Alert archive / Michigan / Severe Thunderstorm Watches in 2021

Severe Thunderstorm Watch 428

August 11, 202123 counties in Michigan

The Storm Prediction Center issued this severe thunderstorm watch at Aug 11, 2021, 4:48 PM EDT for 23 counties in Michigan. It was in force for 3 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Aug 11, 2021, 4:48 PM EDT (20:48 UTC)
Expired
Aug 11, 2021, 7:58 PM EDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Largest hail expected
1.5 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), 23 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:48 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
20%
One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes
5%
Ten or more severe wind reports
50%
One or more gusts of 65 knots or more
20%
Ten or more severe hail reports
30%
One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more
10%
Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports
70%

Warnings issued inside it

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 11, 4:54 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAPXCheboygan51 min
Aug 11, 5:00 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAPXEmmet18 min
Aug 11, 5:24 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAPXCharlevoix, Cheboygan, Emmet36 min
Aug 11, 5:30 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAPXAntrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, Leelanau45 min
Aug 11, 5:43 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAPXCheboygan, Emmet, Presque Isle47 min
Aug 11, 5:52 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAPXCheboygan, Presque Isle38 min
Aug 11, 6:00 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm Warning Destructive damage threatAPXBenzie, Leelanau30 min
Aug 11, 6:09 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAPXAntrim, Crawford, Kalkaska, Otsego35 min
Aug 11, 6:24 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threatAPXAntrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, Leelanau51 min
Aug 11, 6:31 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAPXCrawford, Montmorency, Oscoda, Otsego44 min
Aug 11, 6:58 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAPXAlcona, Alpena, Presque Isle47 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, 8.8 hours before the alert went out and 171 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 2021-08-11Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2 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 2021-08-11The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 158 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
2 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-340 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1366 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
27 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
158 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
172 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

510 
WWUS20 KWNS 112037
SEL8  
SPC WW 112037
MIZ000-LHZ000-LMZ000-120300-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
Severe Thunderstorm Watch Number 428
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
440 PM EDT Wed Aug 11 2021

The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Watch for portions of 
  Northern Lower Michigan
  Lake Huron
  Lake Michigan

* Effective this Wednesday afternoon and evening from 440 PM
  until 1100 PM EDT.

* Primary threats include...
  Scattered damaging wind gusts to 70 mph possible
  Isolated large hail events to 1.5 inches in diameter possible
  A tornado or two possible

SUMMARY...Severe storms will spread into northern Lower Michigan
from Lake Michigan over the next couple of hours.  Northern Lower
Michigan was not affected by earlier storms to the south, and the
storm environment remains favorable for a mix of supercells and
clusters/line segments capable of producing damaging winds to 70
mph, isolated large hail to 1.5 inch diameter, and an isolated
tornado or two through late evening.

The severe thunderstorm watch area is approximately along and 75
statute miles east and west of a line from 15 miles east northeast
of Pellston MI to 40 miles east of Manistee MI. For a complete
depiction of the watch see the associated watch outline update
(WOUS64 KWNS WOU8).

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

REMEMBER...A Severe Thunderstorm Watch means conditions are
favorable for 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. Severe thunderstorms can and occasionally do produce
tornadoes.

&&

OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...CONTINUE...WW 424...WW 425...WW
426...WW 427...

AVIATION...A few severe thunderstorms with hail surface and aloft to
1.5 inches. Extreme turbulence and surface wind gusts to 60 knots. A
few cumulonimbi with maximum tops to 500. Mean storm motion vector
28035.

...Thompson

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, 7:45 PM EDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAllegan, Barry, Calhoun, Cass, Clinton, Eaton and 15 more90 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Watches in Michigan, 2021Every severe thunderstorm watch 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.