Skip to main content
Snow icon
33º

NWS confirms EF-0 tornado touched down in Sanilac County

Winds peaked at about 85 mph, say storm surveyors

SANILAC COUNTY, Mich. – The National Weather Service has confirmed that an EF-0 tornado touched down in Sanilac County on Friday.

The NWS said an EF-0 tornado touched down southeast of the village of Applegate on Friday, July 14, at 3:24 p.m. and lasted until 3:35 p.m. It is estimated that the tornado packed winds of 85 miles per hour at its peak and traveled nearly five miles.

It touched at 3:24 p.m., less than two miles southeast of Applegate, and swept through Townsend and Wixson roads, where it ripped down large tree limbs and shredded crops. The tornado proceeded to damage a home near Babcock and Aitken roads.

The tornado crossed M-25 into Sanilac County Lexington Park, where additional tree limbs were downed and one small softwood tree was snapped. One of the larger tree limbs fell onto a camper in the park.

The track of the tornado then exited into Lake Huron, according to NWS.

The EF scale classifies tornadoes between EF-0 and EF-5. EF-0 is the lowest on the scale and includes weak tornadoes with winds that reach between 65 to 85 miles per hour. An EF-5 is classified as a violent tornado with winds greater than 200 miles per hour.

---> ‘Absolute chaos’: Possible tornadoes touch down in Lexington Township


About the Authors
Ron Hilliard headshot

Ron is a Detroiter and MSU grad who has a tremendous passion for meteorology. He joined the 4Warn Weather Team in March 2023.

Kayla Clarke headshot

Kayla is a Web Producer for ClickOnDetroit. Before she joined the team in 2018 she worked at WILX in Lansing as a digital producer.

Loading...

Recommended Videos