August 24 Tornado Outbreak

[mtburb]

On the night of August 24, seven tornadoes touched down across Michigan during a heavy storm event, setting a state record for most tornadoes in one day in August.

Of those seven tornadoes, six were within Metro Detroit, including one that crossed from Ingham County into Livingston County.

Here's the timeline [[all tornadoes were EF1 unless noted otherwise):

1. 8:15 PM: The first Michigan tornado of the event struck the Grand Rapids suburbs of Comstock Park, Plainfield Township, and Rockford, and lifted near Rockford High School. This was the only tornado of the outbreak on the state's west side.
2. 9:29 PM: The second tornado, and the strongest one, an EF2, struck the Ingham County towns of Williamston and Webberville. With winds speeds up to 111 MPH, a couple dozen vehicles, including a semi truck, were flipped over on I-96, and one person was killed. The twister entered Livingston County before dissipating.
3. 10:19 PM: A weak EF0 tornado strikes Canton, with winds up to 80 MPH. Trees were damaged near the Pheasant Run Golf Course before the tornado crossed Summit Parkway and Canton Center Road, and a house on Sheldon Road was damaged by a fallen tree.
4. 10:23 PM: A twister strikes Belleville, touching down near the Wagner Homestead Farm, uprooting trees, hitting the Mobile Manor Trail Park, and ripping siding off of homes before lifting near Pebblebrook Drive and Fret Road.
5. 10:38 PM: A 100 MPH tornado touches down near Newport in Monroe County and tears off roofs and flips a manufactured home in the Frenchtown Villa Mobile Home Park. The Meijer Distribution Center was also hit, with nearby power lines damaged.
6. 10:39 PM: Almost simultaneously, a tornado blasts South Rockwood, also in Monroe County, and sheared tops off trees and removed shingles off homes along Brandon Road. The twister crossed the Huron River into Wayne County and struck the Lake Erie Metropark Golf Course.
7. 10:43 PM: The final Michigan tornado of the event struck Gibraltar. With 100 MPH winds, trees were toppled, and as the tornado crossed onto Edmond and then Horse Islands, a trailer was damaged by a fallen tree.

In addition to the above-mentioned tornadoes, several Metro Detroit freeways were flooded once again [[some after having previously been flooded the night before), detailed in another thread, and three other non-tornado-related deaths occurred: one in Lansing, and two in Kent County.

[JBMcB]

For clarification, only one death was directly tied to a tornado, when a tree fell into a house. The 84 year old occupant died in the hospital later that night. The other four deaths were due to car crashes involving rain.

[Scottathew]

My family was camping near Flint. We sheltered in the bathrooms during the storm.

Came back to find out that the wind ripped the rain fly off the tent and it had been pretty much directly raining on all of our stuff.

A relative near Howell lost 50-60 trees on his 3 acre property.

[Margaret's boy]

2nd Confirmed Tornado Hit Tecumseh And Lakeshore | windsoriteDOTca News - windsor ontario's neighbourhood newspaper windsoriteDOTca News

[Danny]

We can face tornados in Michigan, that's nothing to me. If my home is blown away is gone. We will re-build.

Just take shelter when your hear the sirens. You can place non living things, but you can't replace life.

[MikeM]

Event summaries from the NWS:

August 24, 2023 Early Morning Flooding & Severe Weather

August 24, 2023 Evening Tornadoes & Severe Weather Event

[DetroitSoldier]

It wasn't just the tornado torn areas that took a licking either. My parents in the Lansing suburb of Grand Ledge are still without power. Over 1,000 trees were toppled in that small community alone. Their 100 lbs patio table ended up 4 houses down the block away.

The communities impacted by this storm are going to need a lot of support to recover!