Alert archive / Michigan / Tornado Warnings in 1994

Tornado Warning 9, NWS Detroit, MI

July 5, 1994Crawford County, Roscommon County, Michigan

NWS Detroit, MI issued this tornado warning at Jul 5, 1994, 8:30 PM EDT for Crawford County, Roscommon County, Michigan. It was in force for 45 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jul 5, 1994, 8:30 PM EDT (00:30 UTC)
Expired
Jul 5, 1994, 9:15 PM EDT
In force
45 min
Issued by
NWS Detroit, MI
Area
Whole counties

Counties Crawford County, MI, Roscommon County, MI

The nearest sounding before it

Sault Ste Marie, MI (KY62), launched 00:00Z, 0.5 hours before the alert went out and 219 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, Sault Ste Marie, MI at 00:00Z on 1994-07-06Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 39 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, Sault Ste Marie, MI at 00:00Z on 1994-07-06The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -28 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
39 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-59 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
633 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
37 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-28 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
129 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 KHTL 060030
TORHTL
MIC039-143-060115-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUGHTON LAKE MI
830 PM EDT TUE JUL 5 1994
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HOUGHTON LAKE HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  915 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN NORTH CENTRAL MICHIGAN
 
   ...SOUTHERN CRAWFORD COUNTY...NORTHERN ROSCOMMON COUNTY
 
WEATHER RADAR AND SPOTTERS REPORTED SEVERAL FUNNEL CLOUDS AND ONE
POSSIBLE TORNADO TOUCHDOWN ON THE CRAWFORD...ROSCOMMON COUNTY LINE
MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.
 
ONE FUNNEL WAS REPORTED NEAR EXIT 244 ON I-75 WITH OTHER REPORTS
IN SOUTHERN CRAWFORD COUNTY SOUTH OF GRAYLING IN BEAVER CREEK
TOWNSHIP NEAR FLETCHER ROAD.
 
TAKE SHELTER IMMEDIATELY IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS DEADLY
STORM.
 
 
IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER IN A NEARBY REINFORCED
BUILDING.  AS A LAST RESORT...SEEK SHELTER IN A CULVERT...DITCH
OR LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.
 
KEITH
 
 
NNNN

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, Jul 5, 8:01 PM EDT, 29 minutes before
MIZ016>055-060100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI
800 PM EDT TUE JUL5 1994

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 563 HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE
NORTH HALF OF LOWER MICHIGAN AND IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 100 AM EDT...

AT 757 PM EDT... RADAR INDICATED NUMEROUS... RAPIDLY DEVELOPING
THUNDERSTORMS OVER NORTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN FROM LUDINGTON TO JUST WEST
OF ALPENA. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR AND WILL
CONTINUE TO SPREAD ACROSS NORTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN OVER THE REMAINDER
OF THE EVENING.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE NORTH HALF OF
LOWER MICHIGAN AND WILL BE IN EFFECT UNTIL 100 AM WEDNESDAY MORNING.
INCLUDED IN THIS WATCH AREA ARE THE COMMUNITIES OF PETOSKEY...ALPENA
...GAYLORD...TRAVERSE CITY...CADILLAC...HOUGHTON LAKE...MT PLEASANT
...LUDINGTON...MUSKEGON...BIG RAPIDS...MIDLAND...AND SAGINAW.

AS STORMS CONTINUE TO INTENSIFY THIS EVENING... THEY WILL BE CAPABLE
OF PRODUCING LARGE HAIL... DANGEROUS CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING... AND
SEVERE WIND GUSTS TO 65 MPH.  HEAVY DOWNPOURS ARE ALSO LIKELY WITH
THESE STORMS.

IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES YOUR AREA... MOVE TO A PLACE OF
SAFETY IMMEDIATELY.  PLEASE STAY TUNED TO NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
WEATHER RADIO FOR THE LATEST STATEMENTS AND WARNINGS IN THIS DANGEROUS
WEATHER SITUATION.

WAGENMAKER
Special weather statement, Jul 5, 8:01 PM EDT, 29 minutes before
MIZ016>055-060100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI
800 PM EDT TUE JUL5 1994

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 563 HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE
NORTH HALF OF LOWER MICHIGAN AND IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 100 AM EDT...

AT 757 PM EDT... RADAR INDICATED NUMEROUS... RAPIDLY DEVELOPING
THUNDERSTORMS OVER NORTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN FROM LUDINGTON TO JUST WEST
OF ALPENA. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR AND WILL
CONTINUE TO SPREAD ACROSS NORTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN OVER THE REMAINDER
OF THE EVENING.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE NORTH HALF OF
LOWER MICHIGAN AND WILL BE IN EFFECT UNTIL 100 AM WEDNESDAY MORNING.
INCLUDED IN THIS WATCH AREA ARE THE COMMUNITIES OF PETOSKEY...ALPENA
...GAYLORD...TRAVERSE CITY...CADILLAC...HOUGHTON LAKE...MT PLEASANT
...LUDINGTON...MUSKEGON...BIG RAPIDS...MIDLAND...AND SAGINAW.

AS STORMS CONTINUE TO INTENSIFY THIS EVENING... THEY WILL BE CAPABLE
OF PRODUCING LARGE HAIL... DANGEROUS CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING... AND
SEVERE WIND GUSTS TO 65 MPH.  HEAVY DOWNPOURS ARE ALSO LIKELY WITH
THESE STORMS.

IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES YOUR AREA... MOVE TO A PLACE OF
SAFETY IMMEDIATELY.  PLEASE STAY TUNED TO NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
WEATHER RADIO FOR THE LATEST STATEMENTS AND WARNINGS IN THIS DANGEROUS
WEATHER SITUATION.

WAGENMAKER

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 5, 9:07 PM EDTTornado WarningDTXOgemaw68 min
Jul 5, 9:41 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXCrawford, Roscommon64 min
Jul 5, 10:08 PM EDTTornado WarningDTXGladwin67 min
Jul 5, 10:20 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXOgemaw35 min
Jul 5, 10:30 PM EDTTornado WarningDTXOgemaw46 min
Jul 6, 12:02 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXTuscola58 min
Jul 6, 1:12 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXSanilac48 min
Jul 6, 1:59 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXSanilac42 min
Jul 6, 2:00 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXSanilac45 min
Jul 6, 2:06 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXSaint Clair54 min
Jul 6, 5:27 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXWayne33 min
Jul 6, 5:51 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXMonroe, Wayne60 min
Jul 6, 5:53 PM EDTTornado WarningDTXOgemaw37 min
Jul 6, 6:45 PM EDTTornado WarningDTXOgemaw30 min
Jul 6, 7:13 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXBay62 min
Jul 6, 7:13 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXMidland33 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Michigan, 1994Every tornado warning in 1994Tornadoes in 1994

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.