Alert archive / Michigan / Tornado Warnings in 2003

Tornado Warning 12, NWS Detroit, MI

August 21, 2003Washtenaw County, Michigan

NWS Detroit, MI issued this tornado warning at Aug 21, 2003, 10:11 PM EDT for Washtenaw County, Michigan. It was in force for 64 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, 10:11 PM EDT (02:11 UTC)
Expired
Aug 21, 2003, 11:15 PM EDT
In force
64 min
Issued by
NWS Detroit, MI
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Washtenaw County, MI

The radar

The Detroit radar (KDTX), 56 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:11 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, 2.2 hours before the alert went out and 60 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 220211
TORDTX
MIC161-220315-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI
1011 PM EDT THU AUG 21 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DETROIT/PONTIAC HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 1115 PM EDT

* AT 1006 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO OVER CHELSEA...
  OR 14 MILES WEST OF ANN ARBOR...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 35 MPH. 

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
  ANN ARBOR AT 1025 PM EDT
  SALINE AT 1030 PM EDT
  YPSILANTI AT 1035 PM EDT

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 4243 8399 4226 8410 4209 8371 4226 8356

$$

OKEEFE BGM

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, 8:51 PM EDTTornado WarningDTXLivingston54 min
Aug 21, 9:44 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXLapeer46 min
Aug 21, 9:54 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXWashtenaw66 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.