Alert archive / Michigan / Tornado Warnings in 1997

Tornado Warning 2, NWS Detroit, MI

June 21, 1997Lapeer County, Michigan

NWS Detroit, MI issued this tornado warning at Jun 21, 1997, 5:31 PM EDT for Lapeer County, Michigan. It was in force for 44 min. 1 report 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 21, 1997, 5:31 PM EDT (21:31 UTC)
Expired
Jun 21, 1997, 6:15 PM EDT
In force
44 min
Issued by
NWS Detroit, MI
Area
Whole counties

County Lapeer County, MI

The radar

The Detroit radar (KDTX), 48 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:30 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 21, 6:00 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 55Almont, 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.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Jun 21, 4:00 PM EDTTornado WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Detroit, MI (KDTX), launched 12:00Z, 9.5 hours before the alert went out and 44 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 1997-06-21Temperature 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°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Detroit, MI at 12:00Z on 1997-06-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 4 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
801 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
18 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
4 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
11 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.

470 
WFUS01 KDTX 212132 RRA
TORDTX
MIC087-212215-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI
531 PM EDT SAT JUN 21 1997

*   TORNADO WARNING FOR
    LAPEER COUNTY - SOUTHEASTERN LOWER MICHIGAN

*   UNTIL 615 PM EDT
 
*   SOME AREAS AFFECTED
    COLUMBIAVILLE                 BY 535 PM EDT
    NORTH BRANCH                  BY 553 PM EDT
    KINGS MILL                    BY 555 PM EDT
    LUM                           BY 557 PM EDT

*   AT 529 PM EDT...A POSSIBLE TORNADO WAS INDICATED BY
    DETROIT/PONTIAC   DOPPLER RADAR AND SPOTTER REPORTS 12 MILES
    NORTHWEST OF LAPEER OR 4 MILES NORTHWEST OF COLUMBIAVILLE
    MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH. 

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.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 20, 10:59 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXLenawee46 min
Jun 21, 4:31 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXShiawassee59 min
Jun 21, 4:47 PM EDTTornado WarningDTXGenesee43 min
Jun 21, 5:48 PM EDTTornado WarningDTXGenesee27 min
Jun 21, 6:04 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningDTXGenesee, Lapeer2 hr
Jun 21, 6:18 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXSaint Clair, Sanilac57 min
Jun 21, 6:40 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXOakland35 min
Jun 21, 6:50 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXMacomb65 min
Jun 21, 7:15 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXSaint Clair45 min
Jun 21, 7:24 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXWayne31 min

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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.