COLON, Mich. — The National Weather Service says Wednesday night’s storms resulted in a tornado in St. Joseph and Branch counties.
The NWS confirmed an EF-1 tornado in Colon, Michigan, with estimated peak winds at 90 miles per hour.
The tornado’s path length was an estimated 2.92 miles, with a maximum path width of 50 yards.
It started at 11:09 p.m. in Colon and ended at 11:14 p.m. in Branch County’s Sherwood, according to the NWS.
NWS Damage Survey results show that the tornado resulted in no injuries and no deaths.
The tornado developed almost directly over a storage facility on the east side of Colon— blowing off garage doors and leading to a significant loss of roof decking and metal covering.
The winds took, twisted and threw wood and metal debris up to 200 yards east and north of the facility and into nearby fields.
Additionally, trees were damaged throughout the area, including on Ambs, South Culver and Jackson roads.
"There was sporadic tree damage, so some trees were snapped, some trees were uprooted...damage kind of ended with a grove of trees that was topped just across the county line" Kyle Brown, a NWS meteorologist, told FOX 17 Thursday.
Based on the sporadic nature of the damage, Brown believes cleanup will be relatively quick.
For reference, the EF Scale is as follows:
- EF-0: Weak— 65-85 mph
- EF-1: Weak— 86-110 mph
- EF-2: Strong— 111-135 mph
- EF-3: Strong— 136-165 mph
- EF-4: Violent— 166-200 mph
- EF-5: Violent— More than 200 mph
The NWS notes that this is preliminary information and subject to change pending a final review of the event.
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