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.”
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