAYLORD SOUTH TO LAKE CITY IN MISSAUKEE COUNTY ABOUT 25 MILES
WEST OF HOUGHTON LAKE.

THIS LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT ABOUT 30 TO 35 MPH.
ANYONE IN OTSEGO...CRAWFORD...AND ROSCOMMON COUNTIES SHOULD BE ALERT
TO THESE STORMS BETWEEN 730 AM AND 830 AM.
LH
Special weather statement, May 29, 8:02 AM EDT, 1 hour 5 minutes before
MIZ043-044-045-046-047-063-291300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUGHTON LAKE MI
800 AM EDT WED MAY 29 1991

...BLUSTERY THUNDERSTORMS MOVE THROUGH NORTH CENTRAL MICHIGAN...

AT 800 AM EDT...A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH VERY HEAVY
RAINS...POSSIBLY SMALL HAIL...AND GUSTY WINDS TO 50 MPH...EXTENDED
FROM 40 MILES WEST OF ALPENA SOUTHWEST TO HOUGHTON LAKE. THE WIND
GUSTED TO 35 MPH WHEN THE LINE WENT THROUGH THE HOUGHTON LAKE AREA.

THIS LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS MOVING EAST AT ABOUT 40 MPH.
ANYONE IN CRAWFORD...ROSCOMMON AND OGEMAW COUNTIES SHOULD BE ALERT
TO THESE STORMS BETWEEN 800 AM AND 845 AM.
LH
Special weather statement, May 29, 8:27 AM EDT, 40 minutes before
MIZ043-044-045-046-047-063-291300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUGHTON LAKE MI
820 AM EDT WED MAY 29 1991

...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE OVER NORTH CENTRAL MICHIGAN...

AT 820 AM EDT...THE NORTHEAST QUARTER OF LOWER MICHIGAN WAS
COVERED BY SHOWERS AND SOME THUNDERSTORMS. THE STORMS WITH THE
HEAVIEST RAINFALL WERE IN A LINE FROM NEAR ALPENA SOUTHWEST TO NEAR
WEST BRANCH...22 MILES EAST OF HOUGHTON LAKE.

AT ABOUT 745 AM A HAM RADIO OPERATOR NEAR GAYLORD REPORTED WIND GUSTS
TO ABOUT 50 MPH AT OTSEGO LAKE ALONG WITH SOME POWER OUTAGES.
LH

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 28, 8:13 PM EDTTornado WarningAPXMason, Oceana22 min
May 29, 6:46 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAPXCharlevoix44 min
May 29, 7:52 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAPXMontmorency53 min
May 29, 8:15 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAPXAlpena45 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Michigan, 1991Every tornado warning in 1991Tornadoes in 1991

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.