HOWELL – The National Weather Service (NWS) has confirmed that two tornadoes touched down in Howell on the morning of June 24.
The first tornado touched down at approximately 7:21 a.m. with an estimated wind speed of 75 mph and a path width of 40 yards. Video of the tornado traveling southeast through the Home Depot parking lot at Route 9 south and West Farms Road was shared on social media by the Howell Police Department.
The tornado uprooted and snapped several trees in the Home Depot parking lot and the surrounding area. According to the NWS, metal roofing from a Chase Bank in the same shopping center was found a half-mile away.
In Ideal Plaza on Route 9 south, just south of West Farms Road, numerous trees were snapped and uprooted, a metal container for clothing donations was knocked over, and cars that were parked in the shopping center’s parking lot were pushed into each other, according to the NWS.
The tornado caused roofing and siding damage to Ice Cream on 9, Route 9 south, and damage to a fence on the property. The tornado also ripped the cloth draping off a nearby billboard.
According to the NWS, the tornado traveled along the southbound side of Route 9 for a half-mile and was on the ground for less than two minutes.
The second tornado touched down three-and-a-half miles away in Oak Glen Park, Old Tavern Road, at approximately 7:27 a.m. with an estimated wind speed of 75 mph and a path of 25 yards.
According to the NWS, all of the damage indicated the tornado was also moving toward the southeast. Multiple trees were uprooted, a large pine tree near a soccer field was snapped toward the base of the trunk and several metal trash cans were pushed over.
The storm traveled less than a half-mile before quickly dissipating, according to the NWS.
