Stephanie Mead tracks four tornado warnings over Freeland Mi

Severe storms triggered four tornado warnings across Southeast Michigan on Tuesday, with the most severe weather hitting Downriver between 2:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. freeland mi readers in the region saw storm cells tracking north and northeast as the threat moved through.

Stephanie Mead of Weather Authority said the rotation was moving slowly before it died out. The slow-moving storm was traveling at about 20 miles per hour, while widespread rain and thunderstorms carried a heavy rain threat with pockets of 1 to 2 inches of rainfall in a short period of time.

Genesee, Shiawasee, Saginaw

Tornado warnings were issued earlier for Genesee County, Shiawasee County and Saginaw County. Gusty downburst winds were also possible as the storm system moved through Southeast Michigan.

The warnings came during a stretch of heat in Metro Detroit, where highs were expected to stay in the 90s tomorrow and Thursday. Heat index values were expected to reach the mid to upper 90s, with downpours and windy conditions expected by afternoon Wednesday and storms possible again Thursday.

Downriver timing window

The clearest near-term issue for residents was the narrow Tuesday window when the strongest weather crossed Downriver. A slow-moving storm can keep warning areas under threat longer, and that left a larger part of Southeast Michigan dealing with rain, wind and repeated alerts in the same day.

For anyone in the warned counties, the immediate next step was to stay alert for additional rounds of rain and storms through Wednesday and Thursday, because the same weather pattern was still expected to bring more unsettled conditions.