According to The Associated Press, a massive and highly hazardous tornado struck Gaylord, Michigan, causing significant damage and killing at least one person. According to Gaylord mayor Todd Sharrard, at least 12 homes were demolished, and 40 people were injured.
AccuWeather meteorologists detected a damaging tornado's rising threat and potential later in the day. All the pieces for severe weather began to come together on Friday, before noon local time.
Identifying the Extreme Weather Event
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Forecasters identified a time frame between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. AccuWeather began sending emergency alerts to local businesses and its mobile app at 3:28 p.m., indicating that a tornado was approaching the Gaylord region. According to Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter, the early warning provided by the weather forecasting station's new Premium+ feature "is a terrific example of how the service can help you be better informed and safer."
According to the National Weather Service, the tornado warning for Otsego County was revised about 10 minutes later to include a verified big and highly hazardous tornado, which was declared an emergency.
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Observing the Tornado
A National Weather Service employee observed the tornado at 3:48 p.m. local time near the crossroads of Michigan 32 and Murner Road, roughly 2 miles west of Gaylord. Approximately five minutes later, the tornado was observed again about a mile east of Gaylord.
Gaylord is around 200 miles northwest of Detroit and 50 miles south of Michigan's upper peninsula. When heading north on Interstate 75, it is one of the final cities before reaching the upper peninsula.
When the tornado hit Gaylord, Frank McClellan was watching everything happen at Taco Bell.
Frank McClellan told WWJ's Sandra McNeill, "I was sitting in the Taco Bell, right there on (Michigan 32), and the funnel cloud came straight down 32 and for some reason took a left in the Taco Bell parking lot and hit all the buildings behind us and demolished a number of them."
Wrecking Havoc
According to WWJ, McClellan heard explosions going their way, but the tornado miraculously missed them inside the Taco Bell.
One of the buildings damaged by the hurricane was Little Caesars Pizza in Gaylord, with photographs on Twitter showing missing walls and rubble strewn everywhere.
After the storm, gas leaks, damaged residences, and injuries were reported to the Otsego County scanner. According to WLNS-TV meteorologist Blake Harms, some businesses in the region have suffered significant damage.
According to the Michigan State Police in northern Michigan, injured people were transferred to local hospitals.
Trees and power lines were obstructing streets, according to the Michigan State Police, who advised residents to avoid the Gaylord area as emergency workers responded.
According to the Michigan Department of Transportation, debris was also thrown into surrounding highways, including Michigan 32. According to WNEM-TV, Interstate 75 near Gaylord, Michigan, was blocked due to debris.
Power Outage
According to photos shared on Twitter, parts of roofs on residences were ripped off, and trailers were stacked on top of one other in a mass of wreckage. According to PowerOutage.us. as of 4 p.m., almost 6,000 people in Otesgo county were without electricity.
According to Tornado Archive, the latest tornado to strike near Gaylord occurred in 2014, when two EF1 tornadoes traced a course around 15 miles south and southeast of the city. According to the 2020 census, Gaylord has a population of 4,286 people.
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