MICHIGAN, USA — A wild evening of weather for West Michigan.
Numerous reports of damage are coming in after many communities were hit with severe storms Thursday.
Both straight-line winds and possible, if not likely, tornadoes touched down.
The 13 Weather Impact Team tracked several storms with rotation and even tornado debris signatures, a strong signal that tornadoes did indeed touch down.
The NWS of Grand Rapids will conduct surveys to confirm whether or not a tornado did touch down in these locations over the coming days.
Strong, damaging winds moved into Muskegon and Ottawa counties while areas south of Grand Rapids, especially near and just north of I-94, saw both wind damage and possible tornado damage.
Lots of wind reports so far near Muskegon and then more along and north of I-94.
Areas north and east of Grand Rapids avoided the worst of the weather and subsequent damage and power outages.
One area that was likely hit by a tornado was Martin to Orangeville, along the Allegan and Barry County line.
A distinct debris signature was evident with that storm.
Another possible if not likely tornado hit the Battle Creek area.
The airport in Battle Creek had a 76-mph wind gust before it went offline, just as the debris signature passed through.
Areas that saw a possible tornado:
- Caledonia
- Martin-Orangeville
- Battle Creek
- Dorr
Other areas could have seen a possible tornado as well. We’ll know for sure once the NWS surveys the damage, but those regions above had strong signatures of a possible tornado.
Wind damage was also extensive, especially around the Muskegon and Grand Haven areas.
There was a wind report of 80 mph in Roosevelt Park.
72-mph gust in Norton Shores, 70-mph gust in Grand Haven, and 59-mph gust in Spring Lake.
Radar showed very strong winds over Lake Michigan around 9:30 p.m., which tracked right into southern Muskegon and northern Ottawa counties.
These are regions with numerous power outages due to straight-line winds.
Overall, many regions of West Michigan were impacted by severe storms, whether that be tornadic or straight-line winds, we will get a better picture Friday as the sun rises.
