Alert archive / Michigan / Mesoscale Discussions in 2020

Mesoscale Discussion 1621

August 28, 202025 counties in Michigan

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Aug 28, 2020, 9:15 PM EDT for 25 counties in Michigan. It was in force for 3 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Aug 28, 2020, 9:15 PM EDT (01:15 UTC)
Expired
Aug 28, 2020, 11:45 PM EDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Concerning
Severe potential...watch possible
Chance of a watch
40%
All 25 counties

Barry County, MI, Branch County, MI, Calhoun County, MI, Clinton County, MI, Eaton County, MI, Genesee County, MI, Gratiot County, MI, Hillsdale County, MI, Ingham County, MI, Ionia County, MI, Jackson County, MI, Kalamazoo County, MI, Kent County, MI, Lenawee County, MI, Livingston County, MI, Mecosta County, MI, Montcalm County, MI, Newaygo County, MI, Oakland County, MI, Ottawa County, MI, Saginaw County, MI, Saint Joseph County, MI, Shiawassee County, MI, Washtenaw County, MI, Wayne County, MI

The radar

The Grand Rapids radar (KGRR), 41 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:15 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 watches that followed

Watches SPC issued over any of the same counties within four hours of this discussion.

The nearest sounding before it

Detroit, MI (KDTX), launched 00:00Z, 1.3 hours before the alert went out and 137 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 00:00Z on 2020-08-29Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 961 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, Detroit, MI at 00:00Z on 2020-08-29The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 143 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
961 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-33 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
671 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
45 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
143 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
196 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.0
Supercell composite
5.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

615 
ACUS11 KWNS 290116
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 290115 
MIZ000-290345-

Mesoscale Discussion 1621
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
0815 PM CDT Fri Aug 28 2020

Areas affected...Southern Lower Michigan

Concerning...Severe potential...Watch possible 

Valid 290115Z - 290345Z

Probability of Watch Issuance...40 percent

SUMMARY...Thunderstorms have increased in coverage and intensity
over Lake Michigan and are expected to pose a severe weather threat
as they move into southern Lower Michigan.  Convective trends will
be monitored for the possibility of a watch.

DISCUSSION...An upper-level impulse moving across southern Wisconsin
has aided the initiation of storms across Lake Michigan (including a
long-lived supercell).  These storms have increased in coverage and
intensity with time and are expected to persist as they move
eastward across Lower Michigan tonight.  Given a relatively
favorable kinematic and thermodynamic environment downstream, these
storms should remain organized (including transient supercell
structures), posing a severe weather threat.  Some surface-based CIN
is present (per current mesoanalysis) over southern Lower Michigan
given the stabilizing nocturnal boundary layer, but RAP forecast
soundings suggest effective layer inflow parcels are likely to
originate from the surface.  Thus, damaging winds are possible along
with hail, and a tornado cannot be ruled out.  Convective trends
will be monitored for the possibility of a watch.

..Jirak/Guyer.. 08/29/2020

...Please see www.spc.noaa.gov for graphic product...

ATTN...WFO...DTX...IWX...GRR...

LAT...LON   43198630 43588628 43698546 43628475 43298384 42728317
            42358295 42068326 41878390 41818474 41958594 42158616
            42228628 42608619 42998619 43198630

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 28, 9:57 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAllegan, Barry, Calhoun, Clinton, Eaton, Genesee and 12 more4 hr
Aug 28, 11:41 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBerrien, Branch, Calhoun, Cass, Eaton, Hillsdale and 7 more94 min

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in Michigan, 2020Every mesoscale discussion in 2020

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.