Alert archive / Michigan / Tornado Warnings in 1996

Tornado Warning 2, NWS Detroit, MI

April 12, 1996Monroe County, Michigan

NWS Detroit, MI issued this tornado warning at Apr 12, 1996, 4:45 PM EDT for Monroe County, Michigan. It was in force for 45 min. 2 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
Apr 12, 1996, 4:45 PM EDT (20:45 UTC)
Expired
Apr 12, 1996, 5:30 PM EDT
In force
45 min
Issued by
NWS Detroit, MI
Area
Whole counties

County Monroe County, MI

The radar

The Detroit radar (KDTX), 87 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:48 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
Apr 12, 4:57 PM EDTTornado F0Ottawa Lake, MI
Apr 12, 5:00 PM EDTHail 2.5Lambertville, 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 12:00Z, 8.8 hours before the alert went out and 89 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 1996-04-12Temperature 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 1996-04-12The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 144 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1032 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
59 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
144 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
146 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 KDTX 122046
TORDTX
MIC115-122130-
 
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT PONTIAC MI
445 PM EDT FRI APR 12 1996
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DETROIT PONTIAC HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  530 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN SOUTHEAST LOWER MICHIGAN
 
   ...SOUTHERN MONROE COUNTY
 
THIS WARNING ALSO INCLUDES THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS OF THE COUNTIES
JUST MENTIONED.
 
AT 443 PM...WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO
ON THE LENAWEE COUNTY...MONROE COUNTY LINE NEAR OTTAWA LAKE. THIS STORM
WAS MOVING EAST AT 45 MPH AND WILL AFFECT THE COMMUNITIES OF
TEMPERANCE...LAMBERVILLE AND ERIE BETWEEN 445 PM AND 510 PM.
 
 
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 BLANKETS...PILLOWS...
OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY.  AVOID WINDOWS.
 
 
NADOLSKI

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 12, 10:37 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXGenesee, Lapeer38 min
Apr 12, 2:48 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXShiawassee57 min
Apr 12, 3:39 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXLenawee66 min
Apr 12, 4:16 PM EDTTornado WarningDTXLenawee44 min
Apr 12, 4:32 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXMonroe58 min
Apr 12, 4:40 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXWayne65 min
Apr 12, 5:03 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXLenawee27 min
Apr 12, 5:57 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXLenawee63 min
Apr 12, 6:46 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXMidland44 min
Apr 12, 7:05 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXBay40 min
Apr 12, 7:41 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXLenawee, Monroe49 min
Apr 12, 7:45 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXLivingston45 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.