Alert archive / Michigan / Tornado Warnings in 2003

Tornado Warning 6, NWS Grand Rapids, MI

August 11, 2003Allegan County, Kent County, Michigan

NWS Grand Rapids, MI issued this tornado warning at Aug 11, 2003, 2:40 PM EDT for Allegan County, Kent County, Michigan. It was in force for 35 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 11, 2003, 2:40 PM EDT (18:40 UTC)
Expired
Aug 11, 2003, 3:15 PM EDT
In force
35 min
Issued by
NWS Grand Rapids, MI
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Allegan County, MI, Kent County, MI

The radar

The Grand Rapids radar (KGRR), 7 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:43 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, 6.7 hours before the alert went out and 174 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 2003-08-11Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 56 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Detroit, MI at 12:00Z on 2003-08-11The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 36 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
56 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-49 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1053 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
9 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
36 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
61 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 KGRR 111840
TORGRR
MIC005-081-111915-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI
240 PM EDT MON AUG 11 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND RAPIDS HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  KENT COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN
  ALLEGAN COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN

* UNTIL 315 PM EDT

* AT 233 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR AND         
  LAW ENFORCEMENT INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING A        
  TORNADO OVER CALEDONIA...OR ABOUT   13 MILES SOUTH OF GRAND        
  RAPIDS...MOVING SOUTHWEST AT 25 MPH.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
   DORR AROUND 255 PM EDT

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A
WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS
AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN AN
INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO
COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.


LAT...LON 4268 8583 4279 8544 4292 8532 4309 8538

$$

BEACH MWH

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 11, 2:56 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGRRKalamazoo64 min
Aug 11, 3:37 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGRROttawa38 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.