Alert archive / Michigan / Mesoscale Discussions in 2021

Mesoscale Discussion 1491

August 11, 202121 counties in Michigan; Milwaukee County, Racine County, Wisconsin

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Aug 11, 2021, 7:45 PM EDT for 21 counties in Michigan; Milwaukee County, Racine County, Wisconsin. It was in force for 90 min.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Aug 11, 2021, 7:45 PM EDT (23:45 UTC)
Expired
Aug 11, 2021, 9:15 PM EDT
In force
90 min
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Concerning
Severe potential...watch unlikely
Chance of a watch
20%
All 23 counties

Allegan County, MI, Barry County, MI, Calhoun County, MI, Cass County, MI, Clinton County, MI, Eaton County, MI, Gratiot County, MI, Ingham County, MI, Ionia County, MI, Isabella County, MI, Kalamazoo County, MI, Kent County, MI, Mecosta County, MI, Midland County, MI, Montcalm County, MI, Muskegon County, MI, Newaygo County, MI, Oceana County, MI, Ottawa County, MI, Shiawassee County, MI, Van Buren County, MI, Milwaukee County, WI, Racine County, WI

The radar

The Grand Rapids radar (KGRR), 40 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:44 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 12:00Z, 11.8 hours before the alert went out and 214 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 2021-08-11Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 106 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 12:00Z on 2021-08-11The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 169 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
106 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-290 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1220 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
38 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
169 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
167 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

319 
ACUS11 KWNS 112346
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 112345 
MIZ000-WIZ000-120115-

Mesoscale Discussion 1491
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
0645 PM CDT Wed Aug 11 2021

Areas affected...Southern Lake MI into central/southern Lower MI

Concerning...Severe potential...Watch unlikely 

Valid 112345Z - 120115Z

Probability of Watch Issuance...20 percent

SUMMARY...Storms will likely increase in coverage this evening,
posing a threat of at least isolated hail and damaging wind gusts.

DISCUSSION...At 2330Z, thunderstorms are increasing in coverage over
southeast WI and southern Lake Michigan/southwest lower MI. These
storms are likely being driven by a rather strong southwesterly
low-level jet and rooted near or just above 850 mb, based on recent
RAP forecast soundings across the region. While effective shear for
storms rooted near 850 mb is relatively weak, steep midlevel lapse
rates may support a localized hail risk with the strongest updrafts.
Also, given that some heating has occurred across southwest lower MI
in the wake of earlier convection and DCAPE is still generally
greater than 1000 J/kg, some risk of damaging wind gusts will also
be present despite the elevated nature of the convection. 

Since these elevated storms are expected to remain relatively
disorganized, watch issuance is currently considered unlikely,
though this will be reconsidered if trends indicate storms
developing an organized cold pool and/or becoming rooted closer to
the surface with time.

..Dean/Goss.. 08/11/2021

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

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

LAT...LON   43148801 43718649 43788533 43728442 43018394 42448417
            42038517 41908600 42078697 42708793 43148801

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 10, 8:12 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAllegan, Barry, Berrien, Branch, Calhoun, Cass and 25 more63 min
Aug 10, 8:38 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAllegan, Barry, Benzie, Berrien, Branch, Calhoun and 31 more5 hr
Aug 10, 10:57 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAlcona, Alpena, Antrim, Arenac, Barry, Bay and 44 more93 min
Aug 11, 10:52 AM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBerrien, Branch, Calhoun, Cass, Hillsdale, Jackson and 3 more83 min
Aug 11, 11:50 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAllegan, Barry, Berrien, Branch, Calhoun, Cass and 14 more4 hr
Aug 11, 12:48 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCMenominee117 min
Aug 11, 1:17 PM EDTTornado WatchSPCDelta, Menominee8 hr
Aug 11, 1:26 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBranch, Hillsdale, Kalamazoo, Saint Joseph94 min
Aug 11, 2:12 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCGenesee, Huron, Lapeer, Lenawee, Livingston, Macomb and 9 more93 min
Aug 11, 2:32 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBay, Genesee, Huron, Lapeer, Lenawee, Livingston and 11 more4 hr
Aug 11, 4:20 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAlcona, Alpena, Antrim, Benzie, Cheboygan, Crawford and 13 more115 min
Aug 11, 4:48 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAlcona, Alpena, Antrim, Arenac, Benzie, Charlevoix and 17 more3 hr
Aug 11, 8:27 AM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBarron, Buffalo, Burnett, Chippewa, Dunn, Eau Claire and 8 more2 hr
Aug 11, 3:02 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAdams, Brown, Calumet, Columbia, Crawford, Dodge and 20 more88 min
Aug 11, 6:40 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCColumbia, Dane, Grant, Green, Iowa, Jefferson and 3 more95 min

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in Michigan, 2021Mesoscale Discussions in Wisconsin, 2021Every mesoscale discussion in 2021

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.