Michigan UP Tornado Causes Damage, But No Reported Injuries

The first tornado to touch down on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula this year caused some property damage in Ontonagon, but no reported injuries.

The twister touched down Friday at a recreational vehicle park and campground in Ontonagon, about 95 miles northwest of Marquette, according to the National Weather Service.

“It was on the ground for about three-quarters of a mile … the wind speeds were about 85 mph,” meteorologist Matt Zika told The Mining Journal in Marquette for a story Saturday.

The damage path was about 125 yards at its widest.

“It started getting windier, breeze was picking up and I said `Honey, we better do something now,”‘ Ontonagon resident Bill LaCoste told WLUC-TV. “All of a sudden my air conditioner just went straight out the window, and I started hearing glass smash. When they say it sounds like a freight train coming by, it did. I mean the whole house was like a tremor. It didn’t sound good.”

Trees were snapped and uprooted, and some utility poles were broken. Some roofs suffered damage and a boat was flipped.

“The power company obviously took a hit with all the down lines,” Ontonagon County Emergency Management office spokesman Bill Johnson told WLUC-TV. “Damages of course to the trees around here, and it’s going to take some work and effort to clean that up.”