GRAND RAPIDS (WKZO-AM) — The National Weather Service has now confirmed that five twisters hit west Michigan on Saturday — one in Van Buren County, one in Allegan, two in Kent County and a fifth in Ionia County.
The storm cell tossed off an EF-1 twister with 90 mph winds in Bangor, which traveled toward Grand Junction. The next tornado-related damage was found between Fennville and Allegan.
National Weather Service Meteorologist Cort Scholten said they weren’t initially sure if this was a separate and distinct tornado, or the same one that hit Bangor. Sometimes, tornadoes can go aloft then touch down again. For whatever reason, they now say it was a separate tornado rated an EF-1 with winds between 86 and 110 mph.
The storm cell threw a little bit of everything at Grand Rapids — a couple of EF-0 twisters with winds that topped out at 80 mph and some straight-line winds that were even more powerful.
Scholten said it’s unusual to get a tornado cluster this late in the season, but he adds that this is Michigan and almost anything can happen at any time.
The power has been restored to everyone. Much of the tree damage has been cleaned up, but it will take longer to make repairs to the few buildings that were damaged.
The True Blue Blueberry Farm near Grand Junction said it was insured and will rebuild. Co-owner Shelly Hartman said they part of a lost a roof on a barn, and had a truck blown over.
The Bangor Police Department had only been in their new facility a few months. It lost a section of its roof and the Department will be operating out of temporary space.
Columbia Township Hall and several homes will also need repairs, but none were destroyed.
