The National Weather Service confirmed two EF-1 tornadoes touched down in Southeast Michigan in the early morning hours of Wednesday, April 15, adding to a severe overnight outbreak that produced at least eight tornadoes across Michigan. No fatalities or injuries have been reported from any of the confirmed tornadoes.
In Ann Arbor, a tornado developed at 1:44 a.m. near Jackson Avenue and Interstate 94, then moved southeast through Veterans Memorial Park and nearby neighborhoods before lifting two minutes later near West William Street and Fourth Street. The twister reached estimated peak winds of 110 mph, carved a path about 1.7 miles long and up to 500 yards wide, and left behind uprooted and snapped trees, large downed limbs, snapped stadium light poles and portions of an elementary school roof blown off. Straight-line wind damage also hit nearby areas, including roof panel damage at Yost Ice Arena at the University of Michigan.
A second tornado touched down at 2:14 a.m. near the Allen Park and Lincoln Park border in Wayne County and lifted two minutes later with peak winds of 95 mph. It traveled about a third of a mile with a maximum width of 200 yards, beginning near Wall Avenue and Ruth Avenue with minor roof and shingle damage before strengthening to EF-1 intensity. As it moved east-southeast and crossed Dix Highway into Melvindale, it snapped trees and damaged homes and businesses, including windows, roofs and HVAC equipment.
The Southeast Michigan twisters were part of a broader storm system that also brought confirmed tornadoes to other parts of the state. In Saginaw County, an EF-1 tornado touched down in Albee Township at 11:53 p.m. Tuesday and stayed on the ground for five minutes, reaching peak winds of 105 mph and tracking nearly four miles with a width of 880 yards. Damage there included uprooted and snapped trees, destroyed outbuildings and silos, and major structural damage to homes, with one house losing most of its roof and garage walls blown out. Another brief tornado near Bridgeport in Saginaw County produced winds near 80 mph after midnight, while an EF-0 tornado near Durand in Shiawassee County just before midnight left downed trees, ripped siding and damaged barns and outbuildings.
The storm line also produced damaging winds and heavy rain. Gusts reached 70 mph in Ann Arbor and 69 mph at Detroit Metro Airport, while reports of downed trees, power lines and structural damage came in from Romulus, Dexter and parts of Oakland and Macomb counties. Rainfall totals topped 2 inches in parts of Livingston, Oakland and Shiawassee counties, raising localized flooding concerns. The immediate question now is not whether the outbreak was severe — it clearly was — but how quickly crews can clear debris, restore power and assess the full toll in neighborhoods where the worst of the damage arrived before dawn.