EF1 tornado in Oscoda County, Michigan

The McCollum Lake tornado developed from the same storm that produced the Oscoda County tornado. It produced considerable tree damage along McCollum Lake Road, near the Oscoda/Alcona County line. Only a small part of the tornado track was in Oscoda County, but most of the damage was in this initial section. Swirl markings were seen in nearby fields. A few outbuildings were also damaged. The tornado continued on into Alcona County. Winds were estimated at 105 mph, making it an EF1.

An historic tornado outbreak rocked Northern Lower Michigan on the afternoon and evening of October 18th. The day started out cool and rainy, but a dry slot aloft allowed sunshine to break out in the afternoon. Temperatures rose into the lower to middle 70s in parts of the area. The warm and humid air was unstable enough to fuel multiple rounds of thunderstorms in the late afternoon and evening hours. There was a tremendous amount of shear in the atmosphere, and many storms quickly became supercells with rotating updrafts. This was an environment conducive to tornadoes, as several lines of discrete supercells crossed Northern Lower Michigan.

Northern Lower Michigan had a record six tornadoes on the day. The previous high was five, set on June 17 1992. Unfortunately, the Kalkaska tornado produced a fatality. That was the first tornado fatality in Northern Lower Michigan since March 30 1976, when a single death occurred in Ogemaw County.