Three tornadoes swept through northwest Michigan Monday, Sept. 22, the National Weather Service in Gaylord confirmed — increasing Michigan’s total to 33 for 2025.
One tornado briefly touched down in Grand Traverse County and “lived” for 1 minute. Two tornadoes struck in Antrim County, each lasting 1-2 minutes.
One tornado touched down southwest of Bellaire, and another developed near Torch Lake and was classified as a tornadic waterspout because it spent part of its life cycle on the water.
Fallen trees and broken tree limbs were the extent of the property damage, according to the NWS. No one was injured or killed.
Michigan has seen 33 tornadoes in 2025, Gaylord NWS office lead meterologist Nathan Jeruzal said.
Improved radar technology and social media posts allow weather forecasters to gather more details on tornadoes to confirm weaker ones, Jeruzal said, which may explain the above-average number reported this year. Michigan typically sees about 16 tornadoes.
“We’re able to kinda pinpoint that maybe some of these are tornadoes that maybe wouldn’t have been, say, 20 years ago, just because, again, they’re weak,” Jeruzal said.
In addition, Michigan saw two days in the spring where multiple, weak tornadoes were reported.
Most of Michigan’s 2025 tornadoes happened in a pair of large-scale outbreaks. On March 30, 2025, officials confirmed 14 tornadoes; and on May 15, officials confirmed 12.
The 2025 season has seen several weak tornadoes with ratings from EF0-EF1, Jeruzal added. On the EF scale those tornadoes produce winds from 65-110 mph.
Here’s more details on the tornadoes seen in northwest Michigan on Sept. 22:
How strong were the tornadoes Sept. 22?
Contact Sarah Moore @ smoore@lsj.com
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: NWS confirms 3 tornadoes Sept. 22. How strong were they?
Reporting by Sarah Moore, Lansing State Journal / Detroit Free Press
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