(WSYM) — Severe weather on Saturday brought five confirmed tornadoes across the state, the most damaging in Port Austin when an EF-2 tornado touched down on Saturday night.
The first touched down at 7:33 p.m. in Mecosta County, one mile southwest of Sylvester. It was an EF-1 with a path length about three miles, according to the National Weather Service. It heavily damaged a wood barn and tore apart a sheet metal roof, while also tipping over a center pivot irrigation system.
A second tornado touched down at 8:31 p.m. in Ionia County, about 1 mile east northeast of Freeport. It was an EF-0 with a path length of about one mile.
The third, according to the National Weather Service, touched down 11 minutes later at 8:42 p.m., also in Ionia County. It was about 2 miles north of Lake Odessa. That tornado was an EF-1 with a path length about 4.5 miles. It tore off the roof of a garage and damaged dozens of trees and siding on a home.
The fourth touched down at 9:09 p.m. in Clare County, about 3 miles northeast of Clare. According to the NWS, it was an EF-0 with a path length of about 3.6 miles. IT damaged trees, partially caved in a barn wall, and destroyed a house attachment on cinderblocks.
The final tornado was the largest. It touched down at 9:54 p.m., one mile southeast of Port Austin.
According to the NWS, it was an EF-2 and was tracked four miles southwest of Port Austin to four miles east northeast of Port Austin where it entered Lake Huron. It caused severe damage to six houses, several barns and more.
Below is a map of the tornadoes
The National Weather Service describes tornadoes through the Enhanced Fujita scale. The descriptions of each are below.
EF-0 – 65-85 mph 3-second wind gusts
EF-1 – 86-110 mph 3-second wind gusts
EF-2 – 111-135 mph 3-second wind gusts
EF-3 – 136-165 mph 3-second wind gusts
EF-4 – 166-200 mph 3-second wind gusts
EF-5 – Over 200 mph 3-second wind gusts
