Understanding Wednesday's EF-1 tornado in Colon, MI

Reports of a tornado Wednesday night in Colon, MI were confirmed by the National Weather Service on Thursday as an EF-1 tornado.

The E-F scale was designed to measure tornadoes based on intensity of their damage to structures affected by the twister.

The E-F, or "Enhanced Fujita" scale, was modified from an earlier scale created by meteorologist Ted Fujita in the 1970s. 

Ranging from EF-0 to EF-5, the newly designed scale was implemented in the early 2000s as a means to classify tornado strength, size, width, and more based on the damage caused to the environment after the event had ended.

Meteorologists with the storm survey teams from the NWS look to quantify damage based on specific parameters for different types of buildings, such as schools, homes, or barns.

The scale starts at EF-0 with wind gusts peaking anywhere from 65-85 mph and ends at EF-5 with wind gusts over 200 mph.

In Colon, MI, large portions of roofing were swept off storage unit complexes, trees were blown over into or near houses, and many places lost power.

The tornado in Colon, MI Wednesday night was the first tornado in Michiana since 2021.

Thankfully, no injuries or deaths were reported.