Alert archive / Michigan / Tornado Warnings in 2001

Tornado Warning 2, NWS Detroit, MI

May 21, 2001Livingston County, Michigan

NWS Detroit, MI issued this tornado warning at May 21, 2001, 2:24 PM EDT for Livingston County, Michigan. It was in force for 36 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline the Iowa Environmental Mesonet reconstructed for it; the warning itself named whole counties, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
May 21, 2001, 2:24 PM EDT (18:24 UTC)
Expired
May 21, 2001, 3:00 PM EDT
In force
36 min
Issued by
NWS Detroit, MI
Area
Whole counties; the outline is the Mesonet’s reconstruction

County Livingston County, MI

The radar

The Detroit radar (KDTX), 33 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:26 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 21, 2:52 PM EDTTornado F0Fenton, MIThe tornado moved north from Livingston County, soon dissipating in far southern Genesee County. Tree damage was spotty along the path in Genesee County, consistent with a weak tornado.

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, 6.4 hours before the alert went out and 37 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 2001-05-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 293 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 2001-05-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 134 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
293 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-53 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
630 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
39 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
134 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
164 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
WFUS53 KDTX 211825
TORDTX

MIC093-211900-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI
224 PM EDT MON MAY 21 2001

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  LIVINGSTON COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN

* UNTIL 300 PM EDT

* AT 221 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  DEVELOPING TORNADO 3 MILES NORTHWEST OF BRIGHTON...OR 7 MILES
  SOUTHEAST OF HOWELL...MOVING NORTH AT 20 MPH.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
  HARTLAND AT 235 PM EDT
  TYRONE TOWNSHIP...COHOCTAH AT 240 PM

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.

LAT...LON 4251 8394 4248 8370 4278 8370 4278 8400

DJF OKEEFE

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 21, 1:35 PM EDTTornado WarningDTXOakland25 min
May 21, 2:51 PM EDTTornado WarningDTXGenesee39 min
May 21, 4:52 PM EDTTornado WarningDTXGenesee, Lapeer38 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Michigan, 2001Every tornado warning in 2001Tornadoes in 2001

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.