2 tornadoes touched down in West Michigan, National Weather Service says
The National Weather Service has confirmed two EF-0 tornadoes touched down in West Michigan as severe storms swept through the Midwest on Thursday night.
A twister that touched down around 9:30 p.m. in southeast Kent County, near Alto, had maximum estimated winds of 85 mph and traveled over four miles before dissipating, the federal agency said. There was extensive tree damage along the tornado's path, particularly at the Saskatoon Golf Club, which saw the worst of it.
The other twister, which struck Barry County, had maximum estimated winds of 75 mph and fizzled out after 2.9 miles, according to the agency. It similarly caused extensive tree damage along its route.
An EF-0 twister has estimated winds of between 65 mph and 85 mph, officials say.
The agency has confirmed at least three tornadoes in Illinois and one in Indiana touched down late Thursday during storms that knocked out power for more than 221,000 people in the Prairie State.
Two twisters touched down in Michigan on Tuesday when severe weather moved through the state, according to the agency. An EF-1 tornado ripped through Freeland and an EF-U tornado was spotted in Montrose.
According to the agency, an event is rated an EF-U when it's "impossible to rate the strength of a confirmed tornado because there is little to no damage evidence."
As of Saturday, there have been 20 confirmed tornadoes in Michigan in 2026, nine of which happened during the outbreak between April 14 and April 25. Most of the twisters so far this year have been on the weaker end of the tornado wind and damage scale.
