EF-1 tornado touches down in VBT/Belleville area

The National Weather Service confirmed a EF-1 tornado touched down in Van Buren Township on Saturday, April 4, at 5:46 p.m. just south of Martz Road between Rawsonville Road and Hoeft Road near Willis.
Reports say there were warning tornado sirens from Sumpter Township, as well as Belleville and Van Buren Township, but some residents in Belleville and Van Buren say they did not hear sirens. Sumpter residents heard the sirens.
Belleville director of public safety Kris Faull said dispatch at Van Buren Township turns on the new sirens in Belleville which are located in the DPW yard. She said some people didn’t hear the siren and so they are checking on that.
The Weather Service reported EF-1 tornados have winds from 86 to 110 mph.
The tornado was about 200 yards wide with maximum winds up to 100 miles per hour and was down for 3.25 miles, the Weather Service said. It lifted up at 5:50 p.m.
It first flipped a hayride trailer at DeBuck’s Family Farm on Martz Road as the tornado moved northeast toward Hull Road. A large barn wall was also blown out at DeBuck’s.
EF-1 damage occurred along Hull Road with the greatest concentration of EF-1 damage along and just south of Hull Road between Elwell Road and Bak Road. This damage included multiple trees uprooted and snapped, and telephone poles snapped.
The tornado continued northeast crossing Sumpter Road producing EF-0 (65-85 mph) damage with scattered large tree limbs and power lines downed. The tornado lifted right before reaching Savage Road, the Weather Service reported.
At 5:49 p.m., while the tornado was on the ground in the Belleville area, the Belleville Police issued a tornado warning over Nixel that reported an “extreme – extraordinary threat to life or property” until 6:15 p.m. It said a tornado was sighted 7 miles southeast of Ypsilanti, moving northeast at 45 mph, according to the National Weather Service.
The Nixel alert said radar indicated rotation and on impact flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without shelter. Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed. Damage to roofs, windows, and vehicles will occur. Tree damage is likely, the information from the National Weather Service said.
No major injuries were reported.
The Nixel alert said the tornado was observed and determined to have occurred or to be ongoing. The alert said the dangerous storm would be near Taylor, Romulus, Canton, and Dearborn around 555 p.m.
Van Buren Township police issued a Nixel alert an hour later, at 6:49 p.m. Saturday, reporting that Haggerty Road between Alden Ave. and E. Huron River Drive would be closed for an extended period of time due to power lines down. It said DTE was working as quickly as possible to fix the situation.
The Detroit News reported that Van Buren Fire Chief Dave McInally said motorists in four vehicles were trapped between downed lines for about an hour on Haggerty Road.
There were no reports of injuries or vehicle damage and the occupants left after DTE workers cleared the scene. Part of Haggerty remained closed until Sunday evening.
Crews also responded to several reports of power lines that had been knocked into residential yards and downed trees that were blocking roadways. The damage caused power outages on Hull Road. In total, the fire department responded to nine weather-related calls for service, the chief said.
Electrical power also was out in a large area overnight into Easter Day.
Chief McInally said there was some light flooding that was gone within an hour.
Tornado strength is rated on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, which ranks twisters from a weak EF-0 to a powerful EF-5. Saturday’s tornado was on the lower, weak end of the scale.
The National Weather Service survey team also visited spots in Monroe County where damage was reported. Checking the sites in Lambertville did not support a tornado touchdown. Instead, evidence showed damage was caused by a “divergent wind pattern indicative of straight line winds,” the National Weather Service said.