Alert archive / Michigan / Tornado Warnings in 1997

Tornado Warning 5, NWS Detroit, MI

July 2, 1997Saginaw County, Michigan

NWS Detroit, MI issued this tornado warning at Jul 2, 1997, 3:46 PM EDT for Saginaw County, Michigan. It was in force for 29 min. 3 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, 3:46 PM EDT (19:46 UTC)
Expired
Jul 2, 1997, 4:15 PM EDT
In force
29 min
Issued by
NWS Detroit, MI
Area
Whole counties

County Saginaw County, MI

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jul 2, 3:50 PM EDTTornado F1Chesaning, MI
Jul 2, 4:10 PM EDTTornado F1Layton Corners, MI
Jul 2, 4:20 PM EDTTornado F1Burt, 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
Jul 2, 1:45 PM EDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Detroit, MI (KDTX), launched 12:00Z, 7.8 hours before the alert went out and 85 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 1997-07-02Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 103 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 1997-07-02The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 119 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
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

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KDTX 021948 RRA
TORDTX
MIC145-022015-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI
346 PM EDT WED JUL 2 1997

*   TORNADO WARNING FOR
    SAGINAW COUNTY - SOUTHEASTERN LOWER MICHIGAN

*   UNTIL 415 PM EDT
 
*   SOME AREAS AFFECTED
    CHESANING                     BY 358 PM EDT
    LAYTON CORNERS                BY 400 PM EDT

  AT 342 PM EDT...A POSSIBLE TORNADO WAS INDICATED BY DETROIT/PONTIAC
  DOPPLER RADAR AND SPOTTER REPORTS 25 MILES SOUTHWEST OF SAGINAW OR
  9 MILES WEST OF CHESANING MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH.

  HAIL 1 INCH IN DIAMETER AND DAMAGING WINDS WILL BE POSSIBLE TOWARD
  ST CHARLES AND SAGINAW AS WELL.
 
WHEN THUNDERSTORMS ARE OCCURRING...PEOPLE SHOULD MOVE INSIDE A
STRONG BUILDING.  DO NOT STAND BY WINDOWS.  DO NOT USE TELEPHONES OR
ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES UNLESS IN AN EMERGENCY UNTIL THE STORM HAS
PASSED.  MOTORISTS SHOULD NOT DRIVE INTO LOW WATER CROSSINGS.

IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE.`..SEEK SHELTER FROM THE WEATHER IN A
STRONG BUILDING.  DAMAGING WIND...LARGE HAIL...VERY HEAVY RAIN AND
DEADLY LIGHTNING ARE ALL POSSIBLE IN SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS.  STAY
INSIDE AWAY FROM WINDOWS UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED.

BT/DK

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 2, 3:05 PM EDTTornado WarningDTXSaginaw40 min
Jul 2, 3:31 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXBay44 min
Jul 2, 4:01 PM EDTTornado WarningDTXGenesee, Shiawassee44 min
Jul 2, 4:15 PM EDTTornado WarningDTXSaginaw30 min
Jul 2, 4:39 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXTuscola51 min
Jul 2, 4:46 PM EDTTornado WarningDTXGenesee29 min
Jul 2, 4:55 PM EDTTornado WarningDTXLivingston35 min
Jul 2, 5:01 PM EDTTornado WarningDTXLapeer44 min
Jul 2, 5:21 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXOakland54 min
Jul 2, 5:35 PM EDTTornado WarningDTXLivingston, Washtenaw35 min
Jul 2, 5:40 PM EDTTornado WarningDTXOakland30 min
Jul 2, 5:48 PM EDTTornado WarningDTXWayne42 min
Jul 2, 6:20 PM EDTTornado WarningDTXMacomb, Saint Clair25 min
Jul 2, 6:29 PM EDTTornado WarningDTXWayne31 min
Jul 2, 7:01 PM EDTTornado WarningDTXWayne29 min
Jul 2, 7:30 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningDTXMacomb, Wayne3 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.