1976 West Bloomfield tornado

On March 20, 1976, an exceptionally violent tornado struck the Metro Detroit suburbs of West Bloomfield and Farmington Hills. Rated as an F4 on the Fujita Scale, the tornado touched down in Farmington Hills at 7:15 p.m. near Halsted Road between 13 and 14 Mile Roads, along a sharp cold front crossing Michigan. The tornado cut a path four miles long and 350 yards wide across Oakland County before dissipating near Maple Road between Middlebelt and Inkster Roads. The tornado killed one, injured 55 and produced $50 million in damage.[2] As of 2023, this is the last tornado stronger than an F3/EF3 to strike the Metro Detroit area.

West Bloomfield Tornado
F4 tornado
Tornado damage in West Bloomfield, Michigan
FormedMarch 20, 1976, 7:15 pm EST (UTC−01:30)
Max. rating1F4 tornado
Fatalities1 fatality, 55 injuries
Damage$50 million ($268.1 million in 2023 dollars)[1]
Areas affectedWest Bloomfield and Farmington Hills, Michigan

1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale

Event

The tornado developed ahead of a powerful cold front that swept across Michigan during the day and evening. Ahead of the cold front temperatures rose to 67 and 71 in Flint and Detroit respectively on March 20. Behind the front, temperatures plunged into the low 20s by the evening of the 21st. South-Southwest winds to 60 mph just 5000 feet above the ground pumped warm, moist air into Michigan providing the fuel for the tornado. The tornado touched down at 7:15 pm, March 20, 1976, near Halsted Road between 13 and 14 Mile Roads in Farmington Hills, along a sharp cold front crossing the Metro Detroit area. The tornado then crossed into West Bloomfield, cutting a path four miles long and 350 yards wide across the Detroit suburb before dissipating near Maple Road (15 Mile Road) between Middlebelt and Inkster Roads. The tornado killed one, injured 55 and produced $50 million in damage, the costliest tornado in Oakland County history. The only casualty of the tornado was a fifteen-year-old girl riding in a car with three other passengers. The tornado picked the teens' car up near the corner of Maple and Orchard Lake roads, and hurled it to the north side of Maple, crushing the roof and smashing the windows. The girl died, however the other three passengers survived.[1]

Aftermath

After the tornado, Oakland County took immediate steps to develop and implement a county-wide tornado siren system.[3] As of 2022, this was the last time the Metro Detroit area was hit by a tornado stronger than an F3/EF3.[1]

See also

References
  1. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: "March 20th Marks 25th Anniversary of West Bloomfield F4 Tornado". weather.gov. 20 March 2001. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  2. Hopkins, Carol (21 May 2013). "History of tornadoes in Oakland County, Michigan". The Oakland Press. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  3. Gross, Paul (20 March 2016). "Remembering one of Metro Detroit's most notorious tornadoes". WDIV-TV Detroit. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
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