Alert archive / Michigan / Tornado Warnings in 1996

Tornado Warning 12, NWS Detroit, MI

June 22, 1996Saint Clair County, Michigan

NWS Detroit, MI issued this tornado warning at Jun 22, 1996, 12:46 AM EDT for Saint Clair County, Michigan. It was in force for 59 min. 4 reports 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
Jun 22, 1996, 12:46 AM EDT (04:46 UTC)
Expired
Jun 22, 1996, 1:45 AM EDT
In force
59 min
Issued by
NWS Detroit, MI
Area
Whole counties

County Saint Clair County, MI

The radar

The Detroit radar (KDTX), 71 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 04:48 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jun 22, 12:50 AM EDTTornado F1Imlay City, MI
Jun 22, 1:00 AM EDTTornado F2Yale, MI
Jun 22, 1:00 AM EDTThunderstorm Wind 60Capac, MI
Jun 22, 1:33 AM EDTHail 0.75Port Huron, 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.

The nearest sounding before it

Detroit, MI (KDTX), launched 00:00Z, 4.8 hours before the alert went out and 67 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 1996-06-22Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 471 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 1996-06-22The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 135 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
471 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-70 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
997 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
44 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
135 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
223 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.2
Supercell composite
3.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KDTX 220447
TORDTX
MIC147-220545-
 
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT PONTIAC MI
1246 AM EDT SAT JUN 22 1996
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DETROIT PONTIAC HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 145 AM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN SOUTHEAST LOWER MICHIGAN
 
   ...ST. CLAIR COUNTY
 
AT 1245 AM... DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO IN SOUTHEAST
LAPEER COUNTY JUST NORTH OF IMLAY CITY. THE STORM PRODUCING THIS POSSIBLTORNADO WAS MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 40 MPH AND WILL BE AFFECTING THE ST CLAICOUNTY COMMUNITIES OF CAPAC AND EMMETT BETWEEN 100 AM AND 115 AM.
RESIDENTS OF THESE AREAS SHOULD TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY.
 
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.
 
WAGENMAKER

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 21, 9:52 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningDTXMidland3 hr
Jun 21, 10:20 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXMidland40 min
Jun 21, 10:35 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningDTXBay, Saginaw3 hr
Jun 21, 10:47 PM EDTTornado WarningDTXMidland, Saginaw43 min
Jun 21, 11:14 PM EDTTornado WarningDTXGenesee61 min
Jun 21, 11:33 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningDTXTuscola3 hr
Jun 21, 11:34 PM EDTTornado WarningDTXLapeer56 min
Jun 21, 11:45 PM EDTTornado WarningDTXSaginaw, Tuscola30 min
Jun 22, 12:07 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXBay, Tuscola68 min
Jun 22, 12:18 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXTuscola57 min
Jun 22, 12:23 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningDTXLapeer3 hr
Jun 22, 12:30 AM EDTTornado WarningDTXLapeer45 min
Jun 22, 1:02 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningDTXSaint Clair, Sanilac3 hr
Jun 22, 1:02 AM EDTTornado WarningDTXLapeer43 min
Jun 22, 1:40 AM EDTTornado WarningDTXSaint Clair65 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Michigan, 1996Every tornado warning in 1996Tornadoes in 1996

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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.