Alert archive / Michigan / Tornado Warnings in 1997
Tornado Warning 12, NWS Detroit, MI
NWS Detroit, MI issued this tornado warning at Jul 2, 1997, 5:40 PM EDT for Oakland County, Michigan. It was in force for 30 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
- Jul 2, 1997, 5:40 PM EDT (21:40 UTC)
- Expired
- Jul 2, 1997, 6:10 PM EDT
- In force
- 30 min
- Issued by
- NWS Detroit, MI
- Area
- Whole counties
County Oakland County, MI
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 2, 5:40 PM EDT | Thunderstorm Wind 60 | Milford, MI | |
| Jul 2, 6:05 PM EDT | Thunderstorm Wind 60 | Oak Park, MI | |
| Jul 2, 6:05 PM EDT | Thunderstorm Wind 60 | Royal Oak, MI | |
| Jul 2, 6:05 PM EDT | Thunderstorm Wind 60 | Troy, 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 watch it was issued in
The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.
| Issued | Product | Office | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 2, 1:45 PM EDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | 6 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Detroit, MI (KDTX), launched 12:00Z, 9.7 hours before the alert went out and 8 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 103 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -131 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1006 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 32 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 119 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 140 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.7
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
TTAA00 KDTX 022142 RRA
TORDTX
MIC125-022210-
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI
540 PM EDT WED JUL 2 1997
* TORNADO WARNING FOR
OAKLAND COUNTY - SOUTHEASTERN LOWER MICHIGAN
* UNTIL 610 PM EDT
* SOME AREAS AFFECTED
ORTONVILLE BY 538 PM EDT
CLARKSTON BY 540 PM EDT
OXFORD BY 554 PM EDT
LAKE ORION BY 556 PM EDT
ROCHESTER BY 605 PM EDT
* AT 537 PM EDT...A TORNADO WAS INDICATED BY DETROIT/PONTIAC
DOPPLER RADAR AND SPOTTER REPORTS 13 MILES NORTHWEST OF PONTIAC
OR 4 MILES NORTHWEST OF CLARKSTON MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH.
P
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IN A HOME OR
BUSINESS IS AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR POSSIBLE. AVOID
WINDOWS.
&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 2, 1:30 PM EDT, 4 hours 10 minutes before
MIZ047>049-053>055-060>063-068>070-075-076-082-083-021900- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI 130 PM EDT WED JUL 02 1997 ...TORNADO WATCH 553 IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM... TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 553 IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN UNTIL 800 PM. THIS INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES... BAY MIDLAND SAGINAW TUSCOLA HURON SANILAC LAPEER GENESSEE SHIAWASSEE ST CLAIR MACOMB OAKLAND LIVINGSTON WASTENAW WAYNE LENAWEE MONROE AT 130 PM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING IN CENTRAL LOWER MICHIGAN FROM CADILLAC TO JUST NORTH OF GRAND RAPIDS. THIS LINE IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE BUILDING SOUTH DURING THE AFTERNOON WITH THE INDIVIDUAL STORMS MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH. THIS ACTIVITY WILL LIKELY REACH MIDLAND COUNTY BY 300 PM AND THEN POINTS SOUTH AND EAST INTO THE REST OF SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN LATER IN THE AFTERNOON INTO THIS EVENING. A TORNADO WATCH MEANS THAT SEVERE THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT IS LIKELY IN THE WATCH AREA WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF TORNADOES. PERSONS IN THE WATCH AREA SHOULD BE ALERT FOR RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND BE PREPARED TO SEEK SHELTER IF THUNDERSTORMS APPROACH. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...LOCAL RADIO AND TELEVISION...OR CABLE TELEVISION OUTLETS FOR LATER UPDATES AND POSSIBLE SEVERE WEATHER WARNINGS. BT
Special weather statement, Jul 2, 1:33 PM EDT, 4 hours 7 minutes before
MIZ047>049-053>055-060>063-068>070-075-076-082-083-021900- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI 130 PM EDT WED JUL 02 1997 ...TORNADO WATCH 553 IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM... TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 553 IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN UNTIL 800 PM. THIS INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES... BAY MIDLAND SAGINAW TUSCOLA HURON SANILAC LAPEER GENESSEE SHIAWASSEE ST CLAIR MACOMB OAKLAND LIVINGSTON WASTENAW WAYNE LENAWEE MONROE AT 130 PM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING IN CENTRAL LOWER MICHIGAN FROM CADILLAC TO JUST NORTH OF GRAND RAPIDS. THIS LINE IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE BUILDING SOUTH DURING THE AFTERNOON WITH THE INDIVIDUAL STORMS MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH. THIS ACTIVITY WILL LIKELY REACH MIDLAND COUNTY BY 300 PM AND THEN POINTS SOUTH AND EAST INTO THE REST OF SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN LATER IN THE AFTERNOON INTO THIS EVENING. A TORNADO WATCH MEANS THAT SEVERE THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT IS LIKELY IN THE WATCH AREA WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF TORNADOES. PERSONS IN THE WATCH AREA SHOULD BE ALERT FOR RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND BE PREPARED TO SEEK SHELTER IF THUNDERSTORMS APPROACH. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...LOCAL RADIO AND TELEVISION...OR CABLE TELEVISION OUTLETS FOR LATER UPDATES AND POSSIBLE SEVERE WEATHER WARNINGS. BT
The office that day
Everything else NWS Detroit, MI issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 2, 3:05 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | DTX | Saginaw | 40 min |
| Jul 2, 3:31 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DTX | Bay | 44 min |
| Jul 2, 3:46 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | DTX | Saginaw | 29 min |
| Jul 2, 4:01 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | DTX | Genesee, Shiawassee | 44 min |
| Jul 2, 4:15 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | DTX | Saginaw | 30 min |
| Jul 2, 4:39 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DTX | Tuscola | 51 min |
| Jul 2, 4:46 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | DTX | Genesee | 29 min |
| Jul 2, 4:55 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | DTX | Livingston | 35 min |
| Jul 2, 5:01 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | DTX | Lapeer | 44 min |
| Jul 2, 5:21 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DTX | Oakland | 54 min |
| Jul 2, 5:35 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | DTX | Livingston, Washtenaw | 35 min |
| Jul 2, 5:48 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | DTX | Wayne | 42 min |
| Jul 2, 6:20 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | DTX | Macomb, Saint Clair | 25 min |
| Jul 2, 6:29 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | DTX | Wayne | 31 min |
| Jul 2, 7:01 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | DTX | Wayne | 29 min |
| Jul 2, 7:30 PM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | DTX | Macomb, Wayne | 3 hr |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Michigan, 1997Every tornado warning in 1997Tornadoes in 1997
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.