National Weather Service confirms EF-1 tornado touched down in Armada

ARMADA, Mich. – The National Weather Service confirmed that an EF-1 tornado touched down in Armada on Saturday.

Many homes and businesses in the village in northern Macomb County were badly damaged. The severe weather ripped a roof off a business on Main Street, scattering debris and bricks.

The damage was consistent with 105 mph peak winds, according to the NWS. The last tornado to impact Macomb County was an EF-0 tornado near Ray Township on Aug. 20, 2014.

Multiple tornado and severe storm warnings were triggered across Southeast Michigan throughout the evening. There were tornado warnings in Macomb, St. Clair, Oakland, Saginaw and Genesee counties.

The NWS also confirmed that an EF-1 tornado touched down in Oakland County.

As of 4 p.m. Sunday, more than 117,000 DTE Energy customers were without power and more than 988 crews were working to restore power.

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What is the EF Scale?

The Enhanced Fujita Scale (EF Scale) is used to give a tornado a rating based on estimated wind speeds and related damage. The EF scale is a set of wind estimates, not measurements, based on damage.

The National Weather Service is the only federal agency with the authority to provide official tornado EF Scale ratings. The aim is to give a tornado an EF Scale category based on the highest wind speed that occurred within the damage path.

• EF-0: 65-85 mph
• EF-1: 86-110 mph
• EF-2: 111-135 mph
• EF-3: 136-165 mph
• EF-4: 166-200 mph
• EF-5: Over 200 mph

Click here to learn more about the EF Scale.