Weather Service Confirms 6 Tornadoes In SE Mich.
GOODRICH (WWJ/AP) -Weather experts say six tornadoes touched down in southeastern Michigan, including a twister reaching speeds of 130 mph that caused significant damage to homes and businesses.
National Weather Service meteorologist Dave Gurney in Oakland County's White Lake Township says officials determined Wednesday that the Tuesday night tornadoes ranged in strength from EF-0 to EF-2. That's on a scale of zero to 5.
Meteorologist Steve Freitag two of the stronger ones took place in Genesee County' Goodrich and Fenton Township.
"The Goodrich one, we estimated winds up to 130 miles per hour. A house was basically, completely destroyed. I guess there was a couple of lingering walls that were still up," Freitag told WWJ Newsradio 950. "The other ones in Fenton, I think there was a lot of homes that suffered major roof damage. And then you know, of course uprooted trees."
Some strong, damaging storms were reported in the Lansing and Kalamazoo areas but there have been no confirmed tornado touchdowns.
Freitag said here in southeast Michigan, our average is about six tornadoes for the year, and then the state average is about 16.
"But just looking here in the past 10 years, basically it seems to be all or nothing. You have years where you have zero to three and then the other years you seem to get 8 to 12," Freitag said. "We're obviously certainly not out of the woods. We've got all the summer to go through unfortunately."
No injuries have been reported, though numerous structures have been destroyed or heavily damaged.
Some Flint-area schools closed Wednesday, including Goodrich Area Schools and Beecher Community School District.
MORE: Storms Produce Tornadoes In Southeast Michigan, Winds Topple Homes
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