Alert archive / Michigan / Flash Flood Warnings in 2001

Flash Flood Warning 8, NWS Grand Rapids, MI

May 15, 20018 counties in Michigan

NWS Grand Rapids, MI issued this flash flood warning at May 15, 2001, 9:00 AM EDT for 8 counties in Michigan. It was in force for 7 hr. 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 15, 2001, 9:00 AM EDT (13:00 UTC)
Expired
May 15, 2001, 4:00 PM EDT
In force
7 hr
Issued by
NWS Grand Rapids, MI
Area
Whole counties

Counties Barry County, MI, Calhoun County, MI, Kent County, MI, Mason County, MI, Muskegon County, MI, Newaygo County, MI, Oceana County, MI, Ottawa County, MI

The radar

The Grand Rapids radar (KGRR), 39 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 13:00 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 15, 9:00 AM EDTFlash FloodCountywide, 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 nearest sounding before it

Detroit, MI (KDTX), launched 12:00Z, 1.0 hours before the alert went out and 203 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 2001-05-15Temperature 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°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Detroit, MI at 12:00Z on 2001-05-15The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 125 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
455 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
45 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
125 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
364 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.

000 
WGUS53 KGRR 151302
FFWGRR
MIC015-025-081-105-121-123-127-139-152000-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI
900 AM EDT TUE MAY 15 2001

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND RAPIDS HAS ISSUED A FLOOD 
WARNING TO REPLACE THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING THAT WILL SOON EXPIRE.

* FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  OCEANA COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL MICHIGAN
  MUSKEGON COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL MICHIGAN
  MASON COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL MICHIGAN
  KENT COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN
  NEWAYGO COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL MICHIGAN
  OTTAWA COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN
  BARRY COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN
  CALHOUN COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL MICHIGAN

* UNTIL 400 PM EDT

* RUNOFF FROM THE EXCESSIVE RAIN THAT FELL LAST NIGHT WILL CONTINUE 
INTO THE SMALL STREAMS AND CREEKS THROUGH MUCH OF TODAY.  FLOODING 
OF THE CREEKS AND STREAMS IN THESE COUNTIES IS LIKELY.  

RADAR ESTIMATED 3 TO 8 INCHES OF RAIN FELL IN THE WARNED AREA 
OVERNIGHT.  THIS IS ENOUGH RAINFALL TO CREATE SERIOUS URBAN FLOODING 
AND SIGNIFICANT FLOODING OF THE SMALL STREAMS AND CREEKS.

THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO FORM ACROSS THE WARNED AREA...RESULTING IN 
ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAINFALL.  ANOTHER INCH OF RAIN IS POSSIBLE IN THE 
WARNED AREA...WHICH WILL PROLONG THE FLOODING.

DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE
ROADWAY. THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO CROSS
SAFELY. VEHICLES CAUGHT IN RISING WATER SHOULD BE ABANDONED QUICKLY.
MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND.

MOST DEATHS IN FLASH FLOODING OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO
CROSS BRIDGES...DIPS...OR LOW SPOTS IF WATER COVERS THE ROADWAY.
NEVER TRY TO CROSS A FLOWING STREAM...EVEN A SaMALL ONE...ON FOOT.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 14, 11:41 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGRROceana64 min
May 15, 12:31 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningGRRMason, Oceana5 hr
May 15, 1:13 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGRRMuskegon, Oceana32 min
May 15, 1:18 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGRROttawa27 min
May 15, 1:38 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningGRRMuskegon4 hr
May 15, 1:48 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGRRMuskegon27 min
May 15, 1:51 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGRRCalhoun24 min
May 15, 2:37 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGRRMuskegon, Oceana38 min
May 15, 2:55 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningGRRKent, Newaygo, Ottawa6 hr
May 15, 3:38 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningGRRMason, Muskegon, Oceana5 hr
May 15, 3:48 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGRRKent, Ottawa27 min
May 15, 4:16 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGRRAllegan, Barry, Kent, Ottawa29 min
May 15, 5:02 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningGRRBarry, Calhoun4 hr
May 15, 5:32 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningGRRClare, Clinton, Gratiot, Ingham, Isabella, Mecosta and 2 more3 hr
May 15, 7:12 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGRRCalhoun63 min
May 15, 7:16 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGRRAllegan59 min
May 15, 7:37 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGRRVan Buren38 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Michigan, 2001Every flash flood warning 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.