Alert archive / Michigan / Tornado Watches in 2000

Tornado Watch 256

May 9, 200020 counties in Michigan

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at May 9, 2000, 6:30 PM EDT for 20 counties in Michigan. It was in force for 5 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
May 9, 2000, 6:30 PM EDT (22:30 UTC)
Expired
May 9, 2000, 11:00 PM EDT
In force
5 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center

Counties Barry County, MI, Branch County, MI, Calhoun County, MI, Clinton County, MI, Eaton County, MI, Genesee County, MI, Hillsdale County, MI, Ingham County, MI, Ionia County, MI, Jackson County, MI, Kalamazoo County, MI, Kent County, MI, Lenawee County, MI, Livingston County, MI, Monroe County, MI, Oakland County, MI, Saint Joseph County, MI, Shiawassee County, MI, Washtenaw County, MI, Wayne County, MI

The radar

The Grand Rapids radar (KGRR), 81 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:34 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.

Warnings issued inside it

18 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 9, 6:34 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGRRCalhoun41 min
May 9, 6:49 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXLenawee41 min
May 9, 6:57 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXMonroe, Wayne63 min
May 9, 7:13 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGRRCalhoun32 min
May 9, 7:17 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningIWXHillsdale58 min
May 9, 7:24 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGRRJackson56 min
May 9, 7:25 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXLenawee35 min
May 9, 7:39 PM EDTTornado WarningDTXLenawee, Washtenaw66 min
May 9, 7:42 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGRRIngham48 min
May 9, 7:49 PM EDTTornado WarningIWXHillsdale31 min
May 9, 7:59 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXMacomb, Wayne46 min
May 9, 8:04 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXLivingston26 min
May 9, 8:10 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXMonroe35 min
May 9, 8:14 PM EDTTornado WarningDTXLivingston46 min
May 9, 8:22 PM EDTTornado WarningDTXMonroe, Wayne38 min
May 9, 8:37 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXOakland53 min
May 9, 8:52 PM EDTTornado WarningDTXOakland53 min
May 9, 8:59 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXWayne16 min

The nearest sounding before it

Detroit, MI (KDTX), launched 12:00Z, 10.5 hours before the alert went out and 105 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 2000-05-09Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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 2000-05-09The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 224 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
1010 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
49 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
224 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
194 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.

196 
WWUS9 KMKC 092205
SEL6  

SEL6  
MKC WW 092205
MIZ000-100300-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 256
STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
605 PM EDT TUE MAY 9 2000

THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF

   SOUTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN                           

EFFECTIVE THIS TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 630 PM UNTIL 1100
PM EDT.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 3 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS
TO 80 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 45 STATUTE MILES NORTH AND
SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 15 MILES NORTHWEST OF KALAMAZOO MICHIGAN TO 20
MILES NORTHEAST OF DETROIT MICHIGAN.

REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR
TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. 
PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING
WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE
WARNINGS.

OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...  CONTINUE...WW 253...WW 254...WW 255...

DISCUSSION...DEEPENING SURFACE LOW MOVING INTO NRN IND WITH WARM
FRONT ACROSS SRN LOWER MI.  STRONG DEEP LAYER SHEAR COUPLED WITH
WARM FRONTAL CONVERGENCE AND MODERATELY UNSTABLE AIRMASSS SUPPORTS
ISOLATED TORNADIC SUPERCELLS AS WELL AS BOW ECHOES.


AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 3 INCHES.  EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND
GUSTS TO 70 KNOTS.  A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 500. 
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 23035.


...HALES

430,0854 430,0830 414,0830 414,0854

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 8, 9:15 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCMuskegon5 hr
May 8, 10:30 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAllegan, Arenac, Barry, Bay, Clare, Clinton and 26 more6 hr
May 8, 11:30 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBerrien, Cass, Saint Joseph6 hr
May 9, 1:45 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBranch, Calhoun, Hillsdale, Jackson, Lenawee, Monroe and 3 more5 hr

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Michigan, 2000Every tornado watch in 2000

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.