Alert archive / Michigan / Tornado Warnings in 2004

Tornado Warning 6, NWS Detroit, MI

May 21, 2004Washtenaw County, Michigan

NWS Detroit, MI issued this tornado warning at May 21, 2004, 12:03 AM EDT for Washtenaw County, Michigan. It was in force for 57 min. 5 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
May 21, 2004, 12:03 AM EDT (04:03 UTC)
Expired
May 21, 2004, 1:00 AM EDT
In force
57 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), 63 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 04:04 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.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 21, 12:40 AM EDTTSTM WND DMG3 S Ypsilanti, MITREES DOWN
May 21, 12:40 AM EDTHAIL 1.753 S Ypsilanti, MI
May 21, 12:53 AM EDTTSTM WND GST 602 Ese Saline, MI
May 21, 12:53 AM EDTTSTM WND GST 712 N Saline, MIWIND GUST MEASURED. BRANCHES AND LIGHTWEIGHT PROPERTY BLOW ACROSS YARD
May 21, 1:03 AM EDTHAIL 12 Nw Milan, MI

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 20, 10:05 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Detroit, MI (KDTX), launched 00:00Z, 4.1 hours before the alert went out and 67 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 2004-05-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2338 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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 00:00Z on 2004-05-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 112 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
2338 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
719 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
36 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
112 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
148 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.3
Supercell composite
7.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS53 KDTX 210403
TORDTX
MIC161-210500-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI
1203 AM EDT FRI MAY 21 2004

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DETROIT/PONTIAC HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 100 AM EDT

* AT 1159 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 6 MILES WEST OF
  CHELSEA...OR ABOUT 14 MILES EAST OF JACKSON...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT
  30 MPH.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
  CHELSEA AROUND 1210 AM EDT
  8 MILES SOUTHWEST OF DEXTER AROUND 1220 AM EDT
  9 MILES SOUTHWEST OF ANN ARBOR AROUND 1235 AM EDT
  SALINE AROUND 1240 AM 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.

LAT...LON 4243 8418 4227 8429 4210 8393 4209 8354
          4223 8357

$$

BT / MANN

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 20, 11:29 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXWashtenaw91 min
May 20, 11:36 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXLivingston69 min
May 21, 12:05 AM EDTSpecial Marine WarningDTX55 min
May 21, 12:06 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXWayne54 min
May 21, 12:37 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXLenawee83 min
May 21, 12:39 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXMonroe96 min
May 21, 12:46 AM EDTSpecial Marine WarningDTX119 min
May 21, 12:56 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXWayne64 min
May 21, 12:59 AM EDTSpecial Marine WarningDTX91 min
May 21, 12:58 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXShiawassee77 min
May 21, 1:33 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXLenawee57 min
May 21, 1:34 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXLivingston56 min
May 21, 1:36 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXWashtenaw54 min
May 21, 1:43 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningDTX92 min
May 21, 1:55 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXMonroe65 min
May 21, 2:04 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXWayne56 min
May 21, 2:08 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXOakland67 min
May 21, 2:12 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningDTXWashtenaw, Wayne2 hr
May 21, 2:34 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXMacomb56 min
May 21, 2:49 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTXSaint Clair56 min
May 21, 3:10 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningDTX65 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Michigan, 2004Every tornado warning in 2004Tornadoes in 2004

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.