Overview
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Multiple rounds of severe weather impacted Southeast Michigan from the afternoon hours of September 2nd to the evening hours of September 3rd, with all hazards (damaging winds, large hail, and tornadoes) occurring in this timeframe. The first batch of thunderstorms developed over the Saginaw Valley and Thumb early evening of the 2nd, acquiring mid-level rotation to quickly become supercellular. These storms produced significant hail over 2 inches in diameter for locations around the I-69 corridor and eventually spawned an EF-0 tornado in Marysville (St. Clair County) that evening. A couple hours after sunset, a second round of severe thunderstorms blossomed across Livingston and Oakland Counties which then traveled east-southeast into Macomb and Wayne Counties. This line of storms rapidly grew upscale and produced widespread straight-line winds likely on the order of 60-70 mph between about 10 PM and 4 AM before fully exiting into Ontario. Widespread downed trees and power lines contributed to nearly 100,000 power outages by the morning of September 3rd. A brief break in thunderstorm activity during the morning hours was followed by another relentless batch of severe weather from mid-day through the evening of the 3rd. This line produced widespread straight-line wind damage across most of Southeast Michigan as it surged into the hot/humid and unstable environment ahead of it. The line also spawned a brief EF-0 tornado in Lincoln Park and an EF-2 tornado on the east side of Detroit. This was the first confirmed tornado in the city of Detroit since the F2 that impacted the city on July 2, 1997. Nearly 300,000 power outages were reported between the 2nd and 3rd. Heavy rainfall occurred within the storms as well, with the majority of Southeast Michigan receiving over 1 inch of rain. Many areas along and south of M-59 received between 2 and 4 inches, while localized areas in Livingston County received over 4 inches by September 4th. This rainfall led to lots of ponding on roadways, but widespread flooding did not occur due to preceding dry conditions during the late summer. |
Tornadoes
Note: The tornado map will be updated over the coming days.
Select a tornado from the table to zoom into the track and view more information. The default table view is limited to 8 tracks, but can be scrolled by a mouse wheel or dynamically expanded. Additionally, the table can fill the entire window by clicking the small circular expanding arrow icon at the very top right of the table and returned to its original size by clicking the button again. The side information panel that opens over the map can be closed using the "X" on the upper right corner of the pop-up. Zoom into the map and click damage points to see detailed information and pictures from the surveys.
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NOTE: times shown below are local to your device's time zone. |
The Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale classifies tornadoes into the following categories:
| EF0 Weak 65-85 mph |
EF1 Moderate 86-110 mph |
EF2 Significant 111-135 mph |
EF3 Severe 136-165 mph |
EF4 Extreme 166-200 mph |
EF5 Catastrophic 200+ mph |
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| Tornadoes that fail to impact any ratable damage indicators on the EF-Scale are rated EF-Unknown (EF-U) | |||||
.Marysville Tornado... Rating: EF-0 Estimated Peak Wind: 75 mph Path Length /statute/: 0.35 miles Path Width /maximum/: 175 yards Fatalities: 0 Injuries: 0 Start Date: 09/02/2026 Start Time: 7:19 PM EDT Start Location: 1 NE Marysville / St. Clair County / MI Start Lat/Lon: 42.9234 / -82.4690 End Date: 09/02/2026 End Time: 7:21 PM EDT End Location: 1 NE Marysville / St. Clair County / MI End Lat/Lon: 42.9190 / -82.4654 Survey Summary: A brief weak tornado tracked across portions of Marysville, Michigan in St. Clair County on the evening of September 2, 2026. Tree damage was sporadic along a narrow path between Gratiot Boulevard and Highway 29. && .Lincoln Park Tornado... Rating: EF-0 Estimated Peak Wind: 70 mph Path Length /statute/: 0.16 miles Path Width /maximum/: 50 yards Fatalities: 0 Injuries: 0 Start Date: 09/03/2026 Start Time: 4:12 PM EDT Start Location: Lincoln Park / Wayne County / MI Start Lat/Lon: 42.2391 / -83.1801 End Date: 09/03/2026 End Time: 4:13 PM EDT End Location: Lincoln Park / Wayne County / MI End Lat/Lon: 42.2379 / -83.1773 Survey Summary: A very brief, weak tornado touched down along Fort St near Memorial Park before tracking into the park and lifting near the Senior Center. Within this narrow path, the majority of trees had large limbs snapped with a handful entirely uprooted. Electrical transmission lines along Fort St were bent with wire damage. && .Detroit Tornado... Rating: EF-2 Estimated Peak Wind: 115 mph Path Length /statute/: 3.50 miles Path Width /maximum/: 0.5 miles Fatalities: 0 Injuries: 1 Start Date: 09/03/2026 Start Time: 4:14 PM EDT Start Location: 2 NE Comerica Park / Wayne County / MI Start Lat/Lon: 42.3685 / -83.0291 End Date: 09/03/2026 End Time: 4:18 PM EDT End Location: 3 E Detroit / Wayne County / MI End Lat/Lon: 42.3363 / -82.9773 Survey Summary: A fast moving tornado touched down along Hancock Rd near Ellery Pl where it snapped tree limbs and damaged residential siding. As it crossed E Forest Ave it overturned an outbuilding and damaged the roof of the Preferred Meal Systems building, including partial tearing of the roof and tipping of an HVAC unit. Portions of the fence behind the building were bent with areas of sheet metal blown out. A large tree was also uprooted and fell across Garfield St. Tornadic damage continued to the Mt Elliot and Gratiot Ave intersection where it detached traffic signals and snapped several trees. Damage intensity increased and became more widespread along a south-southeast path from the intersection of Mack Ave and Mt Elliot St to the intersection of E Grand Blvd and E Lafayette St. This included significant damage to industrial buildings along Bellevue St and Beaufait St with roofs partially torn off and walls collapsed or blown out. Further southeast into the residential areas toward Concord Ave and Canton St numerous large trees were uprooted and snapped, electrical and lighting poles were bent or snapped, and homes exhibited roof/siding/window damage. Two vacant buildings collapsed along St Paul St near Concord Ave with minimal brick structure remaining. Also worth noting, some sheet metal from the Utica Washers building was found one mile away in a field near Helen St and E Congress St. Damage in this stretch was consistent with high-end EF-1 to low-end EF-2 indicators. The tornado continued tracking along E Grand Blvd over its intersection with E Jefferson Ave further snapping or uprooting trees in Gabriel Richard Park. Additionally the sign of the Pekin restaurant was nearly entirely torn off with a nearby building exhibiting substantial brick fascia torn off as well as roof damage. The tornadic track continued over the Detroit River to Belle Isle making landfall just east of the Belle Isle Boat House where a scull boat was blown into a tree as well as numerous trees uprooted or snapped. Tree damage continued across the central portions of Belle Isle before ending near the Model Yacht Basin where the tornado reached the other side of the Detroit River. && EF Scale: The Enhanced Fujita Scale classifies tornadoes into the following categories: EF0.....65 to 85 mph EF1.....86 to 110 mph EF2.....111 to 135 mph EF3.....136 to 165 mph EF4.....166 to 200 mph EF5.....>200 mph NOTE: The information in this statement is preliminary and subject to change pending final review of the event and publication in NWS Storm Data. $$
Radar
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Loop of NEXRAD Base Reflectivity Radar from 1:15pm on September 2, 2026 to 1:30am on September 3, 2026 - courtesy Iowa Environmental Mesonet (IEM) |
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Loop of NEXRAD Base Reflectivity Radar from 6:45am to 6:30pm on September 3, 2026 - courtesy Iowa Environmental Mesonet (IEM) |
Lincoln Park Tornado |
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KDTX radar reflectivity and storm-relative velocity at 2012 UTC 9/3/26. |
Detroit Tornado |
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KDTX radar reflectivity and storm-relative velocity at 2017 UTC 9/3/26. |
Storm Reports
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON... ..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE.... ..REMARKS..
0400 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg Palms 43.61N 82.77W
09/02/2026 Sanilac MI 911 Call Center
Sanilac County Dispatch reported numerous calls related
to tree damage and wires downed across the northern half
of the county.
0405 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg Richmondville 43.57N 82.60W
09/02/2026 Sanilac MI Emergency Mngr
EM reported significant damage over and west of
Richmondville.
0405 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg 1 S Richmondville 43.56N 82.59W
09/02/2026 Sanilac MI Amateur Radio
Large uprooted maple tree at Shabbona Rd and M-25.
0538 PM Hail Birch Run 43.25N 83.79W
09/02/2026 M2.00 inch Saginaw MI Trained Spotter
Multiple spotter and public reports with images of
hailstones up to 2 inches in diamater across Birch Run.
0604 PM Hail Otter Lake 43.21N 83.46W
09/02/2026 M1.00 inch Lapeer MI Trained Spotter
Reported along 6600 block of Hart Lake Rd.
0613 PM Hail 5 S East Dayton 43.34N 83.27W
09/02/2026 M1.00 Inch Tuscola MI Public
Photo on social media.
0649 PM Hail 1 NW Capac 43.02N 82.95W 09/02/2026 M2.00 inch St. Clair MI NWS Employee
0717 PM Hail Kimball 42.95N 82.56W 09/02/2026 M1.50 inch St. Clair MI Trained Spotter
0719 PM Tornado 1 NE Marysville 42.92N 82.47W
09/02/2026 St. Clair MI NWS Storm Survey
A brief EF-0 tornado tracked across portions of
Marysville, Michigan in St. Clair County on the evening
of September 2, 2026. Tree damage was sporadic along a
narrow path between Gratiot Boulevard and Highway 29.
1031 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg 3 E Milford 42.59N 83.54W
09/02/2026 Oakland MI NWS Employee
Multiple Trees and large branches down.
1037 PM Tstm Wnd Gst Howell 42.61N 83.94W 09/02/2026 E70 mph Livingston MI NWS Employee
1040 PM Tstm Wnd Gst Livingston County Airpo 42.63N 83.98W 09/02/2026 M67 mph Livingston MI AWOS
1047 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg 2 SE Brighton 42.52N 83.75W
09/02/2026 Livingston MI Trained Spotter
Numerous large trees down in Brighton.
1103 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg Livonia 42.40N 83.37W
09/02/2026 Wayne MI Emergency Mngr
Multiple trees down around the city of Livonia.
1106 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg Plymouth 42.37N 83.47W
09/02/2026 Wayne MI Law Enforcement
Numerous large tree branches downed with power outages
around the city of Plymouth.
0238 AM Tstm Wnd Dmg 2 SW Center Line 42.47N 83.05W
09/03/2026 Macomb MI Trained Spotter
Multiple Trees Down.
0342 AM Tstm Wnd Dmg Harper Woods 42.43N 82.93W
09/03/2026 Wayne MI Trained Spotter
Multiple large tree branches down. Roof damage to a
house caused by a large tree branch.
1053 AM Tstm Wnd Dmg Holly 42.80N 83.62W
09/03/2026 Oakland MI Emergency Mngr
Large Tree down in Holly.
1058 AM Tstm Wnd Dmg 4 S Holly 42.74N 83.62W
09/03/2026 Oakland MI Emergency Mngr
Large tree down.
1111 AM Tstm Wnd Dmg 2 NE Clarkston 42.75N 83.38W
09/03/2026 Oakland MI Amateur Radio
Large downed tree blocking road at Sashabaw and
Stickney Roads in Independence Twp causing road closure.
1125 AM Tstm Wnd Dmg 2 E Auburn Hills 42.69N 83.20W
09/03/2026 Oakland MI Trained Spotter
Multiple trees and power lines downed.
1127 AM Tstm Wnd Dmg Rochester 42.69N 83.12W
09/03/2026 Oakland MI Emergency Mngr
Multiple downed trees and wires around Rochester.
1127 AM Tstm Wnd Dmg 3 W Lake Orion 42.77N 83.31W
09/03/2026 Oakland MI Trained Spotter
One large healthy tree down.
1143 AM Tstm Wnd Dmg 2 SW Waldenburg 42.64N 82.97W
09/03/2026 Macomb MI Trained Spotter
Video of large pine tree snapped in half near 21 Mile
and Hayes Roads.
1156 AM Tstm Wnd Dmg 2 E Highland 42.63N 83.57W
09/03/2026 Oakland MI Public
Multiple trees down on Duck Lake Rd.
1202 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg 1 NE Commerce 42.61N 83.48W
09/03/2026 Oakland MI Trained Spotter
Numerous large tree limbs down along Carroll Lake Rd
between Wise Rd and Cooley Lake Rd.
0200 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg 1 N Hemlock 43.44N 84.23W
09/03/2026 Saginaw MI 911 Call Center
2 trees reported down.
0201 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg 2 W Nelson 43.34N 84.27W
09/03/2026 Saginaw MI 911 Call Center
Two large trees blown down on road. An
additional tree was also reported down in
Swan Creek Township.
0247 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg Flushing 43.06N 83.84W
09/03/2026 Genesee MI Public
Numerous trees reported down throughout Flushing.
0258 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg Perry 42.82N 84.23W
09/03/2026 Shiawassee MI 911 Call Center
Numerous trees reported down across southern Shiawassee
County.
0313 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg Parkers Corners 42.57N 84.11W
09/03/2026 Livingston MI Trained Spotter
Large 5 ft diameter tree uprooted.
0320 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg Howell 42.61N 83.94W
09/03/2026 Livingston MI Public
Multiple trees down at Golf Club Rd and Grand River Ave
0330 PM Tstm Wnd Gst Brighton 42.53N 83.78W
09/03/2026 E60 mph Livingston MI NWS Employee
Light tree damage.
0330 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg 3 W Hudson Mills 42.38N 83.98W
09/03/2026 Washtenaw MI Trained Spotter
Trees and power lines downed.
0340 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg 4 W Whitmore Lake 42.43N 83.82W
09/03/2026 Livingston MI Trained Spotter
Tree damage in the neighborhood of Strawberry Lake and
West Lane
0343 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg 4 W Ann Arbor 42.28N 83.81W
09/03/2026 Washtenaw MI Trained Spotter
Trees down at Jackson and Zeeb Rd near Meijer
0345 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg 2 SW West Bloomfield 42.55N 83.42W
09/03/2026 Oakland MI NWS Employee
Very large tree limb downed on a house and through a
large section of roof.
0401 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg 1 NE Royal Oak 42.52N 83.15W
09/03/2026 Oakland MI Public
Photo of large tree branch snapped across roadway at 13
mile and Main St in Royal Oak. Relayed via social media.
0403 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg Ferndale 42.46N 83.13W
09/03/2026 Oakland MI Public
Photo of large tree limb down on fence in Ferndale
relayed via social media.
0405 PM Tstm Wnd Gst Detroit Metro Intl Airp 42.23N 83.33W 09/03/2026 M58 mph Wayne MI ASOS
0408 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg Allen Park 42.26N 83.21W
09/03/2026 Wayne MI Trained Spotter
Extensive tree damage, including 1 ft diameter limbs,
along Park Ave between Englewood and Thomas.
0408 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg 2 E Inkster 42.29N 83.27W
09/03/2026 Wayne MI Broadcast Media
Numerous trees and limbs downed near O.L. Smith Middle
School.
0412 PM Tornado Lincoln Park 42.24N 83.18W
09/03/2026 Wayne MI NWS Storm Survey
A brief EF-0 tornado impacted areas around Memorial
Park in Lincoln Park on the afternoon of September 3.
0414 PM Tornado 2 NE Comerica Park 42.37N 83.03W
09/03/2026 Wayne MI NWS Storm Survey
An EF-2 tornado impacted east Detroit on the afternoon
of September 3, touching down near the Poletown East
neighborhood and tracking southeastward, eventually
crossing the Detroit River and Belle Isle.
0416 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg 3 W South Rockwood 42.07N 83.31W
09/03/2026 Monroe MI Public
Portion of siding stripped off mobile home near US-24
on the south side of Flat Rock. Relayed via social media
photo.
0417 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg 2 E Comerica Park 42.35N 83.01W
09/03/2026 Wayne MI Broadcast Media
Collapsed building and utility pole downed near St.
Paul St and Concord Ave.
0420 PM Marine Tstm Wind SC S Harbor 42.47N 82.88W
09/03/2026 M60 mph LCZ460 MI C-Man Station
Measured at St. Clair Shores (CLSM4).
0426 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg 1 W Lambertville 41.75N 83.64W
09/03/2026 Monroe MI Public
Social media report of a large tree down on a house
near Canterbury Drive in Lambertville.
0430 PM Marine Tstm Wind Detroit River Light 42.00N 83.14W 09/03/2026 M60 mph LEZ444 MI Mesonet
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| Local Storm Reports and Warning Polygons from September 2-3, 2026 |
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| SPC National Storm Reports from September 2, 2026 |
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| SPC National Storm Reports from September 3, 2026 |
Photos
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Environment
There was already a lot of elevated instability in place the morning of September 2nd, the 02.12z sounding (Figure 13) sampled over 4000 J/kg of MUCAPE that morning. A bit of elevated convection was present during the morning hours, but nothing really strong or severe developed until the afternoon of the 2nd across the Tri Cities. Remnant low level capping limited convective initiation to right along the cold front that was settling into SE Michigan. This first batch of storms formed as a ~50 knot mid level jet impulse glanced across the Saginaw Valley/Thumb regions, with westerly winds causing shear vectors to be oriented roughly 45 degrees to the initiating surface boundary. The wind field configuration was particularly successful in causing these storms to quickly become supercellular, with storm scale dynamics taking over to fully tap into the extreme instability aloft. Deep reflectivity cores were sampled by the KDTX WSR-88D, with reflectivity maxima occurring near Imlay City where 60 dBZ values were sampled up to 35,000 feet (above the -30 C isotherm). This resulted in significant hail in excess of 2 inches (greater than egg size), damaging straight line winds, and an EF-0 tornado in Marysville (St. Clair County).
A second round of storms developed later that evening after sunset along the front as outflow reinforced its southward progression before stalling between the I-96 and M-59 corridors. Storm initiation occurred in an extremely favorable environment for deep convection, stemming from the overlap of nocturnal cooling/moisture convergence to erode the weak cap in place with the remnant deep mixed layer as observed in the 03.00z sounding (Figure 14). Less inhibition allowed updrafts to more easily access the extreme instability aloft, causing convection to blossom across the northern suburbs after 10 PM. The multicellular line quickly produced a strong cold pool, with its strength observed at KVLL (Oakland/Troy Airport) where temperatures dropped from 86 to 75 degrees once the cold pool came through. Downburst signatures were quick to develop after storm initiation, where straight-line winds on the order of 60 to 70+ mph occurred. Much of this was likely driven thermodynamically due a combination of heavy precipitation cores aloft and efficient downward momentum transport. West to east motion of these cells resulted in multiple rounds of straight-line winds, which slowly tracked across the metro Detroit area overnight before finally exiting into Ontario around 4 AM the morning of the 3rd.
A brief break in convective activity occurred during the morning hours, although additional storms were already percolating across the west side of the state by daybreak. These storms developed on the instability gradient that began working back into the region for the afternoon-evening hours. This only strengthened the convergence axis over SE Michigan. By early afternoon, yet another organized cluster of thunderstorms had developed over northwest Lower Michigan at the nose of a mid-level speed max/moisture transport aloft and the apex of the instability axis. This led to a final wave of severe weather during the afternoon-evening of September 3rd as an organized MCS accelerated into a plume of 2000+ J/kg of SBCAPE downstream from the Tri Cities into the Detroit area. Figure 25 shows the uncapped MLCAPE footprint, which aligns closely with the map of severe reports and the track of the main wind surge. As the line moved downstream and winds began to back more aggressively, numerous brief circulations were observed on both the KDTX and TDTW radars. Two of these circulations produced tornadoes in Wayne County: an EF-2 tornado in the city of Detroit and an EF-0 tornado in Lincoln Park.
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| Figure 1: WPC Surface Analysis, valid 1800 UTC September 2, 2026 | Figure 2: WPC Surface Analysis, valid 0000 UTC September 3, 2026 | Figure 3: WPC Surface Analysis, valid 1200 UTC September 3, 2026 | Figure 4: WPC Surface Analysis, valid 1800 UTC September 3, 2026 |
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| Figure 5: SPC Categorical Severe Weather Outlook, valid 1630 UTC September 2, 2026 | Figure 6: SPC Hail Outlook, valid 1630 UTC September 2, 2026 | Figure 7: SPC Wind Outlook, valid 1630 UTC September 2, 2026 | Figure 8: SPC Tornado Outlook, valid 1630 UTC September 2, 2026 |
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| Figure 9: SPC Categorical Severe Weather Outlook, valid 1630 UTC September 3, 2026 | Figure 10: SPC Hail Outlook, valid 1630 UTC September 3, 2026 | Figure 11: SPC Wind Outlook, valid 1630 UTC September 3, 2026 | Figure 12: SPC Tornado Outlook, valid 1630 UTC September 3, 2026 |
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| Figure 13: DTX Sounding, valid 1200 UTC September 2, 2026 | Figure 14: DTX Sounding, valid 0000 UTC September 3, 2026 | Figure 15: DTX Sounding, valid 1200 UTC September 3, 2026 |
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| Figure 16: Mixed-Layer CAPE, valid 2000 UTC September 2, 2026 | Figure 17: Mixed-Layer CAPE, valid 0300 UTC September 3, 2026 | Figure 18: Mixed-Layer CAPE, valid 1900 UTC September 3, 2026 |
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| Figure 19: Effective Bulk Wind Shear, valid 2000 UTC September 2, 2026 | Figure 20: Effective Bulk Wind Shear, valid 0300 UTC September 3, 2026 | Figure 21: Effective Bulk Wind Shear, valid 1900 UTC September 3, 2026 |
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| Figure 22: SPC Mesoscale Discussion #2203, valid 1921 UTC September 2, 2026 | Figure 23: SPC Mesoscale Discussion #2205, valid 2046 UTC September 2, 2026 | Figure 24: SPC Mesoscale Discussion #2210, valid 0237 UTC September 3, 2026 | Figure 25: SPC Mesoscale Discussion #2214, valid 1252 UTC September 3, 2026 |
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| Figure 26: SPC Mesoscale Discussion #2216, valid 1744 UTC September 3, 2026 | Figure 27: SPC Severe Thunderstorm Watch #648, valid 1800 UTC September 3, 2026 | Figure 28: SPC Mesoscale Discussion #2217, valid 2046 UTC September 2, 2026 |
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| Figure 29: WPC Mesoscale Precipitation Discussion #1183, valid 1517 UTC September 3, 2026 | Figure 30: WPC Mesoscale Precipitation Discussion #1194, valid 0950 UTC September 4, 2026 | Figure 31: WPC Mesoscale Precipitation Discussion #1196, valid 1510 UTC September 4, 2026 |
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