LEXINGTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WXYZ) — The National Weather Service confirms an EF-0 tornado swept through the Lexington area Friday around 3:30 p.m.
"Tornado touched down southeast of Applegate and tracked southeast through Townsend Road and Wixson Road. The main damage in this area was large snapped tree limbs and crop damaged. Estimated winds in this area were up to 70 mph. The beginning of the more concentrated area of damage was near the intersection of Babcock Road and Aitken Road. In this area, several large limbs were snapped and softwood trees uprooted in a circular pattern with one home having minor damage to fascia. Estimated peak winds in this concentrated area of damage were up to 80 mph with a width of 475 yards. The track continued moving to southeast crossing M-25 into Sanilac County Lexington Park where additional large tree limbs were downed and one snapped small softwood tree. One of the larger tree limbs fell onto a camper in the park. The track of the tornado then exited into Lake Huron," the National Weather Service confirmed Saturday.
As Michelle Hill watched the storm pass over her property in real-time through her Ring camera app, she was a safe distance away in Shelby Township. However, Hill said she was anxious for her property and eager to assess the damage.
“I didn’t think we were going to have a house with all those trees coming on the back of the house there because this is a 39-year-old trailer, and it’s where we live and it’s kind of scary," she said.
Hill's husband, Edward said, "I took off because I don’t have a basement. Took my grandkids and got away from here. Looks like it’s a good thing I did.”
He said there are holes in the roof over a bedroom and a bathroom and like much of the region they don't have power. 7 Action News saw crews working to replace utility poles and fix power lines.
About a mile down the road from the Hills you'll find Bert Phillips. The retired farmer was putting his heavy machinery to use and was helping to clear a toppled tree.
"I've lived on this farm for 73 years. It's one of the most violent storms I've seen in this area in my time. It was raining so hard from my house you couldn't see this road," he recalled.
When the storm passed, Phillips said, "There was people coming down this road trying to get around to get through, and all the roads were blocked with people going back and forth and couldn't get out of here."
So, Phillips and a number of community members also took action.
"The neighbors and us, we all got together and took tractors and loaders and stuff and cleared the roads around the neighborhood right here. We all worked together," he explained.
When asked how she's feeling after this storm, Hill replied, "Overwhelmed. But grateful because everyone’s ok. No one’s hurt. Material things can be replaced.”
