Alert archive / Michigan / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 68, NWS Detroit, MI
NWS Detroit, MI issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 4, 2002, 5:59 PM EDT for Wayne County, Michigan. It was in force for 61 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.
The area
The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.
The facts
- Issued
- Aug 4, 2002, 5:59 PM EDT (21:59 UTC)
- Expired
- Aug 4, 2002, 7:00 PM EDT
- In force
- 61 min
- Issued by
- NWS Detroit, MI
- Area
- Counties, with a storm outline in the text
County Wayne County, MI
The radar
The Detroit radar (KDTX), 53 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:00 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
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 4, 6:45 PM EDT | Thunderstorm Wind 52 E | Wayne, MI | A trained spotter reported several 12 inch diameter tree limbs blown down on the north side of the city. |
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.
Did it verify
Not verified. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet's Cow found no qualifying storm report inside this severe thunderstorm warning while it was in force. That is not proof nothing happened: reports are thin where few people live.
Cow counts a report within 15 km of the polygon while the warning was in force: a tornado for a tornado warning; hail of 1 inch or more, a gust of 58 mph or more or wind damage for a severe thunderstorm warning; a flash flood report for a flash flood warning.
The watch it was issued in
The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.
| Issued | Product | Office | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 4, 3:55 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | 4 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Detroit, MI (KDTX), launched 12:00Z, 10.0 hours before the alert went out and 55 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 494 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -151 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1185 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 21 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 165 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 123 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
139 WUUS53 KDTX 042159 SVRDTX MIC163-042300- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION/IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI 558 PM EDT SUN AUG 4 2002 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DETROIT/PONTIAC HAS ISSUED A * SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR... WAYNE COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN * UNTIL 700 PM EDT * AT 558 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OVER ROMULUS...MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH. * THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR... INKSTER AT 605 PM EDT TAYLOR AT 610 PM EDT ALLEN PARK AT 625 PM EDT THIS STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING WINDS UP TO 70 MPH. A WIND GUST TO 70 MPH HAS THE POTENTIAL TO PUSH OVER SHALLOW ROOTED TREES...AND DAMAGE CHIMNEYS AND TV ANTENNAS. DO NOT USE TELEPHONES UNLESS IN AN EMERGENCY UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED. IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER FROM THE WEATHER IN A STRONG BUILDING. DAMAGING WIND...LARGE HAIL...VERY HEAVY RAIN AND DEADLY LIGHTNING ARE ALL POSSIBLE IN SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. STAY INSIDE AWAY FROM WINDOWS UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED. LAT...LON 4229 8348 4212 8343 4215 8326 4230 8319 SF SC
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Detroit, MI wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Aug 4, 3:38 PM EDT, 2 hours 21 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Aug 4, 3:38 PM EDT, 2 hours 21 minutes before
SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI 337 PM SUN AUG 4 2002 MAIN CONCERN FOR THE CURRENT PACKAGE WILL BE HERE IN THE FIRST 12 TO 18 HOURS OR SO. STILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR SEVERE CHANCES ACROSS SOUTHERN HALF OF THE CWA. AS HAS BEEN PREVIOUSLY DISCUSSED... CURRENT SEVERE CHANCES HINGE ON ABILITY OF ATMOSPHERE TO BREAK THE CAP CURRENTLY IN PLACE. CONVECTION THAT HAS INITIATED OVER SW LOWER HAS CONSISTENTLY FELL APART AS IT APPROACHED THE CWA THIS AFTERNOON. STILL BELIEVE THAT CAP WILL ERODE THIS EVENING AS WEAK SHORT WAVE TROUGH LOWERS HEIGHTS AND BRINGS SLIGHTLY COOLER TEMPERATURES TO THE MID LEVELS SUFFICIENT. VISIBLE SATELLITE LOOP SHOWING PLENTY OF SUNSHINE ACROSS THE CWA AND THIS HAS BOOSTED TEMPERATURES TO NEAR 90 SOUTHERN CWA WITH DEW POINTS IN THE LOW TO MID 70S YIELDING CAPES APPROACHING 4 KJ/KG. DIFFICULT TO DISCERN OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES IN THE DATA ALTHOUGH IT DOES APPEAR AT LEAST ONE OUTFLOW HAS SLID INTO NORTHERN OHIO. OTHER BOUNDARIES LIKELY ACROSS THE NORTHERN CWA WHERE DIFFERENTIAL HEATING FROM MORNING RAIN/CLOUDS INTERACTING WITH AFTERNOON SUNSHINE. FOR THIS EVENING...WILL CARRY SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CWA-WIDE. AVN AND ETA ARE IN AGREEMENT THAT FRONT HANGS UP NEAR THE OH/MI BORDER OVERNIGHT AND MCS DEVELOPING OVER IL TRACKS ALONG THE FRONT AND ACROSS SOUTHERN LOWER DURING THE PRE-DAWN TO POST-DAWN HOURS MONDAY. THE SYSTEM WILL TRACK IN A POOL OF RICH MOISTURE AS PWS WILL EXCEED 2 INCHES ACROSS SOUTHERN CWA DURING THE EARLY MORNING HOURS...WITH K-INDICES NEAR 40. LOW LEVEL JET DYNAMICS ARE NOT IMPRESSIVE WITH FLOW TO OUR WEST NEVER REALLY GETTING STRONGER THAN 20 KNOTS...AND THEN BECOMING PARALLEL TO THE FRONT RATHER THAN PERPENDICULAR. UPPER LEVEL JET DYNAMICS ARE LACKING AS WELL. STILL GIVEN JUICY AIR...A PERIOD OF HEAVY RAIN IS POSSIBLE AND WILL ADD MENTION OF THIS TO THE ZONES. TIMING ON THIS PRECIPITATION WOULD BE AFTER MIDNIGHT...MOST LIKELY TOWARD SUNRISE. BY TOMORROW AFTERNOON...STRONG CANADIAN HIGH TO DOMINATE THE WEATHER THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK. HIGH WILL BUILD IN SHUNTING FRONT TO THE SOUTH AND BRING A PROLONGED PERIOD OF DRY COOL WEATHER. ONLY CONCERN WITH THIS SYSTEM WILL BE MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY MORNING. 850MB TEMPERATURES ARE PROGGED TO DROP AS LOW AS 3C /PER ETA/ ACROSS THE THUMB TUESDAY MORNING. WITH LAKE TEMPERATURES RUNNING AROUND 23C...THE AIR/LAKE DELTA T WILL BE AROUND 20C. INVERSION HEIGHTS WILL BE AROUND 5K FEET. AIR ABOVE THE INVERSION WILL BE EXTREMELY DRY. FLOW AROUND THE HIGH WILL BE ANTICYCLONIC. MESOETA OVERSPREADS NEARLY THE ENTIRE CWA MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY MORNING WITH LAKE INDUCED CLOUD COVER. AIR/LAKE DELTA T/S CERTAINLY SUPPORT SOME CLOUD DEVELOPMENT...BUT WITH EXTREME DRY AIR ABOVE THE INVERSION AND ANTICYCLONIC LOW LEVEL FLOW WILL ONLY OPT FOR PARTLY CLOUDY SKIES OVERNIGHT MONDAY INTO TUESDAY MORNING. EXTENDED... HIGH PRESSURE AT THE SURFACE AND ALOFT WILL DOMINATE THE EXTENDED PERIOD INTO NEXT WEEKEND. DESPITE HEIGHTS BUILDING IN EXCESS OF 588DM THROUGH THE PERIOD...STRONG CANADIAN HIGH PRESSURE WILL MAINTAIN NEAR SEASONABLE THICKNESS LEVELS INTO THE WEEKEND. MRF AND CANADIAN DEVELOP A SHARP UPPER NORTH-SOUTH SHORTWAVE ACROSS THE CENTRAL U.S. THAT EVENTUALLY EXTENDS ACROSS THE WIDTH OF THE NATION BY MONDAY MORNING. ENSEMBLE MEMBERS OF BOTH CANADIAN AND MRF SUGGEST THAT THE OPERATIONAL SOLUTIONS ARE OVERPLAYING THIS FEATURE. THIS SOLUTION WOULD TEND TO ENHANCE RIDGING ACROSS THE LAKES AND SLOW DOWN ANY FRONTS APPROACHING. DESPITE THE OUTLIER NATURE OF THE TROUGH SOLUTION...ENSEMBLE MEMBERS DO HOLD ONTO THE RIDGE REMAINING IN PLACE ACROSS THE LAKES AND POINTS EAST. SO...A CONTINUED DRY FORECAST INTO THE WEEKEND SEEMS PLAUSIBLE. WITH FLOW TURNING SOUTHWEST DEW POINTS WILL BE ON THE INCREASE FOR THE WEEKEND AND A WARMING TREND UNDERWAY. .DTX...NONE. OKEEFE
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Aug 4, 4:16 PM EDT, 1 hour 43 minutes before
MIZ047>049-053>055-060>063-068>070-075-076-082-083-050000- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI 416 PM EDT SUN AUG 4 2002 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 574 IN EFFECT FOR PART OF SOUTHEAST LOWER MICHIGAN UNTIL 8 PM SUNDAY NIGHT... DISPATCHERS...PLEASE NOTIFY YOUR EMERGENCY MANAGERS IMMEDIATELY. HAZARDS... A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR PART OF SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN. COUNTIES IN THE WATCH INCLUDE SHIAWASSEE...GENESEE... LAPEER...ST CLAIR...LIVINGSTON...OAKLAND...MACOMB...WASHTENAW... WAYNE...LENAWEE AND MONROE. SOME COMMUNITIES IN THE WATCH ARE OWOSSO...FLINT...LAPEER...PORT HURON...HOWELL...PONTIAC...MOUNT CLEMENS...ANN ARBOR...DETROIT...ADRIAN...AND MONROE. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL OCCUR IN THE WATCH AREA THIS EVENING AND SOME OF THESE STORMS MAY BE SEVERE. WINDS IN EXCESS OF 70 MPH ARE POSSIBLE WITH THESE STORMS. DISCUSSION... A COLD FRONT WILL SLOWLY ADVANCE ACROSS SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN THIS EVENING. THIS FRONT WILL TAP THE WARM HUMID AIR IN PLACE ACROSS THE REGION...PRODUCING SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS. SOME OF THESE STORMS MAY BE SEVERE THIS EVENING PRODUCING WIND GUSTS TO 70 MPH. THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE FOCUSED ALONG AND SOUTH OF I 69 THROUGH 8 PM THESE EVENING. SPOTTER ACTIVATION... SPOTTER ACTIVATION HAS OCCURRED. OUTLOOK FOR MONDAY AND TUESDAY. NO HAZARDS ARE EXPECTED. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO... OR LOCAL MEDIA OUTLETS... FOR THE LATEST FORECAST INFORMATION FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. YOU CAN ALSO OBTAIN THE LATEST FORECAST ON THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WEB SITE. HTTP://WWW.CRH.NOAA.GOV/DTX/ (ALL LOWER CASE) OKEEFE
The office that day
Everything else NWS Detroit, MI issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 4, 5:06 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DTX | Lenawee | 39 min |
| Aug 4, 5:38 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DTX | Washtenaw | 52 min |
| Aug 4, 6:27 PM EDT | Special Marine Warning | DTX | 63 min | |
| Aug 4, 6:48 PM EDT | Special Marine Warning | DTX | 42 min |
Nearby
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Michigan, 2002Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2002
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.