Alert archive / Michigan / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1999

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 15, NWS Grand Rapids, MI

May 17, 1999Kent County, Michigan

NWS Grand Rapids, MI issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 17, 1999, 2:13 PM EDT for Kent County, Michigan. It was in force for 32 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 17, 1999, 2:13 PM EDT (18:13 UTC)
Expired: May 17, 1999, 2:45 PM EDT
In force: 32 min
Issued by: NWS Grand Rapids, MI
Area: Whole counties

County Kent County, MI

The radar

The Grand Rapids radar (KGRR), 15 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:16 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

Time	Report	Where	Remark
May 17, 2:45 PM EDT	Hail 0.88	Ada, MI	0.88" diameter hail was observed in Ada.

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 nearest sounding before it

Detroit, MI (KDTX), launched 12:00Z, 6.2 hours before the alert went out and 176 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 653 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -27 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 730 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 18 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 92 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 128 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

The text of this product is not in the archive. The NWS text archive before 2002 is incomplete.

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.

NWS Grand Rapids, MI wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at May 17, 11:53 AM EDT, 2 hours 20 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 17, 11:53 AM EDT, 2 hours 20 minutes before

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In the hours before

Local storm report, May 17, 11:34 AM EDT, 2 hours 39 minutes before

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Special weather statement, May 17, 11:35 AM EDT, 2 hours 38 minutes before

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Special weather statement, May 17, 11:35 AM EDT, 2 hours 38 minutes before

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The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 16, 10:56 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GRR	Allegan, Kent, Ottawa	34 min
May 17, 3:53 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GRR	Van Buren	22 min
May 17, 4:40 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GRR	Allegan, Barry, Calhoun	45 min
May 17, 4:40 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GRR	Ottawa	45 min
May 17, 4:50 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GRR	Eaton, Jackson	25 min
May 17, 4:50 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GRR	Ionia, Kent	25 min
May 17, 4:50 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GRR	Eaton, Jackson	55 min
May 17, 4:50 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GRR	Ionia, Kent	55 min
May 17, 5:13 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GRR	Clinton, Ingham, Montcalm	62 min
May 17, 5:38 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GRR	Isabella, Mecosta	52 min
May 17, 5:38 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GRR	Gratiot	52 min
May 17, 5:41 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GRR	Van Buren	49 min
May 17, 5:45 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GRR	Calhoun, Jackson	45 min
May 17, 5:59 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GRR	Clare, Osceola	61 min
May 17, 6:20 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GRR	Ingham	40 min
May 17, 6:26 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	GRR	Kalamazoo	49 min
May 17, 7:05 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GRR	Barry, Eaton	40 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Michigan, 1999 Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1999

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.