Alert archive / Michigan / Tornado Warnings in 1996

Tornado Warning 1, NWS Grand Rapids, MI

May 20, 1996Ingham County, Jackson County, Michigan

NWS Grand Rapids, MI issued this tornado warning at May 20, 1996, 4:25 PM EDT for Ingham County, Jackson County, Michigan. It was in force for 35 min. 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 20, 1996, 4:25 PM EDT (20:25 UTC)
Expired
May 20, 1996, 5:00 PM EDT
In force
35 min
Issued by
NWS Grand Rapids, MI
Area
Whole counties

Counties Ingham County, MI, Jackson County, MI

The radar

The Detroit radar (KDTX), 82 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:25 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.

The nearest sounding before it

Detroit, MI (KDTX), launched 12:00Z, 8.4 hours before the alert went out and 86 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 1996-05-20Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 385 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 1996-05-20The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 37 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
385 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-24 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
956 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
49 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
37 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
97 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.1
Supercell composite
0.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KGRR 202026
TORGRR
MIC065-075-202100-
 
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI
425 PM EDT MON MAY 20 1996
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND RAPIDS HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  500 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN SOUTH CENTRAL LOWER MICHIGAN
 
   ...SOUTHERN INGHAM COUNTY...NORTHERN JACKSON COUNTY
 
AT 420 PM... DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO LOCATED 6 MILES
EAST OF LESLIE ALONG THE INGHAM... JACKSON BORDER AND WAS MOVING EAST AT
35 MPH. THIS TORNADO WILL HIT THE TOWNS OF MUNITH... FITCHBURG... BUNKER
HILL AND STOCKBRIDGE THROUGH 5 PM.
 
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO THE SAFEST SHELTER IS IN A
BASEMENT. GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR A 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.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 20, 3:36 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGRRCalhoun, Eaton24 min
May 20, 3:54 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGRRIngham, Jackson51 min
May 20, 7:52 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningGRRAllegan, Ottawa4 hr

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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.