Tornado confirmed Sunday in Lenawee County

The first tornado in Lenawee County since 2010 touched down Sunday night, the National Weather Service confirms, part of a storm system that moved across southern Michigan for several hours.

The EF1 tornado "touched down south of Cemetery Rd. and east of Silberhorn Hwy" in Riga Township, heading east-northeast at 9:23 p.m., according to the weather agency, and it was on the ground for four minutes. Its estimated peak winds were 90 mph and it traveled 2.7 miles. 

At least five homes were damaged, according to reports made to the weather service, as well as several outbuildings, barns and trees in the area, but no injuries were reported.

 The storms Sunday night into Monday produced rainfall of 1 to 3 inches, according to the weather agency, and there were numerous reports of tree and property damage across lower Michigan as the cold front moved through.

More than 85,000 residents were without power in the aftermath of the storms. DTE Energy said about 15,000 are without power Tuesday, and it estimates most will have it restored by the end of the day. Consumers Energy reports about 1,500 without power midday Tuesday.

On June 6, 2010, an EF1 tornado hit the city of Adrian. The most recent tornado in southeast Michigan was in Sanilac County in September 2019. 

Tornadoes are classified by the National Weather Service according to the enhanced Fujita scale:

Weak: EF0 (65-85 mph winds) and EF1 (86-110 mph winds)

Strong: EF2 (111-135 mph winds) and EF3 (136-165 mph winds)

Violent: EF4 (166-200 mph winds) and EF5 (greater than 200 mph winds)