EF3 tornado that hit Gaylord had winds reaching 150 mph - Detroit News

Gaylord — The deadly tornado that touched down in Gaylord on Friday was an EF3 with winds reaching 150 mph, according to the National Weather Service.

The twister now ranks 16th in injuries and 21st in fatalities in Michigan since 1950, according to the weather service.

The last tornado to cause more injuries than Friday’s tornado in Gaylord was on July 2, 1997, in Highland Park when an F2 tornado injured 90 people, said Jim Keysor, a meteorologist with the weather service in Gaylord.

There have been seven total deaths in Michigan due to a tornado since 1990, Keysor said.

► Gaylord tornado death toll at two, 44 people injured.

We want them to know that everyone in Michigan is going to wrap their arms around those families,” he said, from a lectern at Kirtland Community college, wearing dark jeans and a blue button-down shirt. .

“The state of Michigan, we don't get that many tornadoes in general compared to other parts of the country,” Keysor said.

The last tornado to cause more injuries than Friday’s tornado in Gaylord was on July 2, 1997, in Highland Park when an F2 tornado injured 90 people, Keysor said.

There have been seven total deaths in Michigan due to a tornado since 1990, Keysor said.

The state averages about 15 tornadoes annually, according to the National Weather Service.

The occurrence is even rarer for Otsego County, Keysor said looking at tornado data the weather service has tracked since 1950.

“The two fatalities, for example, with this event in Gaylord occurred in that trailer park, and that's just a function of those structures just not being very good at withstanding strong winds,” Keysor said.

The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning at 3:38 p.m.