Alert archive / Michigan / Tornado Warnings in 2001

Tornado Warning 17, NWS Grand Rapids, MI

May 21, 2001Isabella County, Michigan

NWS Grand Rapids, MI issued this tornado warning at May 21, 2001, 4:45 PM EDT for Isabella County, Michigan. It was in force for 30 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 21, 2001, 4:45 PM EDT (20:45 UTC)
Expired
May 21, 2001, 5:15 PM EDT
In force
30 min
Issued by
NWS Grand Rapids, MI
Area
Whole counties

County Isabella County, MI

The radar

The Grand Rapids radar (KGRR), 100 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:44 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.

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 21, 3:00 PM EDTTornado WatchSPC4 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Detroit, MI (KDTX), launched 12:00Z, 8.8 hours before the alert went out and 154 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.

411 
WFUS53 KGRR 212046
TORGRR
MIC073-212115-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI
445 PM EDT MON MAY 21 2001

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND RAPIDS HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  ISABELLA COUNTY IN CENTRAL MICHIGAN

* UNTIL 515 PM EDT

* AT 443 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  TORNADO NEAR SHEPHERD...OR ABOUT 5 MILES SOUTH OF MOUNT PLEASANT...
  MOVING NORTH AT 25 MPH.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
   MOUNT PLEASANT AROUND 450 PM EDT
   BEAL CITY...DELWIN AROUND 500 PM EDT
   ROSEBUSH AROUND 505 PM EDT
   LOOMIS AROUND 515 PM EDT

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A
WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS
AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN AN
INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO
COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

JK/BM

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 21, 2:03 PM EDTTornado WarningGRREaton27 min
May 21, 2:52 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGRRAllegan, Kent38 min
May 21, 3:02 PM EDTTornado WarningGRRClinton28 min
May 21, 3:21 PM EDTTornado WarningGRREaton, Ionia39 min
May 21, 3:30 PM EDTTornado WarningGRRKent45 min
May 21, 3:37 PM EDTTornado WarningGRRGratiot23 min
May 21, 3:57 PM EDTTornado WarningGRRGratiot18 min
May 21, 4:14 PM EDTTornado WarningGRRGratiot, Isabella31 min
May 21, 4:57 PM EDTTornado WarningGRRGratiot18 min
May 21, 5:15 PM EDTTornado WarningGRRClare, Isabella30 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.