Alert archive / Michigan / Winter Storm Warnings in 2008

Winter Storm Warning 11, NWS Grand Rapids, MI

December 20, 200813 counties in Michigan

NWS Grand Rapids, MI issued this winter storm warning at Dec 20, 2008, 3:32 PM EST for 13 counties in Michigan. It took effect at Dec 21, 2008, 5:00 AM EST. It was in force for 22 hr. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Dec 20, 2008, 3:32 PM EST (20:32 UTC)
In effect from
Dec 21, 2008, 5:00 AM EST
Expired
Dec 22, 2008, 3:28 AM EST
In force
22 hr
Issued by
NWS Grand Rapids, MI

Counties Allegan County, MI, Barry County, MI, Calhoun County, MI, Ionia County, MI, Kalamazoo County, MI, Kent County, MI, Lake County, MI, Mason County, MI, Muskegon County, MI, Newaygo County, MI, Oceana County, MI, Ottawa County, MI, Van Buren County, MI

The radar

The Grand Rapids radar (KGRR), 25 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:37 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.

The nearest sounding before it

Detroit, MI (KDTX), launched 12:00Z, 8.5 hours before the alert went out and 196 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 2008-12-20Temperature 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 12:00Z on 2008-12-20The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -92 square meters per square second.1939587897117136156175Sfc1 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
672 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
91 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-92 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
50 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this winter storm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Grand Rapids, MI wrote its last area forecast discussion before this winter storm warning went out at Dec 20, 12:58 PM EST, 2 hours 34 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 20, 12:58 PM EST, 2 hours 34 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 20, 6:11 AM EST, 9 hours 21 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI
611 AM EST SAT DEC 20 2008

MIZ037>040-043>046-050>052-056>059-064>067-071>074-211115-
MASON-LAKE-OSCEOLA-CLARE-OCEANA-NEWAYGO-MECOSTA-ISABELLA-MUSKEGON-
MONTCALM-GRATIOT-OTTAWA-KENT-IONIA-CLINTON-ALLEGAN-BARRY-EATON-
INGHAM-VAN BUREN-KALAMAZOO-CALHOUN-JACKSON-
611 AM EST SAT DEC 20 2008

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST LOWER
MICHIGAN.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

SNOW WILL BE ON THE INCREASE MAINLY AFTER MIDNIGHT TONIGHT.
SEVERAL INCHES OF ACCUMULATION ARE POSSIBLE BY DAYBREAK
SUNDAY...ESPECIALLY NEAR THE LAKESHORE.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY

WINDS WILL BE ON THE INCREASE SUNDAY WITH GUSTS OVER 40 MPH POSSIBLE.
THIS WILL COMBINE WITH THE FALLING SNOW TO CREATE BLOWING AND
DRIFTING SNOW. VERY LOW VISIBILITIES ARE POSSIBLE...ESPECIALLY
ALONG AND WEST OF HIGHWAY 131. BANDS OF LAKE EFFECT SNOW ARE
EXPECTED. SOME OF THE SNOW COULD BE HEAVY AT TIMES.  WIND CHILL
VALUES WILL BE BELOW ZERO.

ANOTHER STORM COULD LEAD TO ACCUMULATING SNOW TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY.
ANOTHER LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM COULD ARRIVE LATER THURSDAY INTO
FRIDAY WITH SNOW.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED...BUT SNOWFALL REPORTS WOULD
BE HELPFUL.

LMZ844>849-211115-
ST JOSEPH TO SOUTH HAVEN MI-SOUTH HAVEN TO HOLLAND MI-
HOLLAND TO GRAND HAVEN MI-GRAND HAVEN TO WHITEHALL MI-
WHITEHALL TO PENTWATER MI-PENTWATER TO MANISTEE MI-
611 AM EST SAT DEC 20 2008

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST LOWER
MICHIGAN.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

WARNINGS HAVE BEEN POSTED FOR GALE FORCE WINDS AND HEAVY FREEZING
SPRAY LATER TONIGHT. LOW VISIBILITIES DUE TO FALLING SNOW ARE FORECASTED.
CONDITIONS WILL BE HAZARDOUS FOR SMALL CRAFT.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY

THE GALE FORCE WINDS AND FREEZING SPRAY WILL PERSIST INTO MONDAY
MORNING. IN ADDITION LOW VISIBILITIES ARE EXPECTED DUE TO LAKE
EFFECT SNOW SHOWERS.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Dec 20, 4:37 AM ESTGale WarningGRR48 hr
Dec 20, 4:37 AM ESTHeavy Freezing Spray WarningGRR48 hr
Dec 20, 3:32 PM ESTWinter Weather AdvisoryGRRCalhoun, Clare, Clinton, Eaton, Gratiot, Ingham and 6 more36 hr

Nearby

Winter Storm Warnings in Michigan, 2008Every winter storm warning 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.