Sections of SE Michigan cleanup storm damage after severe weather Thursday night

Trail of damage left in wake of late Thursday night storms

The view from SkyFOX showed the destruction at Hickory Ridge Dairy Farm. Roofs were ripped and remnants scattered. Metal twisted. Wood splintered.

FOX 2 - A powerful storm system tore through parts of Southeast Michigan leaving behind a trail of shattered trees... battered buildings.., and shaken families.

Big picture view:

The view from SkyFOX showed the destruction at Hickory Ridge Dairy Farm. Roofs were ripped and remnants scattered. Metal twisted. Wood splintered. 

The National Weather Service later confirmed that an EF-1 tornado in Gregory touched down and did the damage.

All of it littered Dutton and Mortan roads right along the Ingham and Livingston County border.

It is a scene all too familiar in Michigan’s severe weather season. A tree was down, crushing property.

There was a similiar scene on Salina Street in Dearborn. The mess was cleaned up after the sun returned, but last night was another matter.

"We heard loud big booms," said Dearborn resident Haroon Ahmed. "The whole house was lit up from the thunder and lightning.

Fire officials say the National Weather Service was on the ground Friday surveying the destruction in and around Holly.

They were trying to determine if the damage was caused by straight-line winds or something stronger.

"We go out with chainsaws, chaps, and vehicles and we just start clearing as much of the road as we can, so we have that access and the community wants to go to work in the morning," said Matt Weil, North Oakland County Fire Authority.

Crews responded to dozens of calls overnight But the North Oakland County Fire Authority also faced loss at home.

Winds took down oak trees more than a century old, right on the department’s property.

"Having the public be informed and prepared is the most important thing we can do," said FOX 2 Meteorologist Derek Kevra.

As the winds howled outside, our weather team was tracking the danger from within.

Kevra explained that the large storms overnight Thursday included gusts over 55 miles per hour, reports of hail, and tornado warnings across the region.

Thankfully, we were spared the worst.

"The storms themselves were massive," said FOX 2 meteorologist Derek Kevra. "I mean, 50 miles from end-to-end. Over one 30-minute period, we recorded 1,400 lightning strikes. The multiple tornado warnings were sparked yesterday.

"It’s a reminder that as these warm and cold air masses collide this time of year, we are in severe weather season."