F1 tornado — Berrien County, Michigan

F1 tornado in Berrien County, Michigan

Tornado August 25, 1998 · Berrien County, Michigan

Rating

2.0 mi

Path length

400 yd

Path width

$1.1M

Damage as recorded

EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated

The path drawn at its surveyed width of 400 yards (0.23 mi) — zoom in and the swath grows to true scale. Other tornadoes recorded nearby that day are shown faint.

What F1 means. This tornado was rated on Fujita’s original scale, used until 2007. F1 meant moderate damage: roofs badly stripped, mobile homes pushed off foundations or overturned, windows broken; the scale paired it with winds of 73–112 mph, figures later judged too high, especially toward the top of the scale, and revised downward in the Enhanced Fujita scale. Ratings then, as now, came from the damage.

What the National Weather Service wrote

EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO TREES ACROSS THE CITY WHICH BLOCKED 15 SEPARATE STREETS AT ONE TIME. 60 HOMES DAMAGED SUSTAINED MINOR TO SEVERE STRUCTURAL DAMAGE. MANY VEHICLES WERE DAMAGED OR DESTROYED BY FALLEN TREES AND LIMBS. SEVERAL POWER POLES AND LINES TAKEN OUT. THE FRENCH PAPER COMPANY LOST ROOFS ON THREE DIFFERENT BUILDINGS AS DID THE D&D TIRE COMPANY WHICH HAD ITS WAREHOUSE ROOF RIPPED OFF. DEMOND GROCERY STORE LOST 20K DOLLARS WORTH OF PERISHABLE FOOD ITEMS DUE TO THE EXTENDED EXTENSIVE POWER OUTAGE THAT AFFECTED 41,500 PEOPLE AT ONE POINT. ONE MAN LOST 21 LARGE TREES IN HIS YARD ALONE. THE MICHIGAN STATE GOVERNOR DECLARED THE CITY OF NILES A DISASTER AREA. AN OFF DUTY MICHIGAN STATE POLICE OFFICER TRAGICALLY LOST HIS LIFE WHEN HE WAS ELECTROCUTED BY A DOWNED POWER LINE.

Other tornadoes from the same storm system

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 5662065. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

F1 tornado in Berrien County, Michigan

What the National Weather Service wrote

Other tornadoes from the same storm system

Tornadoes near your address