| Tornado outbreak of July 1–3, 1997 | |
| Active: | July 1–3, 1997 |
| Tornadoes: | 52 confirmed |
| Fujitascale: | F3 |
| Tornado Duration: | ~Three days |
| Highest Winds: | 109mph straight-line winds near Monticello, Minnesota on July 1 |
| Casualties: | 2 fatalities (+5 non-tornadic), 100 injuries |
| Damages: | $135 million (1997 USD) $230 million (2021 USD) |
| Enhanced: | no |
A destructive tornado outbreak occurred on July 2, 1997, in the built-up area of Detroit, Michigan. There were 13 tornadoes in total, 3 dragged through neighborhoods and downtown, hitting Detroit’s West Side between I-96 and Eight Mile Road, Hamtramck and Highland Park.[1] The storms killed 7, caused local flooding, and destroyed houses. 5 of the fatalities were recorded in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan, due to straight-line winds of up to 100 mph that blew a gazebo full of people into Lake St. Clair.[2] One tornado formed east of the Detroit River, in Essex County, Ontario, near Windsor, Ontario and caused damage in Windsor and Essex County. The strongest tornado was listed as an F3.[3]
| F# | Location | County | Time (UTC) | Path length | Damage | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas | ||||||
| bgcolor=# | F1 | E of Woodlawn | Nemaha | 1015 | 2 miles (3.2 km) | Four barns and a machine shed were destroyed, and a hay wagon was tossed some distance into a field. |
| Minnesota | ||||||
| bgcolor=# | F1 | SE of Glenwood | Pope | 2135 | 0.1 miles (0.16 km) | |
| bgcolor=# | F1 | Willmar area | Kandiyohi | 2245 | 1 miles (1.6 km) | A warehouse was destroyed and the roof of a motel was damaged. |
| bgcolor=# | F1 | SW of Spicer | Kandiyohi | 2250 | 2 miles (3.2 km) | Cabins and boat docks were damaged. |
| bgcolor=# | F0 | W of Mentor | Polk | 2307 | 0.2 miles (0.32 km) | |
| bgcolor=# | F0 | SE of Crow River | Meeker | 2315 | 0.5 miles (0.8 km) | Caused damage to trees. |
| bgcolor=# | F0 | W of Dassel | Meeker | 2335 | 3 miles (4.8 km) | One barn was damaged and a tree was blown into a house. |
| bgcolor=# | F0 | SW of Terrebonne | Red Lake | 2340 | 0.2 miles (0.32 km) | |
| bgcolor=# | F3 | E of Rassat | Wright | 2343 | 5 miles (8 km) | One home was completely destroyed. |
| bgcolor=# | F1 | W of Waverly | Wright | 0000 | 1 miles (1.6 km) | Garages and barns were blown down, and some structures sustained roof damage. |
| bgcolor=# | F2 | W of Monticello | Wright | 0010 | 5 miles (8 km) | |
| bgcolor=# | F2 | Monticello | Wright | 0010 | 2 miles (3.2 km) | Two tornadoes merged and caused extensive damage in the Monticello area. Homes in town lost their roofs, and many trees and power lines were downed. Damage was initially believed to have been a result of straight-line winds, though it was re-evaluated as an F2 tornado post-survey. |
| bgcolor=# | F0 | Red Lake Falls area | Red Lake | 0050 | 0.2 miles (0.32 km) | |
| bgcolor=# | F1 | N of St. Francis | Anoka, Isanti | 0052 | 10 miles (16 km) | One barn collapsed |
| bgcolor=# | F0 | Dorothy area | Red Lake | 0113 | 0.2 miles (0.32 km) | |
| bgcolor=# | F1 | E of Forest Lake | Washington | 0115 | 1 miles (1.6 km) | Brief tornado with unknown damage. |
| bgcolor=# | F0 | N of Rock Creek | Pine | 0204 | 4 miles (6.4 km) | Weak tornado in a rural area did not cause any damage. |
| bgcolor=# | F0 | N of Olivia | Renville | 0259 | 0.1 miles (0.16 km) | |
| bgcolor=# | F0 | NE of Blomkest | Kandiyohi | 0315 | 0.1 miles (0.16 km) | |
| Wisconsin | ||||||
| bgcolor=# | F1 | SW of Conrath | Rusk | 0444 | 1 miles (1.6 km) | A farmhouse lost its roof. |
| Source: Tornado History Project - July 1, 1997 Storm Data | ||||||
| F# | Location | County | Time (UTC) | Path length | Damage | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan | ||||||
| bgcolor=# | F1 | NE of Roscommon | Crawford, Oscoda | 1900 | 13 miles (20.8 km) | Damage mainly to trees including in the Huron National Forest. One home was destroyed as well. |
| bgcolor=# | F1 | W of Chesaning | Saginaw | 1941 | 2 miles (3.2 km) | A house lost 6 windows and sustained damage to its porch. Trees were downed and a garage was destroyed. Many cable and power lines were broken as well.[4] |
| bgcolor=# | F1 | SW of Chesaning | Saginaw | 1950 | 0.3 miles (0.5 km) | Tornado tore siding from a house and garage and downed a tree. A wooden playhouse was thrown 20 feet.[5] |
| bgcolor=# | F1 | NE of Layton Corners | Saginaw | 2010 | 2 miles (3.2 km) | Worst damage was in the Maple Grove area. Tornado destroyed two barns and downed many trees in a neighborhood.[6] |
| bgcolor=# | F1 | E of Au Gres | Arenac | 2015 | 3 miles (4.8 km) | Three homes were destroyed and several others were damaged. |
| bgcolor=# | F1 | NW of Morseville | Genesee | 2020 | 0.3 miles (0.5 km) | Tornado downed trees and caused roof damage to a house.[7] |
| bgcolor=# | F1 | E of Montrose | Genesee | 2020 | 2 miles (3.2 km) | Numerous trees were downed.[8] |
| bgcolor=# | F1 | NE of Burt | Saginaw | 2020 | 1.5 miles (1.4 km) | Tornado damaged a single house, where windows were blown out and the roof was damaged. A tree was downed and a playhouse was damaged as well.[9] |
| bgcolor=# | F3 | SE of Clio | Genesee | 2030 | 2 miles (3.2 km) | Two homes and a bar were heavily damaged or destroyed. A billboard was blown over, with its steel support beams severely bent. Trees and power poles were downed as well.[10] |
| bgcolor=# | F1 | Oak Grove area | Livingston | 2041 | 10 miles (16 km) | Extensive tree damage occurred, and hay wagons were flipped. One wagon that was thrown was never located. A house under construction lost its roof as well.[11] |
| bgcolor=# | F3 | E of Thetford Center | Genesee | 2045 | 1.7 miles (2.7 km) | 1 death - Several homes were heavily damaged or destroyed, including one that was blown from its foundation. Barns and outbuildings were destroyed, and several metal high-tension towers were destroyed. Two cement silos had their tops ripped off. Trees were also downed, one of which landed on a house, resulting in a fatality.[12] |
| bgcolor=# | F1 | NE of Columbiaville | Lapeer | 2115 | 1 miles (1.6 km) | Tornado threw boats onto the beach at Miller Lake and snapped numerous trees. Picnic tables were smashed and travel trailers were damaged as well.[13] |
| bgcolor=# | F1 | NE of Holly | Oakland | 2132 | 0.3 miles (0.5 km) | 1 death - 2 mobile home parks were heavily damaged, with several mobile homes being damaged or destroyed by the winds and/or by rolling trailers. Most of the trailers were not tied down.[14] |
| bgcolor=# | F2 | Detroit area | Wayne | 2200 | 5 miles (8 km) | Affected portions of the city of Detroit. 90 people were injured. Damage amounts was estimated at $100 million. The towns of Hamtramck and Highland Park were also heavily affected. Some homes lost their roofs or were shifted from their foundations. Many trees and power lines were downed as well.[15] |
| bgcolor=# | F0 | SE of Romeo | Macomb | 2213 | 0.7 miles (1.1 km) | |
| Indiana | ||||||
| bgcolor=# | F0 | E of Noblesville | Hamilton | 2012 | 0.5 miles (0.8 km) | Damaged a barn, an outbuilding, and trees. |
| bgcolor=# | F2 | Anderson area | Madison | 2040 | 5 miles (8 km) | 35 homes and one business were damaged. |
| bgcolor=# | F0 | New Castle area | Henry | 2104 | 0.1 miles (0.16 km) | Damage was limited to trees. |
| Ontario | ||||||
| bgcolor=# | F1 | Merlin/Erieau area | Essex, Kent | 2030 | 18.8 miles (30 km) | Some structures lost their roofs and barns were destroyed. |
| Ohio | ||||||
| bgcolor=# | F0 | Dublin area | Franklin | 2230 | 0.2 miles (0.32 km) | Caused minor damage to several homes and blew down numerous trees. |
| bgcolor=# | F2 | E of Xenia | Greene | 2300 | 0.2 miles (0.32 km) | A house was blown off its foundation and moved 35 feet away. |
| bgcolor=# | F3 | Felicity area | Clermont | 0030 | 12 miles (19.2 km) | Major damage occurred in the Felicity area. 56 mobile homes and 27 permanent homes were damaged or destroyed. Barns and sheds were also destroyed. |
| Source: Tornado History Project - July 2, 1997 Storm Data, 1997 Ontario tornadoes | ||||||
| F# | Location | County | Time (UTC) | Path length | Damage | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | ||||||
| bgcolor=# | F1 | E of Pumpkin Hollow | Columbia | 2123 | 5.3 miles (8.5 km) | Two houses and a barn were damaged. |
| bgcolor=# | F1 | S of Queechy | Columbia | 2317 | 1.2 miles (1.9 km) | Several residences were damaged and a carport was moved. |
| bgcolor=# | F2 | N of Cannan Center | Columbia, NY, Berkshire, MA | 2320 | 1.5 miles (2.4 km) | In New York state, four greenhouse structures were damaged while a three-story home had its roof blown off and the garage completely destroyed and removed from its foundation. One home in Massachusetts was damaged. |
| Massachusetts | ||||||
| bgcolor=# | F1 | SE of North Adams | Berkshire | 2136 | 1.3 miles (2.1 km) | One home lost most of its roof shingles, and the steeple of a church was blown off. |
| bgcolor=# | F1 | W of Colrain | Franklin | 2158 | 4.5 miles (7.2 km) | Extensive tree damage occurred, a silo was destroyed, the roof of a barn was damaged, and a tractor was flipped over. |
| bgcolor=# | F2 | NW of Hephzibah Heights | Berkshire | 2205 | 4.5 miles (7.2 km) | 10 to 20 homes were heavily damaged. |
| bgcolor=# | F2 | N of West Otis | Berkshire | 2211 | 3.7 miles (5.9 km) | 15 to 20 homes were damaged. |
| bgcolor=# | F1 | W of Griswoldville | Franklin | 2258 | 8.5 miles (13.6 km) | 15 trailers at a campground were damaged, including one that was destroyed. |
| New Hampshire | ||||||
| bgcolor=# | F1 | SE of Swanzey | Cheshire | 2313 | 2 miles (3.2 km) | A house barn was destroyed and an ice arena was damaged. Extensive tree damage occurred as well. |
| bgcolor=# | F2 | E of Greenfield | Hillsborough | 2355 | 2 miles (3.2 km) | A recycling facility was destroyed. Buildings at a campground, wood and aluminium buildings, and a sawmill were damaged. |
| Source: Tornado History Project - July 3, 1997 Storm Data | ||||||
The Michigan tornado outbreak of July 2 was part of a larger outbreak stemming from a storm system that crossed the eastern part of North America from July 1 to July 3, 1997. On July 1, several tornadoes touched down across western and northern Minnesota north of the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. On July 3, several tornadoes touched down from eastern New York to southern New Hampshire. No other fatalities were reported outside of Michigan. In total, 52 tornadoes touched from northeastern Kansas to New England during the three-day event.
Later that evening and the next day, the local television stations (such as WJBK, WDIV-TV, and WXYZ-TV) displayed video and images of downtown Detroit.
The temperatures on July 2 were very high, around 90F, with a heat index close to 104F. After the storm passed, the temperatures dropped to 70F.
For the next 6 to 8 hours, there were still thunderstorms rolling and rumbling through, and many people were afraid of further tornadic activity, especially since two-thirds of the City of Windsor were without power until the next morning. Many large trees were felled by the storm's winds as well.
The effects on the Tecumseh Road viaduct on the west end of Windsor, Ontario, were quite overwhelming, however. The steel girder viaduct was built in 1944, and was just two lanes, going under the CN Rail line that leads to the Michigan Central Railway Tunnel. The storms associated with the tornado outbreak dumped such a large amount of rain and floodwaters, that the viaduct was flooded up to the height of a car's roof, as one automobile was submerged (The driver was unharmed, however).
Since this viaduct was a well-known traffic bottleneck (even more so for transport trucks, since the viaduct was so low, it would peel the roof off their trailers), and would flood with around a foot of water from even a light rain, that it was completely closed, torn down, and rebuilt in August 1998, and finished 2 weeks ahead of schedule, and 2 million dollars under budget. The new underpass is built of concrete, is four lanes wide, and is designed to handle the largest of transport trucks.