How a ‘Tornado Emergency’ is different than a warning or watch
LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — Michigan’s first Tornado Emergency was issued for portions of Branch County last night, around 6:11 pm, as active severe weather rolled across the state.
When discussing severe weather, you will more often than not hear the terms Severe Thunderstorm Warning, Tornado Watch, or Tornado Warning. But many might not be familiar with the term “Tornado Emergency” simply because, before yesterday, the National Weather Service had never issued one in Michigan.
A Tornado Emergency is issued by the National Weather Service when a reliable source confirms the presence of a damaging tornado, which can be visually or from evidence of debris or damage showing up on Radar. There also has to be a severe threat to human life and catastrophic damage ongoing or imminent.
Cleanup underway after tornado tears through Portage area
While the Tornado Emergency for Union City in Branch County was the first ever issued in Michigan, the tornado emergency designation has been around since 1999.
Despite the damage seen in the Portage area and across Southwest Michigan, there have been reports of injuries but no deaths.
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