On Tuesday evening, thunderstorms in the Great Lakes region resulted in the formation of several tornadoes, including one that was confirmed in the southern part of Lower Michigan.
The National Weather Service office in northern Indiana is responsible for monitoring and issuing weather alerts for certain counties along the southern Michigan border. On Tuesday evening, they issued tornado warnings for small thunderstorms that displayed signs of rotation, indicating the potential to generate tornadoes.
After a severe storm event like this, the local National Weather Service offices conduct a damage assessment to determine if tornadoes occurred and estimate the strength of the winds. Using the Enhanced Fujita Scale (EF Scale), they can rank the strength of a tornado based on this assessment.
Four tornadoes were identified by the National Weather Service in northern Indiana on Tuesday evening. These tornadoes were located just below Michigan’s border in the northern region of Indiana. In Indiana, there were two EF1 tornadoes and an EF0 tornado. The tornado in Michigan was relatively weak compared to other tornadoes and was classified as an EF0 tornado.
A weak EF0 tornado was observed in Camden, MI, located near the borders of Ohio and Indiana. According to the National Weather Service, this tornado caused minor damage to two barns on Austin Road, between South Edon Road and Gilmore Road. The tornado was only on the ground for a short period of time, with estimated wind speeds reaching approximately 65 mph.
The tornado measured 150 feet in width and remained on the ground for a distance of approximately 500 feet.
In Noble County, located in northern Indiana, the most powerful tornado to hit the area was recorded. This tornado was classified as an EF1 tornado, with maximum wind speeds reaching approximately 115 mph. It remained on the ground for a duration of seven miles and had a width of 600 feet at its widest point.
According to the National Weather Service, the tornado originated east of Engle Lake, causing tree damage in a residential area. Moving northward, the tornado inflicted significant destruction on a house, tearing off its roof and pushing in a wall. Other houses and farm buildings also experienced roof damage, while additional trees were knocked down or snapped as the tornado crossed highway 6. Remarkably, an entire outer shell of a large chicken building was completely removed by the tornado. Its path finally ceased just before reaching the Noble/Lagrange county line.
The severe weather remained mostly limited to the area directly affected by the four tornadoes.
