Alert archive / Michigan / Tornado Warnings in 2004

Tornado Warning 11, NWS Northern Indiana

July 21, 2004Cass County, Michigan

NWS Northern Indiana issued this tornado warning at Jul 21, 2004, 6:28 PM EST for Cass County, Michigan. It was in force for 62 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
Jul 21, 2004, 6:28 PM EST (23:28 UTC)
Expired
Jul 21, 2004, 7:30 PM EST
In force
62 min
Issued by
NWS Northern Indiana
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Cass County, MI

The radar

The Northern Indiana radar (KIWX), 72 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:29 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
Jul 21, 6:32 PM ESTTSTM WND DMG2 E Edwardsburg, MINUMEROUS TREES AND POWERLINES REPORTED KNOCKED DOWN.
Jul 21, 6:45 PM ESTTSTM WND DMGEdwardsburg, MIREPORTS OF TREES AND POWERLINES DOWN IN EAGLE LAKE ESTATES.

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
Jul 21, 2:35 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Detroit, MI (KDTX), launched 12:00Z, 11.5 hours before the alert went out and 232 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 2004-07-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1495 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 2004-07-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 34 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
1495 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-15 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
704 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
19 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
34 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
37 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 KIWX 212328
TORIWX
MIC027-220030-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
728 PM EDT WED JUL 21 2004

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NORTHERN INDIANA HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  CASS COUNTY IN MICHIGAN

* UNTIL 830 PM EDT

* AT 728 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH STRONG ROTATION 9 MILES SOUTHWEST OF   
  DOWAGIAC...MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH. 

* SOME LOCATIONS IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM ARE...
  DOWAGIAC
  EDWARDSBURG
  CASSOPOLIS
  VANDALIA
  MARCELLUS

DO NOT USE YOUR CAR TO TRY TO OUTRUN A TORNADO. IF YOU ARE CAUGHT IN
THE PATH OF A TORNADO...LEAVE THE VEHICLE AND SEEK SHELTER IN A
STURDY BUILDING. AS A LAST RESORT...SEEK SHELTER IN A DITCH OR LOW
SPOT.

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. IF NO
BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE
LOWEST FLOOR AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

REPORT SEVERE WEATHER TO THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY. THEY
WILL RELAY YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST
OFFICE IN NORTHERN INDIANA.

LAT...LON 4206 8623 4178 8623 4178 8579 4207 8576

$$

The office that day

Everything else NWS Northern Indiana issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 21, 5:46 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningIWXBerrien59 min
Jul 21, 6:17 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningIWXCass58 min
Jul 21, 6:56 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningIWXSaint Joseph64 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.