Multiple tornadoes reported in west Michigan, state of emergency declared

Severe weather in west Michigan destroys several buildings in Portage

"There's trees uprooted, roofs ripped off, houses completely obliterated," Chris Burrows with South Haven Storm Chasers told FOX 2.

FOX 2 (WJBK) - Severe weather moved through Michigan Tuesday night, with a strong band of storms to the west producing some tornadoes.

The west side of the state was hit hard early Tuesday evening. Multiple tornadoes have been reported in the Kalamazoo-Portage metropolitan area.

One tornado was reported in Calhoun County.

Around 10 p.m., Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of emergency for "Kalamazoo, St. Joseph, Branch, and Cass counties after a severe storm system," according to her post on X. "We will work with emergency teams overnight to monitor the situation and coordinate resources for those affected."

A FedEx Portage facility appeared torn apart by the storm. The building is located on Portage Road, and can be seen in a photo taken by X user Alex Melendez.

Chris Burrows with South Haven Storm Chasers said a lot of houses and trees were destroyed about a mile west of the damaged FedEx.

First responders are still working to see if any people are trapped inside the building.

"There's trees uprooted, roofs ripped off, houses completely obliterated," Burrows told FOX 2. "(The tornado) was rain wrapped really bad. When it got over this way, you could see the funnel on it. It was a pretty big funnel. Inland, a little further where it started, it was more of a multi-vortices tornado."

A mobile-home park and other buildings –including a Pizza Hut, a smoke shop and a barber shop– were also destroyed in Portage.

One minor injury was reported in the area so far. It will take some time to find out the extent of injuries.

Utility crews have been responding to downed power lines, securing the area for safety.

Some showers and strong storms also struck west of Battle Creek and close to Grand Rapids.

Storms move out Tuesday, better weather expected Wednesday

Rich Luterman has the forecast.

A tornado watch was issued for Lenawee, Monroe and Washtenaw counties and ended at 11 p.m.

A severe thunderstorm warning issued for southern Livingston County and northwestern Washtenaw County ended at 8:45 p.m. Tuesday. Special weather statements issued in Oakland County and St. Clair County ended at 9:15 p.m. and 10:15 p.m.

Weather Authority Rich Luterman said storms in Milwaukee and Chicago that ran down to Indianapolis were building – and it's those storms that posed a threat to us here in metro Detroit.

The main threat in southeast Michigan was gusty winds.

Stay with FOX 2 for more information as it becomes available.