Alert archive / Michigan / Tornado Watches in 2013

Tornado Watch 564

November 17, 201323 counties in Michigan

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Nov 17, 2013, 1:13 PM EST for 23 counties in Michigan. It was in force for 6 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Nov 17, 2013, 1:13 PM EST (18:13 UTC)
Expired
Nov 17, 2013, 6:52 PM EST
In force
6 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Largest hail expected
0.5 in
Strongest gust expected
60 kt
All 23 counties

Alcona County, MI, Alpena County, MI, Antrim County, MI, Arenac County, MI, Benzie County, MI, Charlevoix County, MI, Cheboygan County, MI, Crawford County, MI, Emmet County, MI, Gladwin County, MI, Grand Traverse County, MI, Iosco County, MI, Kalkaska County, MI, Leelanau County, MI, Manistee County, MI, Missaukee County, MI, Montmorency County, MI, Ogemaw County, MI, Oscoda County, MI, Otsego County, MI, Presque Isle County, MI, Roscommon County, MI, Wexford County, MI

The radar

The NCL Michigan radar (KAPX), 26 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:13 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 SPC expected

The probabilities SPC published with the watch, for the watch area over its life.

Two or more tornadoes
40%
One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes
20%
Ten or more severe wind reports
10%
One or more gusts of 65 knots or more
5%
Ten or more severe hail reports
10%
One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more
5%
Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports
60%

Warnings issued inside it

5 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Nov 17, 3:15 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningAPXAntrim, Benzie, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Chippewa, Emmet and 6 more6 hr
Nov 17, 3:52 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAPXCrawford, Kalkaska, Missaukee, Roscommon53 min
Nov 17, 4:04 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAPXArenac, Gladwin, Ogemaw56 min
Nov 17, 4:56 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAPXArenac, Iosco, Ogemaw64 min
Nov 17, 5:13 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAPXAlcona, Alpena, Montmorency, Oscoda62 min

Discussions around it

SPC mesoscale discussions over the same counties from four hours before the watch to its end.

The nearest sounding before it

Alpena, MI (KAPX), launched 12:00Z, 6.2 hours before the alert went out and 210 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, Alpena, MI at 12:00Z on 2013-11-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 130 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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, Alpena, MI at 12:00Z on 2013-11-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 191 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
130 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-3 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
473 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
36 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
191 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
244 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

358 
WWUS20 KWNS 171807
SEL4  
SPC WW 171807
MIZ000-LHZ000-LMZ000-180100-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 564
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
110 PM EST SUN NOV 17 2013

THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF 
  NORTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN
  LAKE HURON
  LAKE MICHIGAN

* EFFECTIVE THIS SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 110 PM UNTIL
  800 PM EST.

* PRIMARY THREATS INCLUDE...
  SEVERAL TORNADOES POSSIBLE

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS APPROXIMATELY ALONG AND 50 STATUTE
MILES NORTH AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 35 MILES WEST OF TRAVERSE
CITY MICHIGAN TO 25 MILES NORTH NORTHEAST OF OSCODA MICHIGAN. 
FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE ASSOCIATED WATCH
OUTLINE UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU4).

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR
TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH
AREA. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR
THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS
AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

&&

OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...CONTINUE...WW 561...WW 562...WW 563...

DISCUSSION...THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE IN COVERAGE AND
INTENSITY ACROSS THE WATCH AREA THIS AFTERNOON AMIDST A MARGINALLY
UNSTABLE BUT STRONGLY SHEARED ENVIRONMENT.  EMBEDDED BOWING AND
SUPERCELL STRUCTURES WILL POSE A RISK FOR TORNADOES AND DAMAGING
WINDS.

AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 0.5 INCH. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE
WIND GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO
350. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 23050.


...MEAD

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Nov 17, 11:01 AM ESTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAllegan, Barry, Berrien, Branch, Calhoun, Cass and 26 more119 min
Nov 17, 11:20 AM ESTTornado Watch PDSSPCAllegan, Barry, Bay, Berrien, Branch, Calhoun and 39 more9 hr
Nov 17, 12:32 PM ESTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAlcona, Alpena, Antrim, Benzie, Cheboygan, Crawford and 13 more118 min
Nov 17, 2:13 PM ESTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAllegan, Barry, Berrien, Branch, Calhoun, Cass and 21 more77 min
Nov 17, 3:51 PM ESTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAlcona, Alpena, Arenac, Barry, Bay, Branch and 32 more84 min

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Michigan, 2013Every tornado watch in 2013

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.