Tornado Confirmed In Northern Michigan
GAYLORD (WWJ) - A confirmed tornado touched down in Northern Michigan Thursday, doing some damage.
The twister was captured in photos shared to social media when it was spotted in Gaylord near Birch Lake.
Seeking damage reports from SW Antrim Co. for this evening's storms from a likely tornado. Survey team to inspect damage early Fri AM. pic.twitter.com/ShK5o6EtV4
— NWS Gaylord (@NWSGaylord) August 3, 2017
Jim Keyser with the National Weather Service said the tornado was recorded as an E-0 which is considered weak.
"You know, it was only on the ground for probably no more than one or two minutes, in all likelihood, and had top winds of 80 miles per hour," he said. "But it did do some damage to some trees, and unfortunately some of those trees fell on some homes right there on the south side of the lake."
No injuries have been reported.
Keyser said most of the tornadoes that strike Northern Michigan are of the weak variety, and they're rare.
"We only average one or two of these a year. That is all across Northern Michigan total. So in any one county you could certainly go a number of years without experiencing a tornado," he said.
Authorities say it is important to coordinate a plan with your family in the event that a tornado does strike.