Tornadoes
Tornadoes are violent and rapidly rotating columns of air that form inside thunderstorms. They connect with the ground, via a funnel, to the cloud. Tornadoes typically last only a few minutes, but sometimes they can last for more than an hour. They can also travel short distances (0.5 miles), but some can be 'on the ground' for upwards of 100 miles.
From 1950-2016, over 1,000 tornadoes have been recorded in Michigan. There have been two (2) EF-5 (winds over 200 mph) tornado recorded in the state, 17 EF-4 (166 - 200 mph) and 43 EF-3 (136 - 165 mph) rated tornadoes.
Source: Tornado History Project
Did You Know?
The only two (2) EF-5 tornadoes observed in Michigan occurred in the 1950s. The Flint-Beecher Tornado on June 8, 1953, is one of the deadliest tornadoes in U.S. history. The tornado was on the ground for 27 miles and moved through the counties Genesee and Lapeer, destroying the town of Beecher (a suburb of Flint, MI). The other EF-5 tornado, known as the Hudsonville-Standale, MI tornado, occurred three years later (April 3, 1956) and impacted a 53-mile path from Vriesland to Trufant.