National Weather Service map shows path Dexter tornado took

By Cindy Heflin Associate news director

Posted on Sat, Mar 17, 2012 : 6:27 p.m.

This map shows the path taken by the tornado that struck the Dexter area Thursday evening.

National Weather Service map

Your complete guide to coverage of the Dexter tornado

The National Weather Service has posted a map and description of the path taken by the tornado that struck the Dexter area Thursday, damaging at least 100 homes and destroying 10.

The tornado first touched down at 5:17 p.m. northeast of North Territorial and Dexter Townhall roads. At that point, it was what the weather service classifies as an EF-1 tornado, with winds of about 100 mph. It uprooted trees and caused minor roof damage, the weather service said.

The weather service rates tornadoes on the Enhanced Fujita Scale from EF-0 to EF-5. An EF-1 storm has winds of 86 to 110 mph. The weather service said Friday that the Dexter tornado was an EF-3 storm at its strongest point and covered a path 7.2 miles long and up to 800 feet wide.

The tornado then hit Horseshoe Bend Drive in the Carriage Hills subdivision with EF-2 winds of 120 mph, causing structural damage to the outside of homes. It moved southeast along Dexter-Pinckney Road and intensified to an EF-3 storm at 5:31 p.m. The storm, by now packing winds of 135 to 140 mph, destroyed a home northwest of Dexter.

The tornado then took a left turn and moved along Huron River Drive, weakening to an F2. By 5:49 p.m. when the storm struck the Huron Farms subdivision, the hardest-hit neighborhood, winds had climbed back to EF-3 strength of 135 to 140 mph, the weather service said.

As the storm moved southeast, it began to weaken and lifted at 5:52 p.m. near Zeeb and Dexter Ann Arbor roads, the weather service said.

The weather service also has posted graphics showing other information about the storm, as well as photos and a map of the path of the tornado that hit Lapeer County Thursday.

A map posted earlier shows reports from storm spotters of tornadoes, funnel cloud sightings and hail around southeast Michigan Thursday.

Contact Cindy Heflin at 734-623-2572, or cindyheflin@annarbor.com or follow her on Twitter.