Alert archive / Michigan / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1999

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 21, NWS Grand Rapids, MI

May 17, 1999Eaton County, Jackson County, Michigan

NWS Grand Rapids, MI issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 17, 1999, 4:50 PM EDT for Eaton County, Jackson County, Michigan. It was in force for 55 min. 2 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 17, 1999, 4:50 PM EDT (20:50 UTC)
Expired
May 17, 1999, 5:45 PM EDT
In force
55 min
Issued by
NWS Grand Rapids, MI
Area
Whole counties

Counties Eaton County, MI, Jackson County, MI

The radar

The Grand Rapids radar (KGRR), 91 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:51 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 17, 5:00 PM EDTThunderstorm WindCountywide, MINumerous trees and power lines were downed across the county. A small plane at the Fitch Beach Airport in Charlotte was flipped over by strong winds.
May 17, 5:00 PM EDTHail 0.75Parma, MI0.75" hail was reported in Parma. Numerous trees and power lines were also brought down in the Napoleon and Clark Lake areas.

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 17, 2:35 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Detroit, MI (KDTX), launched 12:00Z, 8.8 hours before the alert went out and 104 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 1999-05-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 653 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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 1999-05-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 92 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
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.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 16, 10:56 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGRRAllegan, Kent, Ottawa34 min
May 17, 2:13 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGRRKent32 min
May 17, 3:53 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGRRVan Buren22 min
May 17, 4:40 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGRRAllegan, Barry, Calhoun45 min
May 17, 4:40 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGRROttawa45 min
May 17, 4:50 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGRREaton, Jackson25 min
May 17, 4:50 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGRRIonia, Kent25 min
May 17, 4:50 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGRRIonia, Kent55 min
May 17, 5:13 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGRRClinton, Ingham, Montcalm62 min
May 17, 5:38 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGRRIsabella, Mecosta52 min
May 17, 5:38 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGRRGratiot52 min
May 17, 5:41 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGRRVan Buren49 min
May 17, 5:45 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGRRCalhoun, Jackson45 min
May 17, 5:59 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGRRClare, Osceola61 min
May 17, 6:20 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGRRIngham40 min
May 17, 6:26 PM EDTTornado WarningGRRKalamazoo49 min
May 17, 7:05 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGRRBarry, Eaton40 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Michigan, 1999Every 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.