Alert archive / Michigan / Tornado Warnings in 1998

Tornado Warning 3, NWS Detroit, MI

May 31, 1998Macomb County, Wayne County, Michigan

NWS Detroit, MI issued this tornado warning at May 31, 1998, 7:33 AM EDT for Macomb County, Wayne County, Michigan. It was in force for 42 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
May 31, 1998, 7:33 AM EDT (11:33 UTC)
Expired
May 31, 1998, 8:15 AM EDT
In force
42 min
Issued by
NWS Detroit, MI
Area
Whole counties

Counties Macomb County, MI, Wayne County, MI

The radar

The Detroit radar (KDTX), 40 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 11:35 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, 7:35 AM EDTThunderstorm Wind 52Fraser, MI
May 31, 7:44 AM EDTThunderstorm Wind 60Dearborn, MI
May 31, 7:45 AM EDTThunderstorm Wind 52Livonia, MI
May 31, 8:03 AM EDTThunderstorm Wind 52St Clair Shrs, 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, 11.6 hours before the alert went out and 39 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.

119 
WFUS01 KDTX 311133 RRA
TORDTX
MIC099-163-311215-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI
733 AM EDT SUN MAY 31 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DETROIT/PONTIAC HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  MACOMB COUNTY IN SOUTHEASTERN LOWER MICHIGAN
  WAYNE COUNTY IN SOUTHEASTERN LOWER MICHIGAN

* UNTIL 815 AM EDT

* AT 730 AM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
  A DEVELOPING TORNADO IN THE VICINITY OF WARREN IN MACOMB
  COUNTY AND NEAR PLYMOUTH IN WAYNE COUNTY. BOTH OF THESE
  STORMS ARE MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 70 MPH.

* SOME AREAS AFFECTED
  ROSEVILLE                     BY 735 AM EDT
  DETROIT                       BY 740 AM EDT


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.

BOYNE

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 WarningDTXLenawee, Washtenaw56 min
May 31, 6:59 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXLivingston56 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

Tornado Warnings in Michigan, 1998Every tornado warning in 1998Tornadoes 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.