Cleanup continued Wednesday after overnight storms spawned two EF-1 tornadoes in Southeast Michigan, toppling trees, damaging homes and businesses in Downriver communities, and leaving some neighborhoods without power for hours.
The National Weather Service confirmed one tornado tracked through the Ann Arbor area in Washtenaw County around 1:44 a.m. near Jackson Avenue and Interstate 94.
A second tornado touched down near the Allen Park and Lincoln Park border in Wayne County around 2:14 a.m.
In Garden City, strong winds snapped a large tree and brought down power lines, briefly sparking a small grass fire, resident Susan Steffke said.
“I got an alert to take cover, and I got up and split second, it was raining and thundering and lightning,” Steffke said.
Steffke said the fallen tree blocked a side street, and wires hung into her backyard.
“The tree totally was across the side street, and I had wires in my backyard, hanging down, and the telephone pole got split in half, and the top half was laying on the sidewalk,” Steffke said.
Neighbors nearby were without power for hours after the storm, said Garden City resident Julie Feinthel, who said electricity went out around 3 a.m. and returned just before 4:30 p.m.
“DTE was working around the clock to get it back up,” Feinthel said.
In Downriver, the Wayne County tornado crossed Dix Highway into Melvindale, the weather service said, snapping trees and causing damage that included roofs, windows, and HVAC equipment.
The storms also brought heavy rain and flooding, submerging flood-prone stretches of Gibraltar in southern Wayne County.
Bayview Drive in Gibraltar was closed as crews set up an additional pump to help drain standing water, officials said.
“Not much you can do, hopefully they pump it out or what have you, but it’s the first time the street’s been blocked,” said Gibraltar resident Gary Gagne.
No deaths or injuries were reported in connection with either tornado, according to the National Weather Service.