Alert archive / Michigan / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 39, NWS Detroit, MI

May 31, 1998Lenawee County, Washtenaw County, Michigan

NWS Detroit, MI issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 31, 1998, 6:59 AM EDT for Lenawee County, Washtenaw County, Michigan. It was in force for 56 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
May 31, 1998, 6:59 AM EDT (10:59 UTC)
Expired
May 31, 1998, 7:55 AM EDT
In force
56 min
Issued by
NWS Detroit, MI
Area
Whole counties

Counties Lenawee County, MI, Washtenaw County, MI

The radar

The Detroit radar (KDTX), 80 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 11:00 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
May 31, 7:20 AM EDTThunderstorm Wind 52Dexter, 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
May 31, 3:45 AM EDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Detroit, MI (KDTX), launched 00:00Z, 11.0 hours before the alert went out and 84 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 1998-05-31Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 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 1998-05-31The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 86 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1677 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
54 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
86 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
154 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.

000 
TTAA00 KDTX 311059 RRA
SVRDTX
MIC091-093-161-311155-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION/IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI
659 AM EDT SUN MAY 31 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DETROIT/PONTIAC HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  LIVINGSTON COUNTY IN SOUTHEASTERN LOWER MICHIGAN
  WASHTENAW COUNTY IN SOUTHEASTERN LOWER MICHIGAN
  LENAWEE COUNTY IN SOUTHEASTERN LOWER MICHIGAN

* UNTIL 755 AM EDT

* AT 656 AM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
  A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FROM HARTLAND IN LIVINGSTON COUNTY
  TO JACKSON MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 70 MPH.

* SOME AREAS AFFECTED

  HAMBURG                       BY 705 AM EDT
  BRIGHTON                      BY 705 AM EDT
  ANN ARBOR                     BY 715 AM EDT
  ADRIAN                        BY 730 AM EDT


A TORNADO WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT.  REMEMBER... TORNADOES CAN AND
OCCASIONALLY DO DEVELOP RAPIDLY IN SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS.  IF
THREATENING WEATHER IS OBSERVED... MOVE TO SAFE SHELTER IMMEDIATELY.

THIS STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING WINDS UP TO 70 MPH. A WIND GUST
TO 70 MPH HAS THE POTENTIAL TO PUSH OVER SHALLOW ROOTED TREES AND TO
DAMAGE CHIMNEYS A:ND TV ANTENNAS. DO NOT USE TELEPHONES UNLESS IN AN
EMERGENCY UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED.

BOYNE

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm 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, May 31, 4:00 AM EDT, 2 hours 59 minutes before
MIZ047>049-053>055-060>063-068>070-075-076-082-083-311200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI
400 AM EDT SUN MAY 31 1998

...TORNADO WATCH 474 IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN
UNTIL 1000 AM...

TORNADO WATCH 474 IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN UNTIL
1000 AM THIS MORNING. THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES ARE INCLUDED IN THIS
WATCH...

MIDLAND          BAY          TUSCOLA          HURON
SANILAC          SAGINAW      SHIAWASSEE       GENESEE
LAPEER           ST CLAIR     LIVINGSTON       OAKLAND
MACOMB           WASHTENAW    WAYNE            LENAWEE
MONROE

THIS INCLUDES THE TRI CITIES...FLINT...BAD AXE...PORT HURON...
HOWELL...THE DETROIT METRO AREA...ADRIAN AND MONROE AND SURROUNDING
CITIES AND TOWNS.

WARM AIR SURGING NORTH THROUGH LOWER MICHIGAN EARLY THIS MORNING WILL
FUEL A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS MOVING SOUTHEAST FROM WISCONSIN.
SCATTERED STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE IN ADVANCE OF
THE MAIN LINE...HOWEVER...THE BEST CHANCE FOR SEVERE WEATHER IN
SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN WILL BE BETWEEN 500 AND 900 AM.

THE GREATEST THREAT FROM THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE DAMAGING STRAIGHT
LINE WIND AND POSSIBLY A TORNADO. WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH ARE
EXPECTED WITH A FEW INSTANCES OF GUSTS NEAR 100 MPH POSSIBLE. LARGE
HAIL MAY ALSO OCCUR.

YOU SHOULD CAREFULLY MONITOR THE WEATHER SITUATION THIS MORNING AND
LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND WARNINGS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE. BE PREPARED TO TAKE ACTION IF A WARNING IS ISSUED FOR YOUR
AREA.

BT

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 31, 12:19 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXTuscola41 min
May 31, 1:33 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXHuron27 min
May 31, 5:37 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXMidland53 min
May 31, 5:46 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXBay, Saginaw, Shiawassee64 min
May 31, 6:06 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXLenawee, Livingston, Washtenaw54 min
May 31, 6:13 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXGenesee, Tuscola57 min
May 31, 6:25 AM EDTTornado WarningDTXGenesee, Shiawassee60 min
May 31, 6:31 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXHuron, Lapeer, Sanilac59 min
May 31, 6:31 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXOakland59 min
May 31, 6:53 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXMacomb, Saint Clair, Wayne57 min
May 31, 6:53 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXMonroe57 min
May 31, 6:59 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXLivingston56 min
May 31, 7:33 AM EDTTornado WarningDTXMacomb, Wayne42 min
May 31, 8:46 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXMonroe34 min
May 31, 12:41 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXWayne44 min
May 31, 1:50 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXLenawee40 min
May 31, 2:10 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXMonroe65 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Michigan, 1998Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1998

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.