Alert archive / Michigan / Tornado Warnings in 2003

Tornado Warning 11, NWS Detroit, MI

August 21, 2003Livingston County, Michigan

NWS Detroit, MI issued this tornado warning at Aug 21, 2003, 8:51 PM EDT for Livingston County, Michigan. It was in force for 54 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Aug 21, 2003, 8:51 PM EDT (00:51 UTC)
Expired
Aug 21, 2003, 9:45 PM EDT
In force
54 min
Issued by
NWS Detroit, MI
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Livingston County, MI

The radar

The Detroit radar (KDTX), 46 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:52 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 nearest sounding before it

Detroit, MI (KDTX), launched 00:00Z, 0.9 hours before the alert went out and 50 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 00:00Z on 2003-08-22Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 3445 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 00:00Z on 2003-08-22The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 239 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
3445 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-38 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1295 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
28 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
239 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
306 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
2.2
Supercell composite
16.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS53 KDTX 220051
TORDTX
MIC093-220145-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI
850 PM EDT THU AUG 21 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DETROIT/PONTIAC HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  LIVINGSTON COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN

* UNTIL 945 PM EDT

* AT 847 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 4 MILES
  NORTHWEST OF PARKERS CORNERS...OR 11 MILES WEST OF HOWELL...MOVING
  EAST AT 25 MPH. 

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
  FOWLERVILLE...CONWAY TOWNSHIP AT 855 PM EDT
  HOWELL...COHOCTAH AT 910 PM EDT
  CHILSON AT 915 PM EDT
  BRIGHTON AT 925 PM EDT
  HARTLAND...TYRONE TOWNSHIP AT 930 PM EDT

MULTIPLE REPORTS OF TORNADOS WERE RECEIVED IN EASTERN INGHAM COUNTY 
FROM THIS STORM. THIS WARNING REPLACES THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 
WARNING PREVIOUSLY IN EFFECT.

SEEK SHELTER IN THE INNERMOST PORTION OF THE BUILDING...ON THE 
LOWEST FLOOR. GET TO A BASEMENT IF ONE IS AVAILABLE...AND AVOID 
WINDOWS. PROTECT YOUR BODY FROM FLYING DEBRIS WITH CUSHIONS OR 
PILLOWS.

LAT...LON 4275 8426 4253 8426 4251 8368 4277 8370

$$

OKEEFE JB

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 21, 8:06 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXOakland54 min
Aug 21, 8:19 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXGenesee41 min
Aug 21, 8:21 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningDTX69 min
Aug 21, 8:31 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXLivingston59 min
Aug 21, 8:47 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXLapeer43 min
Aug 21, 8:48 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningDTX27 min
Aug 21, 9:44 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXLapeer46 min
Aug 21, 9:54 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXWashtenaw66 min
Aug 21, 10:11 PM EDTTornado WarningDTXWashtenaw64 min
Aug 21, 10:59 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningDTX46 min
Aug 21, 11:06 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXMonroe54 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Michigan, 2003Every tornado warning in 2003Tornadoes in 2003

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.