ALERT: TORNADO DRILL TODAY
Ides of March: 48-year anniversary of deadliest storm in county history
Today is the 48th anniversary of the deadliest tornado to hit Oakland County.
It’s also the date tornado sirens will be tested statewide between 1 and 1:30 p.m.
The F4 tornado struck on March 20, 1976, and destroyed everything in a 350-foot-wide path across four miles, starting near Halsted Road between 13 and 14 Mile roads and dissipating near Maple Road between Middlebelt and Inkster roads. A 15-year-old West Bloomfield Township girl was killed and 55 people were injured.
Damage was estimated at $50 million, or $273 million in adjusted 2024 dollars, the costliest tornado in Oakland County’s history.
The 15-year-old was traveling in a car with three other people when the tornado picked the teens’ car up near the corner of Maple and Orchard Lake roads and hurled it to the north side of Maple, crushing the roof and smashing the windows. The girl died. The other three passengers survived.
The tragedy led the county to install outdoor warning sirens. Today 275 will be tested during the statewide tornado drill and tested regularly the first Saturday of each month from March through November.
Tornado season typically starts in March, but twisters can appear any time, said meteorologist Megan Varcie, one of 14 working for the National Weather Service in White Lake.
The morning of Feb. 28, following a 70-degree day, an EF2 tornado blew through the Grand Blanc area, uprooting dozens of trees and severely damaging an industrial complex where at least three global suppliers were based. No one was hurt or injured. The last February tornado in Michigan was recorded in 1974.
“Most of us have gone outside on a hot humid day when it feels like it’s going to storm,” she said. “We typically look for hotter days with more-humid conditions, but as we saw a couple weeks ago, we can get tornados in February. You don’t always have to have all the conditions.”
An average of 15 tornadoes hit Michigan each year. Storms are measured by intensity, now called the Enhanced Fujita Scale, that rates storms between 0 and 5. The
NWS has documented 409 Michigan tornadoes since 1951. Of those, 292 were EF0 or EF1.
Temperature, moisture and atmospheric pressure are the three elements needed and nearby big lakes like St. Clair and Erie, have an effect on those conditions, Varcie said.
The churning winds occur when rising warm air collides with cool air pulled down from the atmosphere. If the resulting funnel cloud touches land, it’s called a tornado; if it touches water then it’s a waterspout.
Varcie said most tornadoes occur between noon and 8 p.m., but as the February tornado showed, the storms can happen at any time of the day or night. The NWS doesn’t identify any area of Michigan as a specific “tornado alley,” she said, although data is being collected for analysis and possibly a digital map in the future. Meteorologists want to make sure no tornado is counted twice, she said.
Her top safety tip is to keep an eye on weather forecasts, especially if your plans include outdoor recreation.
“We issue severe thunderstorm storm and tornado watches or warnings in coordination with TV and radio stations and on our social media channels,” she said. “On days like that, prepare so you’re not without a radio or TV or some form of reliable notification service.”
Even a mild tornado, like an EF0 that has 40 to 60 mph winds, can knock down large trees and cause injuries or deaths. Most people are hurt by flying debris, she said.
Intense weather conditions can also create multiple funnel clouds. On Aug. 24, 2023, the NWS documented seven tornadoes in Michigan, including an EF2, the most in a single day for that month. Five people died.
According to NWS records, two F5 tornadoes have been documented. In 1953,
an F5 twister killed 115 and injured 785 in Beecher, north of Flint, and caused $19 million in damage, $125 million in adjusted 2024 dollars. The F5 tornado hit in 1956 over the Palm Sunday weekend killed 18 people near Grand Rapids and caused $8 million in damage, $86 million in adjusted 2024 dollars.
People who are ready for one weather disaster are typically ready for most emergencies, she said.
Public safety and weather officials suggest taking time now to learn the difference between a watch — a message meaning conditions are good that a severe thunderstorm or tornado may develop — and a warning, which means a severe thunderstorm or tornado has
been sighted.
An emergency kit for severe weather includes a 3-day supply of water and food, a battery or hand-operated weather radio, important family documents and such a place to quickly stow medications and anything your household needs if power is out for three days. It’s also important to know the safest spot in the house or at work. That could be a basement, or a bathroom where people and pets can take shelter. More tips at www.michigan.gov/miready.
State officials are asking people to review household insurance coverage and understand how to file a claim. This week is a good time to document personal possessions, create an inventory
and make sure you have contact information for key family members. The attorney general’s office has a hotline (877) 765-8388 and a webpage to help people avoid post-storm scams: https://www.michigan.gov/ consumerprotection/scams/ natural-disasters.
Michigan’s Department of Insurance and Financial Services has a hotline for people who need to file a complaint about their insurance carrier, open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday (877) 999-6442. People can also file a complaint online at Michigan.gov/DIFScomplaints.
Learn more at weather. gov/dtx/svraware. People can register for free
NWS spotter training, open to anyone 13 years old or older. The next one in Oakland County is from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 16 at Waterford Oaks Activity Center, 2800 Watkins Lake Road in Waterford Township. Virtual training is available monthly between April and June. Go to: register. gotowebinar.com/ rt/1046178054934836064.