Introduction & Event Summary:
On the morning of August 6th, 2024, a severe thunderstorm moved onshore from Lake Michigan into VanBuren County and continued to exhibit evidence of rotation. By the time the storm reached central and Southeastern VanBuren County a Tornado Warning was issued by the NWS in Grand Rapids. This storm continued to exhibit low-level rotation and perhaps some tornado debris signatures well into the remainder of the Southern part of the West Michigan Weather coverage area including Kalamazoo, Cass, St. Joseph, Branch, and Hillsdale Counties before moving into far Northeastern Indiana and Northwestern Ohio before it became outflow dominant and the tornadic circulation dissipated.
KGRR Doppler Radar (Reflectivity and Velocity) 7:00 AM ET - 11:00 AM ET
As of 7:00 PM on August 7th, 2024, the National Weather Service in Northern Indiana has confirmed that a tornado did touch down in Saint Joseph County impacting an area from Lewis Lake, Southeast to just North of Three Rivers. Their official preliminary results are available here: https://mesonet.agron.iastate.edu/p.php?pid=202408072054-KIWX-NOUS43-PNSIWX The results from our unofficial storm survey can be found below. West Michigan Weather Storm Damage Survey
Please note the following:
Only the NWS can officially rate tornadoes or classify storms as Derechos. It is not our intent to attempt to rate this tornado or to in any way dispute what the NWS officially states.
We will not provide guesses as to what we think the damage reports below indicate in terms of a tornado rating - again, that is a job only for the professionals at the NWS.
The photos and videos shown below and on our storm reports map are publicly viewable from an unrestricted/public property area OR are shared with the express permission of the property owner.
All of our reports can be viewed (with applicable images - videos not included) via our Storm Report map using the button below.
Northeast Side of Lewis Lake:
Innumerable tree limbs down/broken off, power lines down, tree down on a home, lawn furniture/recreational activity material/etc broken off and entwined with the tree debris.
Several tree tops sheared off, power poles snapped, and a few trees (including some large (12+ inch diameter trunks) were partially uprooted.
This area on the NE side of Lewis Lake featured what I would describe as clear indicators of tornado damage vs straight-line wind damage via evidence of lofted debris and multi-directional debris field.
Southern & Southeastern Side of Lewis Lake:
Innumerable healthy trees were down resulting in power lines being down in along the Southern and Southeastern sides of Lewis Lake.
A few trees were partially uprooted.
Bent Road Between Hackenberg Road and Floating Bridge Road:
3 large (22+ inch diameter) healthy trees totally uprooted (all laying Southeast), and several more healthy trees snapped in the field just Southwest of 54027 Bent Road also laying Southeast.
Several trees along Bent Road with 36+ inch diameter trunks snapped and partially uprooted between Hackenberg Road and Floating Bridge Road.
The uni-directional nature of this damage and radar evidence suggesting that the velocity couplet was just to the South suggests that this damage may have been the result of straight-line winds. This is supported by the much more apparent tornado damage just to the South of this point.
54200 Block of Bent Road:
Well constructed 54'Wx90'Lx14'H pole barn was destroyed (only primary structural anchor poles remain at the base of the building, everything else has been sheared off and blown completely away. Per the homeowner; primary pole supports are anchored 6' deep in 18 cubic feet of concrete and studs were secured to the aforementioned poles with 8" worm screws.
A fully loaded 18-foot enclosed utility trailer was lofted out of the barn as it was destroyed and thrown ~200 feet from the barn to the intersection of Floating Bridge Road and Bent Road where it was then wrapped around a utility pole. A "low-boy" style semi-trailer with 2 5,000 gallon loaded slurry tanks was also in the barn and while it remained intact, it was shifted several inches to the East as evident by the piles of crushed concrete flooring beside each East-facing axle.
Debris from the barn wrapped around nearby trees and utility poles and impaled into the side of the hill on the West side of the residence at 54270 Bent Road, including a broken piece of lumber embedded 3 feet into the side of a hill it impaled.
Wooden deck/patio sheared off the residence. Numerous tree tops were sheared off, power lines down, and utility poles snapped.
12300 Block of Floating Bridge Road:
Numerous trees snapped along Floating Bridge Road East of Bent Road, and power lines down.
The residential structure sustained shingle and siding damage and the roof was partially torn off.
Several old barn/animal pen/agricultural structures made of rotting wood collapsed entirely though they remain secured to their foundations.
Windows were broken, doors blown off, glass, wood, and nails impaled into the ground and nearby structures. A small shed-like structure had exterior walls partially swept away and partial structural collapse on the remaining structure as a result—corrugated metal, broken pieces of wood, glass, and more blown about. Power lines were down and tree tops sheared off. Silo top sheared off and dropped in the field behind this residence—evidence of microburst or minor ground scouring evident in bean fields behind this residence as described by the home-owner.
13300 Block of Floating Bridge Road:
Several trees partially uprooted or snapped at 13333 Floating Bridge Road. Treetops sheared off in wooded areas here.
Shingle damage to the roof of a residential structure.
13500 Block of Floating Bridge Road:
Mobile home exterior walls were partially damaged and the roofing shingles were damaged. Tree limbs snapped.
Null Road and Pulver Road:
Innumerable tree limbs down, roof shingle damage, power lines down, siding torn off of residential structure.
Several trees were uprooted, utility poles snapped, and a metal mailbox sheared off at the base at 15127 Null Road.
Partial exterior wall and roof collapse as a result of the roof of a residential structure being partially torn off.
Agricultural irrigation equipment overturned and twisted.
15200 Block of Null Road:
A roof is partially blown off and shingles are damaged on a residential structure. Tree limbs broken.
56600 Block of Cowling Road/Mohney Lake Road:
Several treetops were sheared off, roof was partially torn off a barn. Debris blew out the east-facing side barn door of the structure resulting in significant damage to that side of the structure.
56800 Block of Cowling Road:
Temporary garage or shed-like structure (estimated size of 10-20'W, 10-20'L, 8-12'H) blown off of a concrete slab, tipped over, and blown towards the Rocky River behind the residence at this location.
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