Alert archive / Michigan / Flash Flood Warnings in 1996

Flash Flood Warning 4, NWS Grand Rapids, MI

May 10, 1996Berrien County, Cass County, Michigan

NWS Grand Rapids, MI issued this flash flood warning at May 10, 1996, 12:11 AM EDT for Berrien County, Cass County, Michigan. It was in force for 3 hr. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 10, 1996, 12:11 AM EDT (04:11 UTC)
Expired
May 10, 1996, 3:15 AM EDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Grand Rapids, MI
Area
Whole counties

Counties Berrien County, MI, Cass County, MI

The nearest sounding before it

Detroit, MI (KDTX), launched 00:00Z, 4.2 hours before the alert went out and 245 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 1996-05-10Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 610 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 1996-05-10The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 83 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
610 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-33 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
534 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
50 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
83 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
200 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
5.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KGRR 100415 COR
FFWGRR
MIC021-027-100715-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED...CORRECTED
FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI
1211 AM EDT FRI MAY 10 1996

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND RAPIDS HAS ISSUED A
FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  300 AM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...

IN SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN

   ...CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN BERRIEN COUNTY...CASS COUNTY

AT 1210 AM EDT... NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR HAD ESTIMATED
RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 1 TO 2 INCHES ACROSS THE SOUTHERN HALF OF BERRIEN
AND CASS COUNTIES SINCE 1100 PM. FLOODING OF STREETS AND LOW LYING AREAS
HAS BEEN REPORTED AROUND THE COMMUNITIES OF BRIDGEMAN... GLENDORA... AND
NILES IN BERRIEN COUNTY. EXTENSIVE FLOODING OF SAWYER ROAD IN SAWYER HAS
BEEN REPORTED. A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING BACK INTO
NORTHERN ILLINOIS WILL CONTINUE TO TRACK ACROSS BERRIEN AND CASS
COUNTIES THROUGH 300 AM... WITH ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 1 TO 2
INCHES POSSIBLE ACROSS THESE COUNTIES. THIS WILL CONTINUE TO RESULT IN
FLOODING PROBLEMS ACROSS BERRIEN AND CASS COUNTIES THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT
HOURS.

DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE ROAD.
THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAtT TO ALLOW YOU TO CROSS SAFELY.
VEHICLES CAUGHT IN RISING WATER SHOULD BE ABANDONED QUICKLY... AND
YOU SHOULD MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND.

TRH

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this flash flood warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 9, 7:03 PM EDT, 5 hours 8 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS, MI
651 PM EDT THU MAY 09 1996

...SEVERE WEATHER AND OTHER SIGNIFICANT STORM REPORTS FOR
           WEDNESDAY EVENING...MAY 9 1996...

TIME(EDT)   .....LOCATION.....    STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...

455 PM     3 WEST OF MOTTVILLE     MI     ONE INCH HAIL
            CASS COUNTY

505 PM      CONSTANTINE            MI     ONE INCH HAIL
            ST JOSEPH COUNTY

515 PM      CENTREVILLE            MI     ONE INCH HAIL
            ST JOSEPH COUNTY

515 PM      WHITE PIGEON           MI     GOLF BALL HAIL
           ST JOSEPH COUNTY

545 PM      HILLSDALE              MI     MARBLE SIZE HAIL
            HILLSDALE COUNTY              1.5* INCHES /STREET FLOODING

...W MARINO...
Local storm report, May 9, 7:11 PM EDT, 5 hours before
STORM REPORT CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS, MI
711 PM EDT THU MAY 09 1996

...SEVERE WEATHER AND OTHER SIGNIFICANT STORM REPORTS FOR
           WEDNESDAY EVENING...MAY 9 1996...

TIME(EDT)   .....LOCATION.....    STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...

455 PM     3 WEST OF MOTTVILLE     MI     ONE INCH HAIL
            CASS COUNTY

505 PM      CONSTANTINE            MI     ONE INCH HAIL
            ST JOSEPH COUNTY

515 PM      CENTREVILLE            MI     ONE INCH HAIL
            ST JOSEPH COUNTY

515 PM      WHITE PIGEON           MI     GOLF BALL HAIL
           ST JOSEPH COUNTY
534 PM      HILLSDALE              MI     MARBLE SIZE HAIL
            HILLSDALE COUNTY     >         1.5 INCHES /STREET FLOODING

CORRECTED TO TIME OF HILLSDALE SEVERE WEATHER

...W MARINO...
Special weather statement, May 9, 7:23 PM EDT, 4 hours 48 minutes before
MIZ081-100100-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI
723 PM EDT THU MAY 9 1996

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 200 AM EDT FOR
HILLSDALE COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL LOWER MICHIGAN...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
WATCH... IN EFFECT UNTIL 200 AM EDT... FOR HILLSDALE COUNTY IN SOUTH
CENTRAL LOWER MICHIGAN. A FEW COMMUNITIES INCLUDED IN THE WATCH ARE
HILLSDALE AND MONTGOMERY.

AT 720 PM EDT... DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF STRONG TO SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS FROM NEAR DETROIT SOUTHWEST TO NEAR LAFAYETTE IN
INDIANA. THIS LINE OF STORMS WAS MOVING TO THE EAST AT ABOUT 35
MPH... AND WILL AFFECT SOUTHEAST LOWER MICHIGAN OVER THE NEXT FEW
HOURS. SHOWERS... AND A FEW IMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS WERE OCCURRING
ACROSS HILLSDALE COUNTY... BUT NONE OF THESE WERE SEVERE.

SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL PERSIST THROUGH THE
EVENING... AND STRONGER STORMS COULD DEVELOP OR MOVE BACK INTO THE
AREA LATER THIS EVENING.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE
POSSIBLE IN AND NEAR THE WATCH AREA. BE ON THE WATCH FOR
THREATENING WEATHER AND LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO... COMMERCIAL
RADIO OR TELEVISION FbOR FURTHER INFORMATION.

TRH
Special weather statement, May 9, 8:26 PM EDT, 3 hours 45 minutes before
MIZ081-100100-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI
826 PM EDT THU MAY 9 1996

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 200 AM EDT FOR
HILLSDALE COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL LOWER MICHIGAN...

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 200 AM EDT FOR
HILLSDALE COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL LOWER MICHIGAN. A FEW COMMUNITIES
INCLUDED IN THE WATCH ARE HILLSDALE AND MONTGOMERY.

AT 825 PM EDT... DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF STRONG TO SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS FROM NORTHEAST OF DETROIT SOUTHWEST TO NEAR FORT WAYNE
IN INDIANA. THIS LINE OF STORMS WAS MOVING TO THE EAST AT ABOUT 35
MPH... AND WILL EXIT LOWER MICHIGAN BY 900 PM. ANOTHER AREA OF
THUNDERSTORMS WAS DEVELOPING FROM NEAR SOUTH BEND WEST TO SOUTH OF
CHICAGO. THESE STORMS WERE ALSO MOVING EAST... WHICH SHOULD KEEP
THEM SOUTH OF THE BORDER... BUT ANY NORTHWARD MOVEMENT COULD BRING
THEM INTO HILLSDALE COUNTY AFTER 900 PM.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE
POSSIBLE IN AND NEAR THE WATCH AREA. BE ON THE WATCH FOR
THREATENING WEATHER AND LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO... COMMERCIAL
RADIO OR TELEVISION FOR FURTHER INFORMATION.

TRH
Special weather statement, May 9, 9:00 PM EDT, 3 hours 11 minutes before
MIZ081-100200-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI
855 PM EDT THU MAY 9 1996

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH CANCELLED FOR HILLSDALE COUNTY...

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH THAT WAS IN EFFECT FOR HILLSDALE COUNTY
IN SOUTH CENTRAL LOWER MICHIGAN HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

THE COMPLEX OF THUNDERSTORMS WHICH PROMPTED THE WATCH HAVE MOVED
EAST AND OUT OF LOWER MICHIGAN. THESE STORMS PRODUCED 1/2 TO 1 INCH
HAIL ACROSS PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST... SOUTH CENTRAL... AND SOUTHEAST
LOWER MICHIGAN LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY THIS EVENING. ANOTHER
AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS IS CURRENTLY DEVELOPING ACROSS NORTHERN
ILLINOIS AND NORTHWEST INDIANA. THESE STORMS SHOULD MOVE EAST AND
STAY SOlUTH OF THE BORDER. HOWEVER... A THIRD AREA OF STORMS OVER
EASTERN IOWA COULD MOVE INTO SOUTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN AFTER MIDNIGHT.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION.

TRH

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 10, 12:03 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGRRBerrien42 min
May 10, 3:08 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningGRRBerrien, Cass5 hr
May 10, 8:30 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningGRRBerrien, Cass7 hr
May 10, 2:40 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningGRRBerrien, Cass6 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Michigan, 1996Every flash flood warning 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.