Tornadoes · United States · Michigan · 2010

EF1 tornado, Azalia to Scofield, Michigan, June 23, 2010

From Azalia to Scofield, this EF1 tornado ran 11.5 miles across Monroe County on June 23, 2010, touching down at 10:06 PM EDT and reaching 100 yards wide. It killed nobody, and did $100,000 of property damage.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The Enhanced Fujita scale rates the damage rather than measuring the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. EF065 to 85 mph

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. EF186 to 110 mphthis tornado

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. EF2111 to 135 mph

    Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

  4. EF3136 to 165 mph

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. EF4166 to 200 mph

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. EF5over 200 mph

    Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.

  7. Unrated

    The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

The record

Rating
EF1
Date
June 23, 2010
Touchdown
10:06 PM EDT (02:06 UTC)
Lifted
10:23 PM EDT (02:23 UTC)
On the ground
17 minutes
Path length
11.5 miles (18.5 km)
Path width
100 yards (91 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$100,000
County
Monroe County
Touchdown point
42.047, -83.675
Lift-off point
42.019, -83.455
Record number
1006232006-01

What the Weather Service recorded

A few tornadic producing severe thunderstorms tracked along and south of I-94 corridor during the early evening hours.

An NWS storm survey confirmed a tornado touched down just north of the Cone Rd exit off US 23...about 2 miles south of Milan at 10:06 PM June 23. The tornado lifted about 2 1/2 miles northeast of Maybee, near Steffas Rd between Scofield and Zink. The total path length was 11 1/2 miles with an average path width of 50 yards. The tornado was rated an EF0 along most of its path, producing winds of 60 to 70 MPH. However, EF1 damage with winds estimated at 90 MPH was found near Tuttle Hill Rd in London Township where a roof was torn off of a pole barn and substantial tree damage was found. The width of this tornado had briefly extended to 100 yards in this location. Several homes also had roof and shingle damage - mainly in and near the town of Scofield.

From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.

The warnings

20 minutes of warning. NWS DTX issued a tornado warning for this county at 01:46 UTC, 20 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 02:45 UTC.

The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 00:13 UTC and running to 03:41 UTC.

Issued (UTC)ExpiredProductOffice
11:43 UTC16:35 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WatchDTX
16:03 UTC16:30 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTX
00:13 UTC03:41 UTCTornado WatchDTX
01:46 UTC02:45 UTCTornado WarningDTX
02:05 UTC02:43 UTCTornado WarningDTX
02:23 UTC03:14 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningDTX
02:32 UTC03:12 UTCTornado WarningDTX
02:37 UTC05:30 UTCFlood AdvisoryDTX

Every warning and watch covering the touchdown point that day, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service products. Lead time is measured from the issue of the warning in force to the touchdown time in the database, both of which were recorded to the minute by different people.

The forecast that day

The Storm Prediction Center had this point in a Slight Risk, with a 0.05 chance of a tornado within 25 miles. The outlook in force was issued at 01:00 UTC.

SPC's Day 1 convective outlook as it stood when the tornado began, read at the touchdown point. The same archive is on the radar archive.

The air that afternoon

The radiosonde launches on either side of the tornado, from the nearest station that was launching then, drawn and analyzed the way Storm Lab does: the same diagram, the same parcel and shear definitions SPC's mesoanalysis uses.

Detroit, MI (KDTX), 00:00Z

2.1 hours before the tornado, 77 km from the path. June 24, 2010.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Detroit, MI at 00:00Z on 2010-06-24Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 26 joules per kilogram, CIN -101, lifted condensation level 1576 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed. The warm shading is its CAPE, the cool shading the inhibition it has to break through.
HodographHodograph, Detroit, MI at 00:00Z on 2010-06-24The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers as a curve, rings every 10 meters per second labeled in knots. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 96 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 45 knots.19395878Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km. RM and LM are the right and left moving storms Bunkers' method gives; the shaded area is the 0 to 1 km storm-relative helicity.
Mixed-layer CAPE
26 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-101 J/kg
Surface CAPE
199 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1576 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
45 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
20 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
96 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
200 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0
0-3 km lapse rate
7.0 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

Detroit, MI (KDTX), 12:00Z

9.9 hours after it, 77 km from the path. June 24, 2010.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Detroit, MI at 12:00Z on 2010-06-24Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 381 joules per kilogram, CIN 0, lifted condensation level 551 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed. The warm shading is its CAPE, the cool shading the inhibition it has to break through.
HodographHodograph, Detroit, MI at 12:00Z on 2010-06-24The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers as a curve, rings every 10 meters per second labeled in knots. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 16 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 38 knots.1939587897117Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km. RM and LM are the right and left moving storms Bunkers' method gives; the shaded area is the 0 to 1 km storm-relative helicity.
Mixed-layer CAPE
381 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
0 J/kg
Surface CAPE
374 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
551 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
38 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
23 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
16 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
51 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.1
0-3 km lapse rate
5.5 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The radar

The Detroit radar (KDTX), 75 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 02:06 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment, over the track

Reflectivity and velocity, decoded from the Level II archive in the browser. Volumes take a few seconds to open the first time.

What was reported nearby

Local storm reports within 60 km of the path, in the three hours either side.

Time (UTC)ReportWhereCountyRemark
00:05 UTCTSTM WND DMG4 N MilanWashtenaw, MI5 LARGE DIAMETER TREES DOWN BLOCKING THE ROAD. LOCATED ON CARPENTER ROAD BETWEEN WILLIS AND STONEY CREEK.
00:30 UTCTSTM WND DMG4 Se CarletonMonroe, MI1.5 FOOT DIAMETER TREE LIMB, 15 FEET LONG, FELL ON POWERLINES ONTO TELEGRAPH ROAD ABOUT A QUARTER MILE SW OF I-275. STATE POLICE ARE ON THE SCENE.
01:04 UTCTSTM WND GST 455 Sw Grass LakeJackson, MIESTIMATED 35-45 MPH WINDS WITH HEAVY RAIN.
01:05 UTCFUNNEL CLOUD2 N BrooklynJackson, MIOBSERVED WALL CLOUD
01:35 UTCTSTM WND DMG4 Nne BrooklynJackson, MI18 INCH TREE DOWN BLOCKING WOLF LAKE ROAD NORTH OF AUSTIN ROAD.
01:38 UTCFUNNEL CLOUD6 Sse ManchesterLenawee, MI
01:40 UTCFLOODNapoleonJackson, MIEXTENSIVE STREET FLOODING
01:56 UTCTORNADO4 Nw MilanWashtenaw, MITORNADO REPORTED ON THE GROUND NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF JEWELL ROAD AND SALINE MILAN ROAD.
02:00 UTCTSTM WND DMG6 N BrittonLenawee, MI20 INCH DIAMETER TREE DOWN WITH SEVERAL ADDITIONAL 4 TO 6 INCH LIMBS DOWN.
02:05 UTCFUNNEL CLOUDMilanWashtenaw, MI
02:06 UTCTORNADO2 S MilanMonroe, MIA NWS STORM SURVEY CONFIRMED A TORNADO TOUCHDOWN JUST NORTH OF THE CONE RD EXIT OFF US 23. THE TORNADO LIFTED ABOUT 2 1/2 MILES NORTHEAST OF MAYBEE, NEAR STEFFAS RD BETWEEN SCOFIELD AND ZINK. TOTAL PATH LENTH WAS 11 1/2
02:08 UTCTSTM WND GST 722 W WillisWashtenaw, MIWIND GUST MEASURED NEAR INTERSECTION OF WHITTAKER AND WILLIS ROADS
02:25 UTCTSTM WND DMG3 W NewportMonroe, MIAN NWS STORM SURVEY REVEALED THAT STRAIT LINE THUNDERSTORM WINDS RESULTED IN POWER POLES BEING BLOWN DOWN AND PLASTIC TAKEN OUT OF A GREEN HOUSE. THE DAMAGE EXTENDED INTO NEWPORT.
02:45 UTCHEAVY RAIN 2.531 W WillisWashtenaw, MISTORM TOTAL RAINFALL AMOUNT NEAR INTERSECTION OF TUTTLE HILL ROAD AND WILLIS ROAD.
02:50 UTCHEAVY RAIN 1.572 Ene BrooklynJackson, MIRECEIVED SO FAR SINCE RAIN BEGAN AT 905 PM.
03:25 UTCHEAVY RAIN 1.352 Ssw OnstedLenawee, MISTORM TOTAL RAINFALL NEAR INTERSECTION OF BROOKS HIGHWAY AND TEACHOUT

From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.

This ground now

The live radar over the trackEvery 2010 tornado in MichiganEvery tornado in Michigan since 1950Warnings in force in Michigan nowThe forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of June 23, 2010

11 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 232:18 AM CDTEF1Bremer, IA0.335$10,000
June 233:22 AM CDTEF0Crawford, WI3.925$5,000
June 236:26 PM CDTEF1Cook, IL2.4200$100,000
June 238:59 PM EDTEF1Elkhart, IN11.850$300,000
June 239:09 PM EDTEF1Elkhart, IN1.050$500,000
June 239:14 PM EDTEF1Kosciusko, IN4.8150$300,000
June 239:15 PM EDTEF1Elkhart, IN3.5100$50,000
June 239:16 PM EDTEF0Elkhart, IN0.525$10,000
June 239:17 PM EDTEF0Elkhart, IN1.950$75,000
June 239:50 PM EDTEF0Van Wert, OH0.950
June 239:52 PM EDTEF0Washtenaw, MI3.775$75,000

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.