EF-1 tornado touched down across western Genesee County, NWS confirms

CLAYTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. – The National Weather Service confirmed that an EF-1 tornado touched down over Clayton Township in Genesee County on Saturday.

NWS officials said the damage was consistent with 100 mph peak winds.

Multiple tornado and severe storm warnings were triggered across Southeast Michigan throughout the evening. There were tornado warnings in Macomb, St. Clair, Oakland, Saginaw and Genesee counties.

The NWS also confirmed that an EF-1 tornado touched down in Oakland County.

As of 4 p.m. Sunday, more than 117,000 DTE Energy customers were without power and more than 988 crews were working to restore power.

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What is the EF Scale?

The Enhanced Fujita Scale (EF Scale) is used to give a tornado a rating based on estimated wind speeds and related damage. The EF scale is a set of wind estimates, not measurements, based on damage.

The National Weather Service is the only federal agency with the authority to provide official tornado EF Scale ratings. The aim is to give a tornado an EF Scale category based on the highest wind speed that occurred within the damage path.

• EF-0: 65-85 mph
• EF-1: 86-110 mph
• EF-2: 111-135 mph
• EF-3: 136-165 mph
• EF-4: 166-200 mph
• EF-5: Over 200 mph

Click here to learn more about the EF Scale.