Metro Detroit may see less than seven tornados a year, but now is the time

By Erin McClary
C & G Staff Writer

Cows and tractors swirling around a funnel cloud is not a sight Michiganders are likely to see during tornado season this year. In fact, only 10 of the country’s tornados annually are even strong enough to hurl an automobile through the air.

Local meteorologists say pieces of roofs, trees and other debris are much more of a threat in the tri-county area — especially when they’re flying toward you at 100-200 mph.

Experts have found that flying debris is the number one killer and most common cause of injury during a tornado, and now is the time to be prepared. Tornado season in Michigan begins in April and lasts until early September. June is the peak of the season.

In the past 15 years, Michigan has only had five tornado fatalities, a number storm experts don’t want to see climb, said Rich Pollman, warning coordination meteorologist for the National Weather Service in White Lake.

“We certainly want people to be tornado safe,” he said. “Initial preparedness is most important — pay attention to the forecast and the outlooks issued through the weather service.”

Pollman said tornado watches and warnings for tri-county residents are always broadcasted on local television and radio stations and through the National Weather Service Web site at www.weather.gov/detroit.

However, a new way to receive 24-hour weather broadcasting is through National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Weather Radio, which sounds an alarm louder than a smoke detector when a tornado warning is issued in your area. Other emergencies continuously broadcasted through NOAA include severe thunderstorm warnings and civil emergencies, which all require immediate action, said Pollman.

But thankfully, Lt. Denny Hughes of the Farmington Hills Fire Department said, Michigan tornados characteristically touch down between the hours of 3 p.m. and 7 p.m., a time when many people are awake and near a TV, radio or computer.

Every so often, especially during storm season, Hughes issues safety warnings to local residents. He said clues that a tornado may be on its way to your neighborhood include dark, often greenish skies; what appears to be a dark wall cloud; a downpour of large hail, which typically happens right before a tornado forms; and a loud roar, which some compare to the sound a freight train.

“Remember, a tornado can strike anytime, anyplace, and more than once,” he said. “It’s not a matter of if a disaster happens; it’s a matter of when a disaster happens. Being prepared can greatly reduce the danger and distress you and your family may face.”

A common misconception regarding tornados is the difference between a watch and a warning. A tornado watch means conditions are favorable for the development of a severe thunderstorm or tornado, Pollman said, but does not mean one is occurring right then. Watches are issued for four to eight hours across a large geographic area. Warnings are only issued for an hour over a smaller area, such as a county or part of a county. A warning means that the conditions are imminent or ongoing, or that a twister formation has been spotted.

Pollman said the number of tornadoes that touch down on U.S. soil is hard to pin down, but a 10-year average reveals just more than 1,200 a year. Only 16 of those hit Michigan; and then, they tend to do so in the state’s lower region, as twisters are born of warm, moist, unstable air that comes from the Gulf of Mexico.

“The farther south you are, there’s more chance of a tornado getting into that area,” he said. “Everybody in southeast Michigan needs to be prepared for severe weather. We have a long history of severe weather outbreaks, and I think preparedness is the key.”

Historically, Pollman added, tornados happen in highly populated areas, where people can easily see and report them. Genesee County has had the most tornados, according to the National Weather Service tornado database, which goes as far back as 1950. Other large Michigan counties such as Oakland, Kent and Lenawee have a good amount of land for one to hit; and all are pretty populated, which is why tornado stats are high in those areas, Pollman said.

When a twister is spotted, the average lead time from when the issue is made to when severe weather is going to hit your location is 15 minutes. For severe thunderstorm warnings, the average lead time is 25 minutes. That is the time to take action, Pollman added.

“All thunderstorms are life threatening because of lightning,” he said. “The center part of the house is the strongest, and it’s away from windows and doors where trees can crash through with a little more ease.”

In the event of a tornado headed straight for your house, experts suggest heading to the basement. Once down there, the best place to hide is under the stairwell. But if you’re like many Michiganders fortunate enough to have a basement, the underside of your stairwell might be packed with boxes and old Christmas decorations. In that case, Pollman suggests crouching under a table.

Getting below ground level is the safest place to being when a tornados strikes, but for those who don’t have a basement, there is still hope.

“If you don’t have a basement, the rule of thumb is to put as many walls as possible between you and the tornado. Often that’s going to be a small interior closet, small interior bathroom or small hallway,” Pollman said. “Grab pillows or blankets or a mattress or even bicycle or motorcycle helmets. You want to protect yourself from falling debris.”

If you’re caught outside, driving, or live in a mobile home, the best suggestion is to get to a stable structure, which in the tri-county area, Pollman said, shouldn’t be hard to find.

And if all else fails, jumping into a ditch for immediate protection is not a rumor. Although that’s not the best solution, hiding in a trench can definitely save your life. Seeking cover underneath an overpass, however, is a bad idea.

Michigan has a long history of violent tornados, the most recent being on March 20, 1976, when a twister ripped through West Bloomfield killing one person and injuring 55.

Some of the state’s most devastating tornados have happened within the last 55 years. On Palm Sunday, April 11, 1965, an outbreak of 47 tornados thrashed through the southern Great Lakes region, affecting 14 Michigan counties and some in Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana and Ohio. There were 271 fatalities as a result.

On June 8, 1953, the infamous Flint Beacher Tornado roared through Beacher, a community just north of Flint, killing 116 people and injuring 844.

“Those are some of the violent tornados in our past,” said Pollman. “We’ve just spent the last 27 years without one.”

As far as flying cows and tractors go, Pollman said that one violent tornado would have to be present for that. According to the Enhanced Fujita, or EF, scale, which ranges from zero to five and measures a storm’s intensity, a storm would have to register an EF4 or EF5 to toss around an automobile or large animal. And on average in the entire United States, only 10 twisters a year tip the scale that far.

You can reach Staff Writer Erin McClary at emcclary@candgnews.com or at (586) 279-1118.