A tornado that spun up unexpectedly during Saturday’s late afternoon storm in the Thumb area had winds whipping at an estimated 95 mph – strong enough to break off the top of a pine tree and send it into a semi truck, the National Weather Service said.

The NWS office in Detroit sent out a survey team Sunday to check for damage on the ground after Michigan State Police and local fire officials posted video of a twister ripping through some farm fields about 4:18 p.m. Saturday.

The NWS survey results released today showed the tornado touched down in Deckerville in Sanilac County and was on the ground for three minutes. In that time, it traveled 1.5 miles and its damage path was 100 yards wide.

It was rated as an EF-1, which is on the weak side for twisters. But it did leave behind some really interesting visible damage to vehicles.

The NWS said it touched down west of Maple Grove Road, near Richmondville Road, on the edge of a sugar beet and corn field.

“As the tornado moved east, tree damage was noted on either side of Maple Grove Road. Numerous large tree limbs were snapped and carried 50 to 100 yards to the east and northeast,” the survey report said. “The top of a large pine tree was torn off a nearby tree and impaled a semi- truck. A few vehicles were picked up by the tornado, moved about 15 to 20 yards and pivoted by about 180 degrees.”

“A nearby large farm building sustained damage to the back wall and lost a few roof panels. These roof panels were found approximately 1,000 yards to the east in a nearby wheat field.”

“Numerous vehicles sustained damage, with a few blown out windows and a large camper was flipped on its side. The tornado continued east and moved over mainly farm fields, resulting in damage to corn and sugar beet crops. A distinct path, about 50 yards wide, of corn was flattened in a convergent pattern across these farm fields.”

The damage continued across some sugar beet fields there, the NWS said. State police were able to get aerial footage of the damage path after the storm.

The twister crossed several farm fields before whipping through a large machine shed and a smaller outbuilding on Loree Road, destroying them.

The tornado stopped a short distance from there.

No injuries were reported.

While there was no Tornado Warning issued before this tornado developed, the NWS had put out a Special Weather Statement that warned of strong thunderstorms in the area.

This tornado marks the 30th twister that has touched down in Michigan this year. Most have been smaller, weak tornadoes like EF-0s and EF-1s. The volume of tornadoes puts us into the Top 10 years for twisters in Michigan.

While the weather down here was pretty calm, it was a little different in the thumb area. The first part of this video is a tornado which was videoed by Lieutenant Doug Confer of the Deckerville Fire Department.

The ending is the path on the ground captured by MSP Aviation.… pic.twitter.com/shs0xLkJvh

— MSP Second District (@mspmetrodet) July 27, 2025

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