Alert archive / Michigan / Tornado Warnings in 2004

Tornado Warning 3, NWS Grand Rapids, MI

May 21, 2004Van Buren County, Michigan

NWS Grand Rapids, MI issued this tornado warning at May 21, 2004, 8:42 PM EDT for Van Buren County, Michigan. It was in force for 48 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
May 21, 2004, 8:42 PM EDT (00:42 UTC)
Expired
May 21, 2004, 9:30 PM EDT
In force
48 min
Issued by
NWS Grand Rapids, MI
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Van Buren County, MI

The nearest sounding before it

Detroit, MI (KDTX), launched 00:00Z, 0.7 hours before the alert went out and 226 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 2004-05-22Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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 2004-05-22The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 153 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
984 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
44 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
153 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
216 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

047 
WFUS53 KGRR 220042
TORGRR
MIC159-220130-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI
840 PM EDT FRI MAY 21 2004

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND RAPIDS HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  VAN BUREN COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN

* UNTIL 930 PM EDT

* AT 834 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING A TORNADO OVER COVERT...OR ABOUT 6
  MILES SOUTH OF SOUTH HAVEN...MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
  BANGOR...MCDONALD...HARTFORD AROUND 845 PM EDT
  BREEDSVILLE AROUND 850 PM EDT
  LAWRENCE AROUND 855 PM EDT
  GLENDALE AROUND 900 PM EDT
  TEAPOT DOME AROUND 905 PM EDT
  ARMSTRONG CORNERS AROUND 910 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 4242 8626 4232 8578 4208 8578 4222 8621
          4224 8622 4225 8635

$$

RJD JL

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 21, 8:48 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGRRAllegan42 min
May 21, 8:58 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGRRBarry62 min
May 21, 9:32 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGRREaton58 min
May 21, 9:39 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGRRJackson51 min
May 21, 9:40 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGRRCalhoun50 min
May 21, 9:50 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGRRIngham40 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.