LIVINGSTON COUNTY, Mich. – The National Weather Service has confirmed that an EF-1 tornado entered Livingston County on Thursday night.
The tornado had winds that reached up to 90 mph and entered Livingston County near West Branch Red Cedar River. The tornado tracked east-northeast to I-96.
The NWS will continue to survey the damage and more details will be released.
The tornado was spotted around 9:40 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 24. The NWS released the following statement Thursday night:
“The tornado warning was based on the strength of the rotation and debris signature while that storm was over Ingham County (GRR CWA). As it crossed the Livingston County line (DTX CWA) it weakened rather quickly. GRR suspects a tornado with that cell as it was just south of Williamston. It is possible the tornado extended into Livingston County before rapidly weakening. A tornado survey will have to determine if the tornado weakened prior to entering Livingston County or if it made into the county for a mile or two.”
The NWS in Grand Rapids reported that cars had been flipped over on I-96 and a roof had been ripped off a building in Ingham County.
At least five people have died as a result of the storms.
---> Michigan storms with 75 mph winds down trees and power lines, five people killed
How the NWS rates a tornado
The National Weather Service uses the EF Scale to rate a tornado based on wind speeds and damage.
The Enhanced Fujita Scale (EF Scale) has been used since 2007 and the National Weather Service is the only federal agency with the authority to provide an official EF Scale rating of a tornado.
When the NWS surveys damage from a tornado officials compare the damage to a list of Damage Indicators (DIs) and Degrees of Damage (DoD) , which help them estimate the range of wind speeds the tornado likely produced.
The EF scale is a set of wind estimates, not measurements, based on damage. It uses three-second gusts estimated at the point of damage based on a judgment of 8 levels of damage to 28 indicators.
Damage Indicators include barns, homes, mobile homes, motels, fast food restaurants, shopping malls, schools, hardwood trees, softwood trees, and many more.
After the range of wind speeds is determined, they assign an EF-0 to EF-5 rating. The goal is to give the tornado an EF Scale rating based on the highest wind speed that occurred within the damage path.
---> How the National Weather Service determines the scale of a tornado