Severe Thunderstorm Warning 26, NWS Grand Rapids, MI

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI
1042 PM EDT MON MAY 14 2001

...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO BECOME MORE WIDESPREAD BY MIDNIGHT...

THE QUESTIONS FOR THE OVERNIGHT HOURS ARE WILL THE CONVECTION BE
SEVERE?  SECOND... WILL THERE BE ENOUGH RAINFALL FOR FLASH FLOOD
WARNING OR AT LEAST AN URBAN AND SMALL STREAM FLOOD ADVISORY?

THE AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THAT HAVE BEEN TRAINING OVER
THE EXTREME WESTERN COUNTIES OF SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN SINCE 22Z
HAVE BEEN ON 850 WARM FRONT.  THAT IS... WERE THE GRADIENT IS WITH
THE 850 LI'S GO FROM POSITIVE TO NEGATIVE AND WHERE THE DIFFERENTIAL
THTE GOES FROM POSITIVE TO NEGATIVE.  IT IS ALSO WERE THE BEST 850
TO 700 MB FRONTOGENESIS HAS BEEN.  THE RUC SHOWS THE LOW LEVEL JET
HAS BEEN FOCUSED ON THAT AREA THIS EVENING.  THE SFC WARM FRONT HAS
BEEN NEARLY STATIONARY NEAR THE MISSOURI RIVER SINCE 21Z.

OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS THE LOW LEVEL JET IS GOING TO REFOCUS
FARTHER NORTH INTO CENTRAL WISCONSIN AND INCREASE FROM AROUND 30
KNOTS TO NEAR 40 KNOTS BY 06Z.  AT THE SAME TIME...THE EXIT REGION
OF A SPEED MAX ON THE POLAR JET COMES IN PHASE WITH LOW LEVEL JET
WHILE THE 850 WARM FRONT STARTS MOVING EAST TOWARD LOWER MICHIGAN.
THAT WILL PUSH THE LI GRADIENT AREA INTO CENTRAL LOWER MICHIGAN JUST
AS THE BEST LIFT COMES OVER THE AREA BETWEEN 06Z AND 09Z.  SINCE
WESTERN LOWER MICHIGAN IS SO DEEP INTO THE COLD AIR... THE ONLY
SEVERE WEATHER THREAT WOULD BE LARGE HAIL.  SO OVER THE NEXT FEW
HOURS I WOULD EXPECT THE AREA OF CONVECTION OVER THE EXTREME WESTERN
PART OF LOWER MICHIGAN TO DEVELOP EASTWARD INTO THE JACKSON AND
LANSING AREA.

AS FOR THE FLOODING PROBLEMS... FLASH FLOOD GUIDANCE FOR 3 AND 6
HOURS IS MOSTLY IN THE 2 TO 3 1/2 INCH RANGE.  SINCE THE AREA OF
CONVECTION WILL BE DEVELOPING EASTWARD AND THAT IT HAS BEEN RATHER
DRY ACROSS THE AREA UNTIL NOW... FLOODING IS NOT A BIG THREAT... BUT
CAN NOT BE DISREGARDED.  POSSIBLY AN URBAN AND SMALL STREAM FLOOD
ADVISORY MAY BE NEEDED OF THE CONVECTION AFTER MIDNIGHT BECOMES
STRONG ENOUGH. SINCE THE AREA WILL MOVE ONLY SLOWLY TO THE EAST
WHILE THE CELLS MOVE QUICKLY TO  THE SOUTH SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE BEST
LIFT AREA OVER CENTRAL LOWER MICHIGAN.

WE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE SITUATION IN THAT REGARD.

.GRR...NONE.

WDM