Alert archive / Michigan / Tornado Warnings in 2008

Tornado Warning 4, NWS Detroit, MI

April 11, 2008Genesee County, Michigan

NWS Detroit, MI issued this tornado warning at Apr 11, 2008, 6:49 PM EDT for Genesee County, Michigan. It was in force for 35 min. 1 report 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: Apr 11, 2008, 6:49 PM EDT (22:49 UTC)
Expired: Apr 11, 2008, 7:24 PM EDT
In force: 35 min
Issued by: NWS Detroit, MI
Area: Storm-based polygon

County Genesee County, MI

The radar

The Detroit radar (KDTX), 37 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:49 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
Apr 11, 7:10 PM EDT	HAIL 0.75	3 N Grand Blanc, 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
Apr 11, 12:58 PM EDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	8 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Detroit, MI (KDTX), launched 12:00Z, 10.8 hours before the alert went out and 37 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: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL: 462 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 84 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 448 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 382 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 KDTX 112249
TORDTX
MIC049-112345-
/O.NEW.KDTX.TO.W.0004.080411T2249Z-080411T2345Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI
649 PM EDT FRI APR 11 2008

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DETROIT/PONTIAC HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 745 PM EDT

* AT 645 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 10 MILES SOUTH
  OF FLUSHING..MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  FLUSHING BY 655 PM EDT...
  FLINT BY 700 PM EDT...
  MOUNT MORRIS BY 710 PM EDT...
  THETFORD TOWNSHIP BY 715 PM EDT...
  OTISVILLE BY 720 PM EDT...
  OTTER LAKE BY 725 PM EDT...

THE WARNING INCLUDES AREAS SURROUNDING THESE LOCATIONS...
  SWARTZ CREEK...       OTTER LAKE...         OTISVILLE...
  MOUNT MORRIS...       LINDEN...             GAINES...
  FLUSHING...           FLINT...              DAVISON...
  CLIO...               BURTON...

WHEN A TORNADO WARNING IS ISSUED BASED ON DOPPLER RADAR...IT MEANS
THAT STRONG ROTATION HAS BEEN DETECTED IN THE STORM. A TORNADO MAY 
ALREADY BE ON THE GROUND...OR IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP SHORTLY. STRONG 
WINDS TO 60 MPH AND GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL ARE ALSO POSSIBLE. 

SEEK SHELTER IN THE INNERMOST PORTION OF THE BUILDING...ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR. GET TO A BASEMENT IF ONE IS AVAILABLE...AND AVOID WINDOWS.
PROTECT YOUR BODY FROM FLYING DEBRIS WITH CUSHIONS OR PILLOWS.

LAT...LON 4305 8347 4296 8358 4279 8382 4278 8393
      4285 8393 4286 8392 4300 8393 4322 8375
      4322 8345

$$

/

2 follow-up statements

000 
WWUS53 KDTX 112306
SVSDTX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI
704 PM EDT FRI APR 11 2008

MIC049-112345-
/O.CON.KDTX.TO.W.0004.000000T0000Z-080411T2345Z/
GENESEE MI-
704 PM EDT FRI APR 11 2008

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 745 PM EDT FOR GENESEE
COUNTY...

AT 702 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO.  THIS STORM WAS 
LOCATED NEAR FLINT...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH. A CLUSTER OF STRONG 
STORMS WERE ALSO LOCATED FROM RANKIN TO ARGENTINE...TRACKING 
NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH.   

THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  GENESEE BY 710 PM EDT...
  OTISVILLE BY 715 PM EDT...
  OTTER LAKE BY 720 PM EDT...

THE WARNING INCLUDES AREAS SURROUNDING THESE LOCATIONS...
  SWARTZ CREEK...       OTTER LAKE...         OTISVILLE...
  MOUNT MORRIS...       LINDEN...             FLINT...
  DAVISON...            BURTON...

IN ADDITION TO THE TORNADO...THIS STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING GOLF 
BALL SIZE HAIL AND STRAIGHT LINE WINDS TO 60 MPH.

SEEK SHELTER IN THE INNERMOST PORTION OF THE BUILDING...ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR. GET TO A BASEMENT IF ONE IS AVAILABLE...AND AVOID WINDOWS.
PROTECT YOUR BODY FROM FLYING DEBRIS WITH CUSHIONS OR PILLOWS.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM EDT FRIDAY EVENING FOR
SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN.

LAT...LON 4305 8347 4296 8358 4279 8382 4278 8392
      4285 8393 4304 8383 4322 8370 4322 8346
      4320 8345

$$

000 
WWUS53 KDTX 112324
SVSDTX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC MI
723 PM EDT FRI APR 11 2008

MIC049-112333-
/O.CAN.KDTX.TO.W.0004.000000T0000Z-080411T2345Z/
GENESEE MI-
723 PM EDT FRI APR 11 2008

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR GENESEE COUNTY IS CANCELLED...

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED THAT THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
THAT PROMPTED THE WARNING WEAKENED. THEREFORE...THE WARNING HAS BEEN 
CANCELLED.

RADAR INDICATED THAT HEAVY RAIN...LARGE HAIL...AND GUSTY WINDS 
WERE STILL POSSIBLE FROM THESE THUNDERSTORMS.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM EDT FRIDAY EVENING FOR
SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN.

LAT...LON 4305 8347 4296 8358 4279 8382 4278 8392
      4285 8393 4304 8383 4322 8370 4322 8346
      4320 8345

$$

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Apr 11, 2:52 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DTX	Saginaw, Shiawassee	68 min
Apr 11, 3:55 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DTX	Genesee, Saginaw, Tuscola	65 min
Apr 11, 3:59 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DTX	Saginaw, Shiawassee	38 min
Apr 11, 4:50 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	DTX		115 min
Apr 11, 4:58 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DTX	Huron, Sanilac, Tuscola	62 min
Apr 11, 5:16 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DTX	Bay, Saginaw	32 min
Apr 11, 5:30 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	DTX	Sanilac	29 min
Apr 11, 5:35 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DTX	Shiawassee	70 min
Apr 11, 5:53 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	DTX	Shiawassee	30 min
Apr 11, 6:06 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	DTX	Genesee, Saginaw	30 min
Apr 11, 6:42 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DTX	Genesee, Shiawassee	64 min
Apr 11, 6:43 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DTX	Lapeer	62 min
Apr 11, 6:49 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DTX	Livingston	39 min
Apr 11, 7:12 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DTX	Oakland	63 min
Apr 11, 7:19 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DTX	Tuscola	30 min
Apr 11, 7:45 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DTX	Lapeer, Saint Clair, Sanilac	75 min
Apr 11, 7:52 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	DTX		93 min
Apr 11, 7:59 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DTX	Macomb	56 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Michigan, 2008 Every tornado warning in 2008 Tornadoes in 2008

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.