Detroit, MI Answer Key

Summary of the Event:

Date of Sounding: 10 April 2001 @ 00 UTC
It would be a stretch to label the severe hail risk "slight" north of the warm from without seeing what the atmosphere was doing to the south. There was elevated CAPE north of the warm front with a source of instability from the southwest. Rotating storms formed north of the warm front in the Detroit area (Wayne County), and they were large hail producers, with 3.50 inch hail at just before 15 UTC in Belleville (a picture of some of that hail is on the center of the banner at the top of the index page). There were 3 reports of golfballs and over 10 0.75 inch hail reports from this event, all with mid 40s surface temperatures.


#8 Detroit, MI
CAPE:	Elevated: Even an elevated parcel yields very little CAPE
Deep Layer Shear:	Excellent: 0-6 km shear is 60-70 knots, with great veering near warm front
Mid-level Lapse Rates:	Weak: moist adiabatic
Freezing Level:	10.6 kft
Overall Threat of Severe Hail:	None: Doesn't appear to be any elevated CAPE potential on the sounding, and the lapse rates are weak throughout the depth of the troposphere. Shear is very good however, thus storms get going north of the front they should rotate. It would be helpful to see the environment south of the warm front.
Summary of the Event: Date of Sounding: 10 April 2001 @ 00 UTC It would be a stretch to label the severe hail risk "slight" north of the warm from without seeing what the atmosphere was doing to the south. There was elevated CAPE north of the warm front with a source of instability from the southwest. Rotating storms formed north of the warm front in the Detroit area (Wayne County), and they were large hail producers, with 3.50 inch hail at just before 15 UTC in Belleville (a picture of some of that hail is on the center of the banner at the top of the index page). There were 3 reports of golfballs and over 10 0.75 inch hail reports from this event, all with mid 40s surface temperatures.