CANTON TOWNSHIP, MICH. – Severe storms swept through Michigan, spawning at least two tornados that led to five fatalities, widespread destruction, and power outages. The National Weather Service confirmed that an EF-1 tornado with winds of 90 mph crossed from Ingham County into Livingston County, while a weaker EF-0 tornado hit Wayne County’s Canton Township. These tornados caused trees to fall on homes, and preliminary information indicated that the EF-1 tornado remained on the ground for a mile or less before weakening.
In western Michigan, a head-on collision during heavy rainfall claimed the lives of a 21-year-old woman and two girls aged 1 and 3. The Kent County Sheriff’s Office reported that the accident occurred when one vehicle hydroplaned on water, leading to a tragic collision. A 22-year-old man driving the car containing the deceased individuals sustained serious injuries.
In Lansing, another fatality occurred when a tree fell on a home, requiring firefighters to extricate one person who was later pronounced dead at a hospital.
In 11520, where a possible tornado was reported, one fatality and several severe injuries occurred as over 25 vehicles sustained severe damage along Interstate 96. It remains unclear whether the storm or a subsequent crash was responsible for these accidents.
The storms also uprooted trees and caused some roofs to collapse, leading to road closures due to fallen trees and power lines. Wayne County Executive Warren Evans declared a state of emergency due to power outages, flooding, fallen trees, power lines, and storm debris. Additionally, several municipalities discharged partially or untreated wastewater into various waterways after flooding, prompting warnings for residents to avoid contact with specific rivers.
While conducting damage surveys on suspected tornado sites in Kent County, the weather service’s office in Grand Rapids reported officials would assess the damage caused by the storms. In the Detroit suburb of Southfield, power lines came down due to a fallen tree, leaving residents without power and vehicles blocked in driveways.
More than 460,000 customers in Michigan and over 218,000 in Ohio were without power due to the storm’s impact. The severe weather followed heavy rain in southeast Michigan earlier in the week, resulting in over 5 inches of rain by Thursday morning, causing street flooding.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer activated the State Emergency Operations Center to provide support to affected communities dealing with flooding. While researchers cannot directly link individual weather events to climate change, scientists argue that climate change is responsible for more frequent and intense extreme weather events, such as storms, droughts, floods, and wildfires, primarily driven by human activities that emit greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.