No one was left out of the water cooler talk at school on Friday, May 16.
Teachers and students excitedly told stories of phone alerts and tornado sirens, sheltering in basements and crawl spaces, fallen trees and power outages. Fortunately, everyone made it to school safely.
The rash of dangerous and damaging storms conjured numerous tornado touchdowns across the states. It was for Spring Lake residents the first siren they have ever heard during an actual emergency, while the State of Michigan’s emergency alert system also pinged residents’ cell phones.
While straight-line wind storms famously took a major toll on the town in 1996 and 2008, neither of these destructive events warranted the warning sirens.
Spring Lake was spared of an actual tornado, while touchdowns did occur nearby, the first reported Thursday night in Dorr, in Allegan County. Another nearby tornado during the storm, this time in Zeeland, was finally confirmed the following Wednesday. That brought the total to 11 confirmed tornadoes in the state during the storm.
Michigan has seen 27 total tornados in 2025 so far, placing it in the top 10 in the state’s history. According to the National Weather Service, a rash of 20 tornadoes descended on Michigan, but fortunately resulted in only a few injuries across the state.
The Spring Lake area endured straight-line winds clocked at over 80 miles per hour in some places, tearing down trees, destroying property and knocking out power. Consumers Energy crews worked through the night, after storms subsided around midnight, to clear the debris and restore power.
Lakers throughout the area reported trees fallen on homes, and many near misses. Chainsaws roared throughout the week to clear remaining debris, as leafy branches piled up alongside the roadways.
Public safety officials want residents to remain alert and prepared for such events, as May is early in the storm season, with past catastrophic events occurring in summer. If a tornado warning is signaled, you are advised to seek the nearest available shelter, ideally an enclosed basement or crawlspace, and to stay away from windows.
