Powerful winds pushed Jennifer Bohnett Morse’s car toward a guardrail as she drove through Thursday afternoon’s storm near Williamston.
Morse said in a public Facebook post dated Sept. 3 that she had just left work and was trying to reach the Williamston park-and-ride as the storm intensified.
“Barely made it because the wind tried pulling my car into the guard rail on the overpass,” she wrote.
Morse said the wind rocked her car after she reached the parking lot. Her post included a photograph showing part of a nearby building torn open, with debris and fallen trees scattered around the property.
Morse described the storm as a tornado in her post. The National Weather Service, however, had not confirmed a tornado in the Williamston area as of early Friday.
Residents, road crews and utility workers are clearing fallen trees and debris Friday after severe thunderstorms damaged buildings, closed parks and disrupted electric service across Mid-Michigan.
Some of the most substantial damage was reported along a path stretching from Haslett and Williamston into Livingston County.
Friday morning updates
- No tornado from Thursday’s storms had been confirmed in the Lansing, Haslett, Williamston or Howell areas as of early Friday.
- The National Weather Service documented building damage near Williamston and extensive tree damage around Haslett.
- Lake Lansing Park North and Lake Lansing Park South are closed because of fallen trees.
- Ingham County Parks expects Lake Lansing Park South to remain closed throughout the weekend for cleanup.
- The Consumers Energy outage map showed its largest Lansing-area outage concentration around Haslett and Okemos shortly after 5 a.m.
- The DTE outage map showed about 241,000 customers without power across the utility’s Southeast Michigan service area at 4 a.m.
- A National Weather Service survey is planned Friday in Hamtramck, on Detroit’s east side and around Belle Isle.
Tornado warnings issued Thursday
The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning at 3:06 p.m. Thursday for northeastern Ingham County, including Bell Oak and Webberville.
A separate tornado warning was issued at 3:05 p.m. for Livingston County. Howell, Fowlerville, Brighton and Pinckney were among the communities identified in the warning.
Both warnings were prompted by rotation detected on radar. A radar-indicated warning means a thunderstorm is capable of producing a tornado, but it does not confirm that one reached the ground.
The weather service also issued a severe thunderstorm warning carrying the threat of wind gusts as high as 70 mph.
The National Weather Service’s Lansing climate summary recorded a peak gust of 65 mph at Capital Region International Airport.
Building and tree damage reported
Near Williamston, the National Weather Service received a report of roof damage to a building and the collapse of a concrete wall.
Morse identified the damaged structure in her Facebook post as the former Habitat for Humanity building. The property is along East Grand River Avenue just west of Williamston.
Her photograph, featured at the top of this story, shows a large section of the building torn open, with roofing material and other debris scattered across the property. Fallen and damaged trees are also visible around the building.
Official storm reports documented numerous trees down near Haslett and Lake Lansing. Additional trees were reported down around Mason and Holt and along a road south of Webberville.
A pavilion was destroyed at Lake Lansing Park South, where the storms also brought down numerous large trees.
Ingham County Parks said in a Facebook post that Lake Lansing Park North and Lake Lansing Park South are closed because of fallen trees. Officials expect the south park to remain closed throughout the weekend while crews clear the damage. The north park may reopen sooner.
Storm chaser Jack Peltz shared photographs and video from Lake Lansing Park South, describing the scene as some of the most significant straight-line wind damage he had seen at the park. His assessment was not an official National Weather Service determination.
In Livingston County, the weather service received a report of a large uprooted tree near Parkers Corners. Multiple trees were also reported down near Golf Club Road and Grand River Avenue in Howell.
Residents near Howell were already working together to reopen blocked roads after the storm.
Emerald Oak Acres and Doodles said in a public Facebook post that fallen trees completely blocked its road. The post said Adam used a backhoe to move the trees while neighbors arrived with chainsaws.
“There’s just something about living on a little back road where everyone comes together … and gets to work,” the business wrote.
No injuries had been reported in connection with the Ingham County damage as of Thursday evening.
Outages remain around Haslett and Okemos
The Consumers Energy outage map showed the largest concentration in the Lansing area around Haslett and Okemos shortly after 5 a.m. Friday.
One outage displayed on the map at 5:01 a.m. affected 1,499 customers near the two communities. Several smaller outages were also shown in the surrounding area.
Consumers Energy reported approximately 13,400 affected customers across its Michigan service territory at that time.
The DTE outage map showed about 241,000 customers without power across the utility’s Southeast Michigan service area at 4 a.m. Outages were widespread across Livingston County and Metro Detroit.
DTE said more than 3,400 workers were responding, including more than 1,000 brought in from outside Michigan. The utility expected to restore power to 65% of the remaining affected customers by the end of Friday and 90% by the end of Saturday. Other restorations were expected Sunday.
Outage totals and restoration estimates are changing throughout the day. Customers should check their utility’s outage map for information about their address.
Detroit tornado question under investigation
The National Weather Service in Detroit plans to survey damage Friday in Hamtramck, on Detroit’s east side and around Belle Isle to determine whether it was caused by a tornado or straight-line winds.
A tornado warning was issued for Detroit and surrounding communities Thursday afternoon after forecasters detected circulation on radar.
In an official statement Thursday evening, the city reported significant damage to buildings and homes, along with fallen trees and power lines. A tornado touchdown had not been confirmed as of early Friday.
If the weather service confirms a tornado within Detroit, it would be the city’s first since an F2 tornado struck on July 2, 1997. That tornado traveled from northwest Detroit through Highland Park and Hamtramck, according to the weather service’s historical account.
Staying safe during cleanup
Residents should avoid fallen power lines and anything touching them. DTE advises people to remain at least 25 feet away and assume every downed line is energized.
Property owners should photograph storm damage before moving debris and contact their insurance companies before beginning major repairs.
The National Weather Service is expected to release additional information after completing its Detroit-area damage survey and reviewing reports from other affected communities. This story will be updated as new findings and power-restoration estimates become available.
Disclosure: Consumers Energy is a financial supporter of WKAR.