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[STORMREPORTS] Tornado May Have Been County's Strongest (IA Last Week)

From: Jesse Ferrell (WeatherMatrix) (jesse{at}weathermatrix.net)
Date: Tue Aug 26 2003 - 20:20:29 EDT

http://www.lsj.com/news/local/030826_webupdate_tornado.html

By Kelly Hassett
Lansing State Journal

The tornado that tore through rural Ingham County last week was the
strongest to hit the county in years - perhaps ever, a National Weather
Service expert said Tuesday.

Thursday's twister was rated F2 on the Fujita scale, with winds at about
120 miles per hour, weather service officials said. The scale rates
tornados on wind speed, with F0 being the weakest.

The last F2 tornado to touch down in the weather service's Grand Rapids
district, which covers 23 counties including Ingham, was on May 31, 2001 in
Kalamazoo County, said Mike Heathfield, the service's warning coordination
meteorologist.

"(And) I don't know if there's ever been an F2 in Ingham County," he said
after reviewing weather records.

F2 tornados touch down only once or twice a year in all of Michigan,
officials said.

While the category of that tornado was not listed, Heathfield said he
believes it was weaker than an F2.

Thursday's tornado, which hit the eastern part of the county, was about 4
1/2 miles long and up to a half-mile wide, officials said. 

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