Alert archive / Michigan / Tornado Warnings in 2004

Tornado Warning 8, NWS Grand Rapids, MI

June 9, 2004Gratiot County, Michigan

NWS Grand Rapids, MI issued this tornado warning at Jun 9, 2004, 2:31 PM EDT for Gratiot County, Michigan. It was in force for 44 min. 2 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: Jun 9, 2004, 2:31 PM EDT (18:31 UTC)
Expired: Jun 9, 2004, 3:15 PM EDT
In force: 44 min
Issued by: NWS Grand Rapids, MI
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Gratiot County, MI

The radar

The Grand Rapids radar (KGRR), 89 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:34 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

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Jun 9, 2:31 PM EDT	HAIL 0.75	1 N Ithaca, MI
Jun 9, 2:38 PM EDT	HAIL 0.88	2 Ne Ithaca, 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.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Jun 9, 12:35 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Detroit, MI (KDTX), launched 12:00Z, 6.5 hours before the alert went out and 120 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 1547 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -41 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 972 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 23 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: -26 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 34 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.

018 
WFUS53 KGRR 091831
TORGRR
MIC057-091915-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI
230 PM EDT WED JUN 9 2004

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND RAPIDS HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  GRATIOT COUNTY IN CENTRAL MICHIGAN

* UNTIL 315 PM EDT

* AT 229 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING A TORNADO OVER ITHACA...OR ABOUT 3
  MILES NORTH OF ITHACA...MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
  BEEBE...NORTH STAR AROUND 235 PM EDT
  BRECKENRIDGE AROUND 240 PM EDT
  WHEELER AROUND 245 PM EDT
  RATHBONE...EDGEWOOD...SICKLES AROUND 250 PM EDT
  GALLOWAY...LANGPORT 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 4329 8484 4346 8478 4344 8461 4341 8437
          4319 8437

$$

IOD RG

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jun 9, 12:57 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GRR	Mecosta, Montcalm, Newaygo	63 min
Jun 9, 1:12 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GRR	Muskegon	48 min
Jun 9, 2:02 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GRR	Muskegon	28 min
Jun 9, 3:27 AM EDT	Special Marine Warning	GRR		78 min
Jun 9, 3:27 AM EDT	Special Marine Warning	GRR		78 min
Jun 9, 3:42 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GRR	Mason	63 min
Jun 9, 12:45 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GRR	Eaton	60 min
Jun 9, 12:56 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GRR	Calhoun	34 min
Jun 9, 1:17 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GRR	Ingham	28 min
Jun 9, 1:21 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GRR	Jackson	54 min
Jun 9, 1:39 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	GRR	Jackson	36 min
Jun 9, 1:42 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GRR	Ingham	33 min
Jun 9, 3:38 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GRR	Gratiot	37 min

Nearby

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