A number of severe weather and tornado warnings were in effect for Cass, Calhoun, Kalamazoo, St. Joseph and Van Buren counties Thursday evening.
Barry and Calhoun county were under a severe thunderstorm warning until 9:15 p.m. Meanwhile, Allegan, Barry, Calhoun, Eaton, Kalamazoo, St. Joseph and Van Buren counties were under a tornado watch until 11 p.m.
“Meteorologist Kevin Craig of Fox-17 said, “Calhoun County and the Battle Creek area came very close Thursday evening to a tornado touchdown. A couple of strongly rotating storm updrafts moved across the county, passing near or over Battle Creek. Luckily, these storms couldn’t quite generate tornadoes, but the funnels were there and never quite reached the ground.”
The Storm Prediction Center placed much of lower Michigan in a slight risk (level 2 out of 5) for severe thunderstorms to happen Thursday, with the risk of an isolated tornado spinning up south of I-96 where the ingredients were better aligned to produce a severe thunderstorm. Damaging wind was a greater potential issue.
Wind gusts between 50 and 70 mph were reported.
Heavy downpours moved dropped 1 to 2 inches of rainfall through parts of Allegan, Ottawa, and Kent counties.
The National Weather Service predicts more rain and storms Saturday for West Michigan.
