Thunderstorms and Heavy Rains in the Appalachians

Multiple rounds of moderate to locally heavy rain will impact portions of the Appalachians and Mid-Atlantic, which may lead to flash flooding concerns. Thunderstorms with isolated severe wind gusts will be possible this afternoon from parts of the Southeast into the southern and central Appalachians. A multi-day heavy rain will pose a flash flood threat in New Mexico beginning Tuesday. Read More >

Event Overview

Severe thunderstorms developed across central, southern, and southwestern Lower Michigan during the evening of September 1st, 2018. Four tornadoes have been confirmed as of September 4th, 2018. Most of the damage was confined to trees and associated structural damage due to falling trees. Some of the storms were well-photographed and had a visible structure resembling supercell thunderstorms, including rotating rain-free updraft bases, wall clouds, and brief funnel clouds. Such structures are relatively uncommon in Lower Michigan, especially in the last few years.

Tornadoes
Radar

Tornadoes:

Tornado: SW of Hickory Corners
Barry County

Date	September 1st, 2018
Time (Local)	7:08 - 7:10 PM EDT
EF Rating	EF-0
Est. Peak Winds	75 MPH
Path Length	0.4 miles
Max Width	100 yards
Injuries/Deaths	0
Summary: Several trees and limbs were snapped on the northwest and northern ends of Little Long Lake in Barry county. Snapped trees also fell on a home. Additional brief touchdowns may have happened in northern Kalamazoo county but no damage was found.

Track Map


Tree damage and the end of Lock Lane	Tree Damage on Bendere Road on the north side of Little Long Lake.	.

Tornado: East of Morley
Mecosta County

Date	September 1st, 2018
Time (Local)	7:46 PM EDT
EF Rating	EF-1
Est. Peak Winds	100 MPH
Path Length	0.75 Miles
Max Width	100 yards
Injuries/Deaths	0
Summary: The tornado occurred over rural parts of Mecosta county. A manufactured home was destroyed at the start of the damage path near Washington Road and 137th Avenue. The tornado then snapped trees along Washington Road before lifting at 125th Avenue.

Track Map


Snapped trees near the intersection of Washington road and 132nd Ave.

Tornado: Jackson
Jackson County

Date	September 1st, 2018
Time (Local)	8:12 - 8:20 PM EDT
EF Rating	EF-0
Est. Peak Winds	80 mph
Path Length	1.5 miles
Max Width	225 yards
Injuries/Deaths	0
Summary: The tornado mostly had damage indicating 65 mph winds but reached 80 mph at its strongest point halfway through its life. It began at the western Jackson City limits north of the Cascades Golf Course and continued north-northeast to cross Washington Avenue. The tornado then weakened near the railroad tracks near Hibbard Avenue. Many trees or limbs were snapped and several trees were uprooted.

Track Map


Uprooted tree near West Washington Avenue and South Thompson Street	Felled trees near Brown Street and Oakdale Avenue	Tree damage at Bloomfield Park	Damage to a baseball dugout near High and Brown Streets

Tornado: Bath Township
Clinton County

Date	September 1st, 2018
Time (Local)	8:35 - 8:45 PM EDT
EF Rating	EF-0
Est. Peak Winds	80 MPH
Path Length	100 Yards
Max Width	4 Miles
Injuries/Deaths	0
Summary: The majority of damage was concentrated in the last 1.5 miles of the path near Cutler Road to the intersection of Hollister and Round Lake Roads. Damage to trees and structures was common along the tornado path.

Track Map


Damage to corn near Hollister and Round Lake Roads	Damage to farm bulidings near Hollister and Round Lake Roads	Damage to small structures near Hollister and Round Lake Roads	Damage to trees near Cutler Road and Tamarack Trail

Wall cloud seen from US-127 near Howe Rd (Scott Ferguson photo)	Wall cloud seen from US-127 near Howe Rd (Scott Ferguson photo)

The Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale classifies tornadoes into the following categories:

EF0 Weak 65-85 mph	EF1 Moderate 86-110 mph	EF2 Significant 111-135 mph	EF3 Severe 136-165 mph	EF4 Extreme 166-200 mph	EF5 Catastrophic 200+ mph

Radar:

Here are loops of the severe storms that produced confirmed tornadoes.

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Thunderstorms and Heavy Rains in the Appalachians

September 1, 2018 Tornado Summary