BETHEL TOWNSHIP, MI (WTVB) – The National Weather Service has now confirmed two tornadoes in Branch County Wednesday, with one in Ovid Township and the other an EF- Bethel Township.
The first tornado touched down at 8:46 p.m. near Orland, Indiana. In that area, it destroyed a small barn, uprooted trees and damaged the roof of an apartment building.
The tornado reached its maximum path width of 600 yards at the Indiana-Michigan border, causing significant tree damage.
The tornado then crossed into Branch County with wind speeds reaching 105 mph. The tornado hit a farm on East Pearl Road, tearing roofs off silos and destroying part of a barn.
It lifted off at 8:54 p.m. in the area of East Pearl and South Angola Road in Ovid Township, having tracked nearly 11 miles.
According to a report on the NWS Northern Indiana website, within the same parent cell of that tornado that started near Orland, Indiana, their survey found a secondary tornado occurred southwest of Coldwater.
Tree damage was first noted between West Southern Road and Booth Road. The tornado traveled northeast and then northerly, causing damage to multiple Amish properties. They say the wind speed could not be accurately estimated due to repairs already completed on damaged properties
The tornado caused the most significant damage on West Pearl Road west of Bethel, where numerous large healthy trees were snapped or uprooted.
Major damage was also noted to an Amish home, but repairs were already completed.
The tornado was recorded at 8:52 p.m. with estimated peak winds up to 100 miles per hour. The track length of the tornado was 3.9 miles, with a maximum width of 125 yards.
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