Gaylord Tornado Was Strongest Michigan Twister In 10 Years: Officials

GAYLORD, MI — Friday's tornado that ripped through Otsego County, killing two people, was the strongest Michigan twister since 2012, when an EF3 destroyed more than 250 homes in Dexter, meteorologists confirmed.

The powerful EF3 tornado with a width reaching the size of two football fields and winds reaching 150 miles per hour traveled 16.6 miles right through the heart of Gaylord while it was on the ground for 20 minutes, the National Weather Service said.

The EF3 left a path of destruction that included at least two people dead and 44 others hurt, as well as destroying at least 12 homes and leaving roughly the entire City of Gaylord without power, Gaylord Mayor Todd Sharrard said.

An EF3 is the third-strongest tornado, according to the Enhanced Fujita Scale, which measures to rate the damage intensity of tornados by estimating wind speeds.

AccuWeather meteorologists began warning people at 3:28 p.m. Friday that a tornado was "imminent" for the Gaylord area. About ten minutes later, the National Weather Service issued a tornado warning and confirmed the "large and extremely dangerous tornado" touched down at 3:48 p.m. about 2 miles outside of Gaylord.

Drone footage showed some of the destruction the twister left on its path, as it quickly tore through mobile homes and other businesses, such as Culver’s, Hobby Lobby and Gordon Food Services.

Jake Stuckman, owner of Stuckman Tree Services, told MLive he was waiting for food in the drive-thru at Culver’s when he saw the tornado tearing through the Hobby Lobby behind him.

"It was picking up the back end of my truck, and I was like oh my God, I’m gonna die," Stuckman told the outlet.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of an emergency in Gaylord Friday night after officials confirmed the destruction the twister left. Nearly 5,000 people in Gaylord were still without power Sunday, officials said.

The EF3 was the first tornado to strike the City of Gaylord since 2014, when two EF1 tornadoes tore through a path of about 15 miles south and southeast of the city, according to Tornado Archive.

Gaylord is about 200 miles north of the Detroit metro area on Interstate 75, and is one of the last cities drivers reach before crossing the Mackinac Bridge. The city has a population of 4,286, according to the 2020 census.