Alert archive / Michigan / Tornado Warnings in 1991

Tornado Warning 3, NWS Detroit, MI

May 24, 1991Oakland County, Michigan

NWS Detroit, MI issued this tornado warning at May 24, 1991, 12:34 PM EDT for Oakland County, Michigan. It was in force for 26 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 24, 1991, 12:34 PM EDT (16:34 UTC)
Expired
May 24, 1991, 1:00 PM EDT
In force
26 min
Issued by
NWS Detroit, MI
Area
Whole counties

County Oakland County, MI

The nearest sounding before it

Detroit, MI (KFNT), launched 12:00Z, 4.6 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 1991-05-24Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 650 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 1991-05-24The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 44 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
650 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-54 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
925 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
16 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
44 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
38 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 241634
TORDTW
MIC125-241700-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED 
TORNADO WARNING 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT MI
1234 PM EDT FRI MAY 24 1991

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING 
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 100 PM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY

   IN THE SOUTHEAST PART OF LOWER MICHIGAN
      OAKLAND

AT 1225 PM EDT...RADAR INDICATED A TORNADO NEAR WATERFORD...31
MILES NORTHWEST OF DOWNTOWN DETROIT IN WEST CENTRAL OAKLAND COUNTY.
MOVEMENT WAS NORTHEAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR.

PEOPLE IN THE CITIES OF WATERFORD...CLARKSTON AND OXFORD SHOULD
TAKE COVER NOW!

IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE IS IN
A BASEMENT.  GET' UNDER A WORKBENCH OR PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE.
IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...FIND SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM
SUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR.  USE BLANKETS...PILLOWS...
OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY.  AVOID WINDOWS.

 ZALESKI

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 24, 10:50 AM EDT, 1 hour 44 minutes before
MIZ019>035-241550-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT MI
1049 AM EDT FRI MAY 24 1991

...INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS OVER EXTREME SOUTHEASTLOWER MICHIGAN...

AT 1028 AM...A CLUSTER OF INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS...A FEW PRODUCING VERY
HEAVY RAIN...PEA SIZE HAIL...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS
...WAS OVER EXTREME SOUTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN.

MOST OF THESE STORMS EXTENDED FROM JACKSON MICHIGAN SOUTHEAST TO NEAR
TOLEDO OHIO.  THESE STORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR
AND WILL BE ENTERING THE SOUTHWEST DETROIT METROPOLITAN AREA BY 1100 AM
...AND OVER THE ENTIRE METROPOLITAN AREA BY 1230 PM.

THESE STORMS WERE PART OF A MUCH LARGER AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
THAT COVERED PARTS OF LOWER MICHIGAN...NORTHWEST OHIO AND NORTHEAST
INDIANA.
.
MOST OF THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM DAYTON OHIO
NORTHWEST TO GRAND RAPIDS MICHIGAN.

MOVEMENT WAS NORTHEAST AT 30 MIPLES AN HOUR.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR THE LATEST NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
STATEMENTS AND WARNINGS.

ZALESKI
Special weather statement, May 24, 10:56 AM EDT, 1 hour 38 minutes before
MIZ019>035-241550-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY...TYPO CORRECTION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT MI
1049 AM EDT FRI MAY 24 1991

...INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS OVER EXTREME SOUTHEAST LOWER MICHIGAN...

AT 1028 AM...A CLUSTER OF INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS...A FEW PRODUCING VERY
HEAVY RAIN...PEA SIZE HAIL...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS
...WAS OVER EXTREME SOUTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN.

MOST OF THESE STORMS EXTENDED FROM JACKSON MICHIGAN SOUTHEAST TO NEAR
TOLEDO OHIO.  THESE STORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR
AND WILL BE ENTERING THE SOUTHWEST DETROIT METROPOLITAN AREA BY 1100 AM
...AND OVER THE ENTIRE METROPOLITAN AREA BY 1230 PM.

THESE STORMS WERE PART OF A MUCH LARGER AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
THAT COVERED PARTS OF LOWER MICHIGAN...NORTHWEST OHIO AND NORTHEAST
INDIANA.
.
MOST OF THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM DAYTON OHIO
NORTHWEST TO GRAND RAPIDS MICHIGAN.

MOVEMENT^ WAS NORTHEAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR THE LATEST NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
STATEMENTS AND WARNINGS.

ZALESKI
Special weather statement, May 24, 11:11 AM EDT, 1 hour 23 minutes before
MIZ026-031>034-036>038-042-241630-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND SHORT-RANGE WEATHER FORECAST
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLINT MI
1110 AM EDT FRI MAY 24 1991

PARTLY SUNNY...WARM AND HUMID CONDITIONS WERE THE RULE ACROSS EAST
CENTRAL MICHIGAN LATE THIS MORNING. TEMPERATURES WERE NEAR 80 DEGREES
AT 11 AM...EVEN NEAR THE COLD WATERS OF LAKE HURON.

THUNDERSTORMS WERE PROGRESSING EAST ACROSS CENTRAL LOWER MICHIGAN LATE
THIS MORNING. AT 11 AM...A LINE OF SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED
FROM ABOUT 50 MILES NORTH OF LANSING TO THE JACKSON AREA. STRONG
STORMS...CONTAINING HEAVY RAIN AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...WERE FROM 15
TO 30 MILES SOUTHEAST OF LANSING AT 1108 AM. THE STORMS WERE MOVING
NORTHEAST AT ABOUT 30 MPH.

THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE INTO SOUTHEAST SHIAWASSEE COUNTY AND EASTERN
MIDLAND COUNTY...INCLUDING THE TOWN OF BANCROFT....BY 1230 PM.
GENESEE AND LAPEER COUNTIES...INCLUDING FLINT...WILL LIKELY BE AFFECTED
BETWEEN NOON AND 2 PM. ANpY OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS COULD CONTAIN
HEAVY DOWNPOURS...SMALL HAIL...AND STRONG WINDS.

STAY TUNED TO NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADIO FOR THE LATEST
STATEMENTS ON THESE DEVELOPING STORMS.

YORK
Special weather statement, May 24, 11:49 AM EDT, 45 minutes before
MIZALL-242200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ANN ARBOR MI
1145 AM EDT FRI MAY 24 1991

...SEVERE WEATHER POTENTIAL STATEMENT FOR MICHIGAN...

THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY ACROSS MICHIGAN THIS AFTERNOON. SCATTERED
THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE ACROSS LOWER MICHIGAN THIS EVENING. MANY
OF THE STORMS ACROSS LOWER MICHIGAN THIS AFTERNOON COULD PRODUCE WIND
GUSTS UP TO 45 MPH AND HAIL AS LARGE AS A HALF INCH IN DIAMETER. OVER
SOUTHEAST LOWER MICHIGAN...ISOLATED WIND GUSTS OF 50 TO 60 MPH ARE
POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON IN THUNDERSTORMS.

DWD
Special weather statement, May 24, 12:02 PM EDT, 32 minutes before
MIZ031-032-241700-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLINT MI
1200 PM EDT FRI MAY 24 1991

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING ACROSS SOUTHERN GENESEE COUNTY...

AT 12 NOON...WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH
HEAVY RAIN AND POSSIBLY SMALL HAIL EXTENDING FROM JUST SOUTHWEST OF
FLINT TO ABOUT 50 MILES SOUTH OF FLINT. HEAVY RAIN WAS REPORTED IN
LINDEN...15 MILES SOUTHWEST OF FLINT...AT NOON. THE STORMS WERE MOVING
NORTHEAST AT ABOUT 30 MPH.

THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE ACROSS THE TOWNS OF FENTON...SWARTZ CREEK...
GRAND BLANC...AND THE CITY OF FLINT BY 130 PM. SMALL HAIL...STRONG
GUSTY WINDS...AND FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE LIKELY WITH SOME
OF THESE STORMS. THE STORMS WILL MOVE INTO LAPEER COUNTY AROUND 1 PM.

STAY TUNED TO THIS STATION FOR THE LATEST STATEMENTS ON THESE STORMS.
YORK
Special weather statement, May 24, 12:34 PM EDT, 0 minutes before
MIZ031-032-034-241730-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLINT MI
1233 PM EDT FRI MAY 24 1991

...THUNDERSTORMS WITH WIND GUSTS TO 50 MPH ARE APPROACHING
LAPEER COUNTY...

AT 1230 PM...WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH
HEAVY RAIN AND STRONG WINDS EXTENDING FROM FLINT TO NEAR PONTIAC.
AT 1215 PM...THE WIND AT FLINT BISHOP AIRPORT GUSTED TO 44 MPH IN
A THUNDERSTORM. THE STORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE ACROSS NORTHEAST GENESEE COUNTY INTO WESTERN
LAPEER COUNTY BY 130 PM. THE TOWNS OF OTISVILLE...LAPEER...AND HADLEY
WILL BE AFFECTED BY 115 PM. STRONG WIND GUSTS OF 40 TO 50 MPH AND SMALL
HAIL ARE LIKELY WITH SOME OF THESE STORMS.

STAY TUNED TO THIS STATION FOR THE LATEST STATEMENTS ON THESE STORMS.
YORK

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 24, 11:26 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXLivingston, Washtenaw44 min
May 24, 12:43 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXGenesee, Saginaw, Tuscola47 min
May 24, 12:56 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXLapeer34 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.