When emergency sirens sounded throughout Oakland County during Wednesday’s statewide tornado drill, it may have triggered memories for some residents of a deadly storm 50 years ago.
The F4 twister formed near Halsted Road, between 13 Mile and 14 Mile roads at 7:15 p.m. on March 20, 1976, according to National Weather Service records.
Photos of tornado damage taken after a March 20, 1976, tornado cut a 4-mile swath through Oakland County, killing Bloomfield Hills resident Kiely Weaver, 15. (Courtesy of the Greater West Bloomfield Historical Society)
The tornado was one of four that developed from 27 severe weather events in Michigan that evening. Producing winds up to 270 mph, the tornado cut a 350-foot-wide swath along its 4-mile path as it headed toward Orchard Lake and Maple roads. It flipped a vehicle with four teens inside, killing passenger Kiely Weaver, 15, of Bloomfield Hills. Around the same time, an F3 tornado racing across Macomb County, killed a 4-month-old Richmond boy.
Oakland County’s twister dissipated just west of Middlebelt Road, south of Walnut Lake Road, after causing an estimated $5 million in damage (nearly $30 million in 2026 dollars). A mobile home, 91 homes, 23 businesses, and an estimated 25 vehicles were either destroyed or damaged.
Oakland County has history of tornados
That incident led to the county’s early warning siren system, which is tested on the first Saturday of every month from March to November.
This year, the Greater West Bloomfield Historical Society collected the accounts of those who survived the tornado for an exhibit at the Orchard Lake Museum, said spokeswoman Anna Smith.
The exhibit features a photo album found at a garage sale in 2019 by Bill McIsaac, a former historical society board member and volunteer. It contains 136 black-and-white photos of the tornado damage, believed to be taken by a DTE employee
Man recounts close call with tornado in West Bloomfield Township nearly 40 years later
“Unfortunately, we have not been able to identify the exact locations in the photos,” Smith said, hoping that people can shed more light on the damage captured in the images.
Here are excerpts from a few first-hand accounts collected and displayed at the museum:
Zack, Michael
The Orchard Lake resident was 8 years old and living in a new apartment his family just rented. He remembers the sound of the storm:
“It was like a train … a very loud train, passing right in front of our building. It wasn’t until the next day that the reality of what happened,
and how close we were to it hit me. The tornado hit the houses directly behind our apartment complex. I still remember seeing the wood that looked like giant matchsticks spread across yards … It was absolutely surreal.”
Linda Kidd
The West Bloomfield resident recalls heading to the basement with her husband and two children:
“The sound of the wind and the thrashing of the trees was horrible.
Branches were hitting the house as they broke off the trees in the neighborhood. The windows and walls were creaking from the pressure of the wind,” she recalled, adding they were surprised that their home was undamaged. “No electricity was a small inconvenience by comparison to the storm we just survived.”
Jennifer Pevos
The West Bloomfield resident lived near Orchard Lake and Maple roads:
“My sister, Lesley, would have been 5 years old at the time. My parents took their first trip together to Canada, post baby, without my sister. As they were driving back they heard the news that a tornado had touched down in West Bloomfield at Orchard Lake and Maple Road. It’s not as though they had a cell phone back then. Every thought was going through their heads. Was my sister safe with grandma? Was the house damaged? Did they make the wrong decision to leave without her? … (My mom) told this story many times throughout the years. It clearly impacted her. I don’t think they ever went away without us again.”
Photos of tornado damage taken after a March 20, 1976, tornado cut a 4-mile swath through Oakland County, killing Bloomfield Hills resident Kiely Weaver, 15. (Courtesy of the Greater West Bloomfield Historical Society)
Smith continues collecting first-person stories and memorabilia from the 1976 tornado.
Former West Bloomfield Township police officer Angus White recently donated the police jacket he wore while on duty that day.
The museum’s next open house is 1 to 4 p.m. Friday, March 20. Admission is free but donations are appreciated, Smith said.
Orchard Lake Museum is at 3951 Orchard Lake Road in Orchard Lake. Learn more about the historical society and museum at gwbhs.org, email contact@gwbhs.org or call (248) 757-2451.
Photos of tornado damage taken after a March 20, 1976, tornado cut a 4-mile swath through Oakland County, killing Bloomfield Hills resident Kiely Weaver, 15. (Courtesy of the Greater West Bloomfield Historical Society)
Photos of tornado damage taken after a March 20, 1976, tornado cut a 4-mile swath through Oakland County, killing Bloomfield Hills resident Kiely Weaver, 15. (Courtesy of the Greater West Bloomfield Historical Society)