Alert archive / Michigan / Tornado Warnings in 2008

Tornado Warning 18, NWS Northern Indiana

June 8, 2008Berrien County, Cass County, Michigan

NWS Northern Indiana issued this tornado warning at Jun 8, 2008, 2:46 PM EDT for Berrien County, Cass County, Michigan. It was in force for 44 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: Jun 8, 2008, 2:46 PM EDT (18:46 UTC)
Expired: Jun 8, 2008, 3:30 PM EDT
In force: 44 min
Issued by: NWS Northern Indiana
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Berrien County, MI, Cass County, MI

The radar

The Northern Indiana radar (KIWX), 91 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:47 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 watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Jun 8, 12:57 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Detroit, MI (KDTX), launched 12:00Z, 6.8 hours before the alert went out and 259 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: 538 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -257 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1230 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 43 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 205 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 219 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.

000 
WFUS53 KIWX 081847
TORIWX
MIC021-027-081930-
/O.NEW.KIWX.TO.W.0018.080608T1846Z-080608T1930Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
246 PM EDT SUN JUN 8 2008

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NORTHERN INDIANA HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  CENTRAL BERRIEN COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN
  WESTERN CASS COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN

* UNTIL 330 PM EDT

* AT 243 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH STRONG ROTATION.  THIS SEVERE STORM WAS
  LOCATED 5 MILES WEST OF STEVENSVILLE...OR 9 MILES SOUTHWEST OF ST.
  JOSEPH...AND MOVING EAST AT 50 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IN THE PATH OF THE SEVERE STORM INCLUDE...
  NILES...
  DOWAGIAC...
  BERRIEN SPRINGS...
  BARODA AND GLENDORA...
  SODUS...
  EAU CLAIRE...

IN ADDITION TO THE TORNADO...THIS STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING 
STRAIGHT LINES WINDS IN EXCESS OF 70 MPH.

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.

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE
NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

LAT...LON 4199 8603 4177 8613 4190 8663 4193 8660
      4198 8658 4202 8657 4203 8655 4207 8654
      4208 8652
TIME...MOT...LOC 1846Z 284DEG 40KT 4200 8658

$$

JC

1 follow-up statement

000 
WWUS53 KIWX 081907
SVSIWX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
307 PM EDT SUN JUN 8 2008

MIC021-027-081930-
/O.CON.KIWX.TO.W.0018.000000T0000Z-080608T1930Z/
BERRIEN MI-CASS MI-
307 PM EDT SUN JUN 8 2008

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 330 PM EDT FOR WESTERN
CASS AND EAST CENTRAL BERRIEN COUNTIES IN SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN...

AT 304 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH STRONG ROTATION CAPABLE OF
PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH. THIS SEVERE STORM WAS
LOCATED NEAR BERRIEN SPRINGS...OR ABOUT 8 MILES NORTH OF NILES...AND
MOVING EAST AT 45 MPH.

LOCATIONS IN THE PATH OF THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM INCLUDE...
  DOWAGIAC...POKAGON AND BARRON LAKE...
  DAILEY...

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. IF YOU
ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS DANGEROUS STORM...MOVE INDOORS AND TO THE
LOWEST LEVEL OF THE BUILDING. STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS. IF DRIVING...DO
NOT SEEK SHELTER UNDER A HIGHWAY OVERPASS.

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.

IF YOU HAVE SEVERE WEATHER TO REPORT...YOU CAN CALL YOUR LOCAL LAW
ENFORCEMENT AGENCY FOR RELAY TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

LAT...LON 4199 8603 4177 8613 4183 8636 4185 8644
      4186 8648 4203 8629
TIME...MOT...LOC 1907Z 282DEG 41KT 4193 8626

$$

JC

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jun 8, 2:24 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	IWX	Berrien, Cass	66 min
Jun 8, 3:12 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	IWX	Cass, Saint Joseph	63 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.