Alert archive / Michigan / Tornado Warnings in 2011

Tornado Warning 23, NWS Northern Indiana

July 11, 2011Branch County, Saint Joseph County, Michigan

NWS Northern Indiana issued this tornado warning at Jul 11, 2011, 10:47 AM EDT for Branch County, Saint Joseph County, Michigan. It was in force for 43 min. 6 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 11, 2011, 10:47 AM EDT (14:47 UTC)
Expired: Jul 11, 2011, 11:30 AM EDT
In force: 43 min
Issued by: NWS Northern Indiana
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Branch County, MI, Saint Joseph County, MI

The radar

The Northern Indiana radar (KIWX), 66 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 14:47 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.

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Jul 11, 10:52 AM EDT	TSTM WND DMG	1 Sw Constantine, MI	TREES AND LIMBS DOWN IN THE AREA. ONE 8 INCH BRANCH BLOCKING RIVERSIDE DRIVE JUST WEST OF BLUE SCHOOL ROAD IN CONSTANTINE.
Jul 11, 10:55 AM EDT	TSTM WND DMG	Three Rivers, MI	MULTIPLE TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN THROUGHOUT THREE RIVERS
Jul 11, 11:01 AM EDT	TSTM WND DMG	Centreville, MI	POWER LINES DOWN WITH TREES IN ROADWAY...AT NOTTAWWA AND ANNE ST. TIME ESTIMATED FROM RADAR.
Jul 11, 11:08 AM EDT	TSTM WND DMG	Colon, MI	MULTIPLE TREES AND LINES DOWN AT CUSTER AND DECKER ROAD. TIME ESTIMATED FROM RADAR.
Jul 11, 11:08 AM EDT	TSTM WND DMG	Sturgis, MI	POWER LINES DOWN...WITH TRANSFORMER FIRES ON THE EAST SIDE OF STURGIS.
Jul 11, 11:15 AM EDT	TSTM WND DMG	1 W Union City, MI	BARN DAMAGED AND BILLBOARD BLOWN DOWN. EVENT TIME CORRECTED.

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
Jul 11, 6:37 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Detroit, MI (KDTX), launched 12:00Z, 2.8 hours before the alert went out and 182 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: 4 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -284 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1566 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 31 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 64 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 149 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.

570 
WFUS53 KIWX 111447
TORIWX
MIC023-149-111530-
/O.NEW.KIWX.TO.W.0023.110711T1447Z-110711T1530Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
1047 AM EDT MON JUL 11 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NORTHERN INDIANA HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  WESTERN BRANCH COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN...
  ST. JOSEPH COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN...

* UNTIL 1130 AM EDT

* AT 1043 AM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE SQUALL LINE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING BRIEF RAIN-WRAPPED
  TORNADOES IN ADDITION TO WIDESPREAD STRAIGHT LINE WIND DAMAGE.
  ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 6 MILES SOUTHWEST OF SCHOOLCRAFT TO 6
  MILES NORTHWEST OF CONSTANTINE TO 4 MILES NORTHEAST OF BRISTOL...
  AND MOVING EAST AT 50 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IN THE PATH OF THESE SEVERE STORMS INCLUDE...
  CENTREVILLE...
  STURGIS...
  COLON...
  UNION CITY AND BRONSON...

OTHER LOCATIONS IMPACTED BY THESE SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS INCLUDE
KLINGER LAKE...FISHERS LAKE...WASEPI...NOTTAWA...MENDON...LEONIDAS...
FINDLEY...FAIRFAX...FAWN RIVER...BURR OAK...SHERWOOD AND MATTESON
LAKE.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

THIS LINE OF SEVERE HAS A HISTORY OF PRODUCING WIDESPREAD WIND DAMAGE
ACROSS NORTHWEST INDIANA AND SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN. THIS IS AN EXTREMELY 
DANGEROUS SITUATION. GO TO A BASEMENT OR SMALL INTERIOR ROOM. 
EVACUATE MOBILE HOMES...AND SEEK SHELTER INSIDE A STURDY STRUCTURE.

&&

LAT...LON 4176 8508 4176 8576 4207 8572 4208 8506
TIME...MOT...LOC 1447Z 281DEG 42KT 4205 8565 4189 8569
          4176 8570

$$

2 follow-up statements

267 
WWUS53 KIWX 111459
SVSIWX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
1059 AM EDT MON JUL 11 2011

MIC023-149-111530-
/O.CON.KIWX.TO.W.0023.000000T0000Z-110711T1530Z/
BRANCH MI-ST. JOSEPH MI-
1059 AM EDT MON JUL 11 2011

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1130 AM EDT FOR EASTERN
ST. JOSEPH AND WESTERN BRANCH COUNTIES IN SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN...

AT 1057 AM EDT...A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS  WERE REPORTED 
PRODUCING DESTRUCTIVE WINDS IN EXCESS OF 80 MPH. THIS LINE OF
DANGEROUS STORMS WAS LOCATED ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 9 MILES
NORTHWEST OF COLON TO 7 MILES NORTHWEST OF STURGIS TO 5 MILES WEST OF
STURGIS...AND MOVING EAST AT 55 MPH.

LOCATIONS IN THE PATH OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS INCLUDE...
  COLON...
  UNION CITY AND BRONSON...

OTHER LOCATIONS IMPACTED BY THIS LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS INCLUDE
FINDLEY...FAWN RIVER...FAIRFAX...BURR OAK...MATTESON LAKE...
SHERWOOD...GILEAD...BATAVIA AND EAST GILEAD.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

THIS LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS HAS A HISTORY OF PRODUCING 
WIDESPREAD WIND DAMAGE ACROSS NORTHWEST INDIANA AND SOUTHWEST 
MICHIGAN WITH REPORTED WIND GUSTS UP TO 80 MPH. THIS IS AN EXTREMELY 
DANGEROUS SITUATION. GO TO A BASEMENT OR SMALL INTERIOR ROOM. 
EVACUATE MOBILE HOMES...AND SEEK SHELTER INSIDE A STURDY STRUCTURE.

&&

LAT...LON 4176 8508 4177 8554 4207 8548 4208 8506
TIME...MOT...LOC 1459Z 275DEG 49KT 4206 8540 4188 8545
          4178 8547

$$

160 
WWUS53 KIWX 111528
SVSIWX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
1128 AM EDT MON JUL 11 2011

MIC023-149-111539-
/O.EXP.KIWX.TO.W.0023.000000T0000Z-110711T1530Z/
BRANCH MI-ST. JOSEPH MI-
1128 AM EDT MON JUL 11 2011

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR EASTERN ST. JOSEPH AND WESTERN BRANCH
COUNTIES IN SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN WILL EXPIRE AT 1130 AM EDT...

AT 1124 AM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
THAT THE LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WHICH PROMPTED THE WARNING HAD
MOVED OUT OF THE AREA. THEREFORE...THE TORNADO WARNING HAS BEEN
ALLOWED TO EXPIRE.

LAT...LON 4176 8508 4177 8554 4207 8548 4208 8506
TIME...MOT...LOC 1529Z 275DEG 49KT 4202 8485 4184 8490
          4174 8493

$$

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 11, 8:55 AM EDT	Special Weather Statement	IWX	Branch	65 min
Jul 11, 9:19 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	IWX	Branch, Hillsdale	41 min
Jul 11, 9:33 AM EDT	Special Weather Statement	IWX	Hillsdale	27 min
Jul 11, 9:42 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	IWX	Berrien, Cass	78 min
Jul 11, 10:30 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	IWX	Branch, Saint Joseph	75 min
Jul 11, 11:03 AM EDT	Lakeshore Flood Warning	IWX		9 hr
Jul 11, 11:19 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	IWX	Hillsdale	56 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Michigan, 2011 Every tornado warning in 2011 Tornadoes in 2011

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.