Alert archive / Michigan / Tornado Warnings in 2003

Tornado Warning 9, NWS Detroit, MI

July 21, 2003Oakland County, Michigan

NWS Detroit, MI issued this tornado warning at Jul 21, 2003, 4:28 PM EDT for Oakland County, Michigan. It was in force for 62 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
Jul 21, 2003, 4:28 PM EDT (20:28 UTC)
Expired
Jul 21, 2003, 5:30 PM EDT
In force
62 min
Issued by
NWS Detroit, MI
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Oakland County, MI

The radar

The Detroit radar (KDTX), 6 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:30 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.

The nearest sounding before it

Detroit, MI (KDTX), launched 12:00Z, 8.5 hours before the alert went out and 4 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 2003-07-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 140 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 2003-07-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 11 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
140 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-101 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1071 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
31 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
11 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
44 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS53 KDTX 212028
TORDTX
MIC125-212130-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI
428 PM EDT MON JUL 21 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DETROIT/PONTIAC HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 530 PM EDT

* AT 425 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO OVER HOLLY...OR
  16 MILES SOUTH OF FLINT...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 20 MPH. 

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
  DAVISBURG AT 440 PM EDT
  ORTONVILLE...HIGHLAND AT 445 PM EDT
  WHITE LAKE AT 455 PM EDT
  CLARKSTON AT 500 PM EDT

IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IN A HOME OR
BUSINESS IS AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR POSSIBLE. AVOID
WINDOWS.

THIS STORM IS ALSO CAPABLE OF PRODUCING WIND GUSTS OVER 65 MPH AND
HAIL GREATER THAN ONE INCH IN DIAMETER.

LAT...LON 4288 8368 4256 8366 4254 8309 4288 8314

$$

GURNEY OKEEFE

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 21, 12:50 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXWashtenaw55 min
Jul 21, 1:03 AM EDTSpecial Marine WarningDTX57 min
Jul 21, 2:38 AM EDTTornado WarningDTXMonroe67 min
Jul 21, 2:48 AM EDTSpecial Marine WarningDTX57 min
Jul 21, 3:12 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXWashtenaw78 min
Jul 21, 3:12 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXGenesee, Lapeer63 min
Jul 21, 3:34 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXOakland56 min
Jul 21, 3:47 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXSaint Clair88 min
Jul 21, 3:52 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXMacomb68 min
Jul 21, 4:56 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningDTX64 min
Jul 21, 5:04 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXLenawee, Washtenaw56 min
Jul 21, 5:16 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXSaint Clair44 min
Jul 21, 5:44 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXMonroe61 min
Jul 21, 5:47 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningDTX73 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.