Alert archive / Michigan / Tornado Watches in 2002

Tornado Watch 567

August 1, 200236 counties in Michigan

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Aug 1, 2002, 10:30 PM EDT for 36 counties in Michigan. It was in force for 5 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued: Aug 1, 2002, 10:30 PM EDT (02:30 UTC)
Expired: Aug 2, 2002, 3:00 AM EDT
In force: 5 hr
Issued by: the Storm Prediction Center

All 36 counties

Allegan County, MI, Barry County, MI, Bay County, MI, Berrien County, MI, Branch County, MI, Calhoun County, MI, Cass County, MI, Clinton County, MI, Eaton County, MI, Genesee County, MI, Gratiot County, MI, Hillsdale County, MI, Ingham County, MI, Ionia County, MI, Isabella County, MI, Jackson County, MI, Kalamazoo County, MI, Kent County, MI, Lapeer County, MI, Lenawee County, MI, Livingston County, MI, Macomb County, MI, Mecosta County, MI, Midland County, MI, Monroe County, MI, Montcalm County, MI, Oakland County, MI, Saginaw County, MI, Saint Clair County, MI, Saint Joseph County, MI, Sanilac County, MI, Shiawassee County, MI, Tuscola County, MI, Van Buren County, MI, Washtenaw County, MI, Wayne County, MI

The radar

The Grand Rapids radar (KGRR), 60 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:30 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.

Warnings issued inside it

12 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Aug 1, 10:47 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GRR	Gratiot	58 min
Aug 1, 10:58 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GRR	Montcalm	17 min
Aug 1, 11:00 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GRR	Ionia	60 min
Aug 1, 11:13 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GRR	Kent	32 min
Aug 1, 11:16 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GRR	Allegan	59 min
Aug 1, 11:20 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GRR	Barry	55 min
Aug 2, 12:06 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GRR	Ingham	54 min
Aug 2, 1:11 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GRR	Calhoun, Kalamazoo, Van Buren	34 min
Aug 2, 1:21 AM EDT	Tornado Warning	GRR	Kalamazoo	24 min
Aug 2, 1:32 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	IWX	Berrien, Cass, Saint Joseph	58 min
Aug 2, 1:43 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GRR	Jackson	62 min
Aug 2, 1:49 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GRR	Jackson	56 min

The nearest sounding before it

Detroit, MI (KDTX), launched 00:00Z, 2.5 hours before the alert went out and 129 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 1550 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -120 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1496 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 28 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 25 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 128 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000
WWUS20 KWNS 020231
SEL7  
SPC WW 020230
MIZ000-LMZ000-LHZ000-020700-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 567
STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
1030 PM EDT THU AUG 1 2002

THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF

   CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN                           
   SOUTHEAST LAKE MICHIGAN                      
   SOUTHERN LAKE HURON                         

EFFECTIVE THIS THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY MORNING FROM 1030 PM UNTIL
300 AM EDT.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS
TO 70 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 95 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST
OF A LINE FROM 40 MILES SOUTH SOUTHEAST OF KALAMAZOO MICHIGAN TO 30
MILES NORTHEAST OF SAGINAW MICHIGAN.

REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR
TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. 
PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING
WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE
WARNINGS.

OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...THIS TORNADO WATCH REPLACES TORNADO WATCH
NUMBER 565.  WATCH NUMBER 565 WILL NOT BE IN EFFECT AFTER 1030 PM
EDT.  CONTINUE...WW 566...

DISCUSSION...LINE OF STORMS WITH EMBEDDED SUPERCELLS WILL CONTINUE
SEWD AHEAD OF STRONG COLD FRONT NOW MOVING INTO CENTRAL LOWER MI. 
PRIMARY SEVERE THREAT WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS AS ACTIVITY REMAINS
LINEAR.  HOWEVER...VERY STRONG LOW LEVEL SHEAR AND LOW LCL HEIGHTS
WILL SUPPORT THE THREAT OF TORNADOES AS WELL.


AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 2 INCHES.  EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND
GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS.  A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 500. 
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 28030.


...EVANS

434,0814 414,0832 414,0870 434,0853

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Michigan, 2002 Every tornado watch 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.