Tornado sirens, cell phone alerts, high winds and pounding rain woke up Michigan residents as severe weather pushed through the state overnight Tuesday.
The storms were part of a massive system that has already resulted in suspected tornadoes along with flooding in the Midwest and Great Lakes region, and will continue for at least another day.
History of the storms
All of Lower Southern Michigan was under a tornado watch at some point Tuesday night and early Wednesday. The tornado watch for Southeast Michigan was posted shortly before 9 p.m. Tuesday and was to be in effect through 4 a.m. Wednesday.
Tornado warnings in Southwest and Mid-Michigan were popping up through the late evening.
The first overnight tornado warning in Metro Detroit was issued for Washtenaw County, and storm damage has been reported in the Ann Arbor area. From there, tornado warnings were issued for Lenawee, Monroe and Wayne counties before the storms moved to Ontario and Lake Erie. There were also multiple severe thunderstorm warnings issued overnight in the region.
The severe weather risk for Metro Detroit had ended by about 2:30 a.m. Wednesday.
Michigan saw one of its most-active tornado seasons on record during 2025, with 33 tornadoes confirmed in the state throughout the year. The state’s 2026 tornado season started with storms that struck on March 6 in Southwest Michigan.
The National Weather Service said it plans to send out two storm survey teams on Wednesday, which is part of the process for verifying a tornado report.
Damage reports
The Ann Arbor Fire Department responded to more than 75 calls related to the storm by 5:20 a.m., city officials said. The police department in Ann Arbor said it handled more than 120 calls between 1:45 a.m. and 6 a.m., “the vast majority of which were related to the storm.”
City of Ann Arbor
Damage reports included roof and siding damage at the University of Michigan Yost Ice Arena in Ann Arbor.
City of Ann Arbor officials also said that the east wall collapsed at Veterans Memorial Park Ice Arena.
In Lincoln Park, the overnight storms caused damage to businesses and homes.
CBS Detroit
School closings
There are several school closings in Oakland, Washtenaw and Wayne counties for Wednesday because of power outages or internet/communication issues. That list includes Ann Arbor Public Schools and Ypsilanti Community Schools.
“Some of our schools have sustained structural damage from the storm, and many schools are also without power,” the Ann Arbor Public Schools said on their social media. “As we assess damage to the schools, we will keep you informed regarding the status of our school buildings.”
Power outages
DTE, which provides electricity in most of Southeast Michigan, is reporting via its outage map that there were 15,824 customers without power at 7 a.m. Wednesday. The affected customers include those in Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti and Romulus.
Consumers Energy, whose electricity service area includes part of Southeast Michigan, also had about 200 customers without power in the Adrian area.
If you do lose power to a refrigerator or freezer, the U.S. Department of Agriculture says to keep the doors closed on those appliances. A fully stocked refrigerator can stay cold for about four hours; if the power outage lasts longer, then transfer perishable foods into a cooler stocked with ice. A freezer will keep its temperature for 24 hours if half full, or 48 hours if full.
CBS News Detroit
Flooded roads
Flooding has been reported in multiple locations, including on I-75 near Clay Road in Wayne County.
There was also a road closure due to flooding on I-96 in Livingston County.
U.S. 23 at M-14 in Washtenaw County has reopened after a temporary closure due to downed wires.
Michigan Department of Transportation traffic reports can be found at the MI Drive site.
Flood watch continues
In a rare set of circumstances, the entire State of Michigan was placed under a flood watch Tuesday night. The flood watch will continue through Thursday evening in Southeast Michigan.
The National Weather Service said this is the first time that the entire state was covered by a flood watch, and the first time the entire Lower Peninsula was under a flood watch since April 2013.
Stay informed with CBS News Detroit
CBS News Detroit has team coverage on the severe weather and the aftermath. You can follow the reports on air, online, on our mobile app and on our social media accounts such as YouTube.
If you wish to share photos or videos after a storm passes through, please join our Weather Watcher Network.
More from CBS News
