@@BlakeNaftel It's fantastic, mate. I was watching this live on Max Velocity and various live cams (mostly in Vicksburg). I do want to see more of this work but, again, torn because of what it is and what it can do.
Indeed! Nobody is immune from irresponsible maneuvers around/or near significant tornadoes, certainly in populated areas, whether one has decades of storm observing under their belt or merely just starting out. In a bizarre twist, from childhood on I had watched, re-watched and become very familiar with the Kalamazoo tornado video recorded by a WKZO/WWMT-TV news crew on Tuesday, May 13, 1980 and later worked at that station. In that 1980 tornado broadcast special, available on this channel, the reporter who recorded that tornado video said [to paraphrase]: "We stopped for a light -- spotted the funnel cloud, then proceeded on Howard Street with caution, the camera still rolling." The 2024 event followed in a similar way, yet I neglected to stop at the light when in retrospect, I would have had essentially a similar view. Cyclical irony. Live and learn.
@BlakeNaftel as long as you're responsibly reporting what you are seeing to authorities that will relay the information appropriately, you go ahead and run reds and break traffic laws as needed, within reason. Valuable information to save lives trumps traffic law. And if you get a ticket during a tornado, I'd argue your defense is pretty good
@@matthewsteinmetz729 Point taken. Being up front about the red-runner road moves was to not tip toe around the obvious that it happened. Storm chasing videos on UA-cam that feature poor choices and risky behavior are easily emulated, which only compounds future issues of illegal or stupid behavior. I make no claim of "saving lives" with the spotter reports submitted/phoned in to NWS/media, but something fortunate did work that day in terms of public awareness ahead of that tornado in that nobody lost their lives/or were seriously injured.
Bro you have been banging out weather docs for a minute now 🙏thank you for adding the pre chase portion I feel like that’s a really important part chasers leave out
Thanks! Most videos produced by storm chasers starting in the mid-1980's through early 2000's included a synopsis, lead up, hurry up/wait, crescendo and climax/bust of a chase day. That's always been the basic blueprint for how I present events, but also acts as an audio log of thoughts and actions, some ill timed, to review afterwards. Glad you enjoyed the video!
I was in the Plainfield Illinois tornado of 1990 & the sky was green like that. That storm produced an f5 tornado that ripped everything apart for 7 miles. Many deaths. When I see a green sky like that I know extreme danger is likely
@@ryandaniel4571 In certain instances, yes, supercells do have a "green" or aqua-tone when hail is visible from an approaching preciptation core. In this situation during the tornado in Portage, the greenish yellow coloration was due to the vortex passing through the Gourdneck State Game area and ingesting a lot of trees and plants, combined with the light filtered through the rear flank downdraft. Soil or vegetation content or lack there of often dictates the color of a tornado, depending on where one is viewing it from.
@@garylee12345 I recall Plainfield very well, of which was mainly a violent rain-wrapped vortex that caught many people off guard. The sky and nature will tell you what's inbound if one cares to listen.
Very awesome video. Very informative, I enjoy watching these videos and not trying to watch and listen to videos while listening to yelling and language. Enjoyed learning about previous tornadoes from the past also. I have watched every tornado video I could find over the past probably 40 years and now with UA-cam I can just watch them here. But it’s so sad and heartbreaking to see families that loose everything they own and many families loose loved ones. Keep up the great videos.
I’m from the new buffalo area. I was in Michigan city over on county line rd, I could see the meso and then the wall cloud start to really tighten up. As soon as I pointed it out, it went past and just got stronger and stronger. I could see the funnel. Had no idea how strong it had become.
Oh my god I did not expect to see a documentary style video about the only tornado to ever come close to my home, thank you for documenting this, I love content like this and meteorology and storm chasing, love to see it about my own lived experiences yk
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed the video and hopefully the Kalamazoo Co./Portage region does not experience anything quite like that day again for some time.
The only Paw Paw Lake I knew of before today is the one in Coloma. :D I was very confused till I saw the other one on a map. Thank God the tornado scooted right on by us here in Three Rivers.
Those storms on May 7th were terrifying. Michigan is no stranger to tornadoes or bad weather. But we don't usually get strong tornadoes. My county (Hillsdale County) saw a small supercell move in from Indiana with very strong rotation and wind speeds. Thankfully, no tornado touched down. But it was looking to hit the community of Cambria head on (population less than 200) and possibly sideswipe Reading. It would have been a devastating tornado as our county is filled with small, tight-knit communities. Edit: First responders were ready in case one did drop. Almost every one I know has a police scanner including my family. We were listening to the various local fire stations call out the rotation as it moved across the county. It always amazes me how strong our bond is when something bad happens around here.
Two strong/significant tornado events/outbreaks [February 27 + May 7, 2024] in the span of about three months for the southern tier of lower Michigan is quite active, but not unheard of. The pattern this year is very reminiscent of the broad sweep of tornado events from 1950 through the late 1970's era within/around the Great Lakes. Personally, both events this year swept over my family homestead in Texas Township, of which was extremely un-nerving in both instances. The amount of tree damage along Center street and into Portage around the Gourdneck State Game area will be quite evident for many years to come. First responders, spotters and yes, even a few chasers who were not attempting to drive into the vortex, all played a vital part in the warning process. Thankful to read your region was relatively spared, as these tornadoes easily could have been far more destructive. The warning and public awareness process, overall, worked.. despite our region not having experienced such a serious tornado outbreak in quite a few decades [i.e. 27-March-1991 tornado outbreak]. Thanks for your comments and story!
Thank you for the excellent aerial survey perspectives, Caleb. I'm thankful our mutual friend Jason Heeres connected us all. Worthwhile effort and glad we could all collaborate.
I live in portage I’m still grieving the damage celery flats is my favorite park I’ve gone on the trail for my whole life and have family history of the park :) my family was really close to it and I’m grateful they’re ok I was by western campus at the time and the only thing I’ve seen was the tree outside my apartment fell
Great video, I was a little worried with the trends of the convective models as well. My parents live in Hillsdale county MI and I live in Toledo OH. After the line of showers came through I was expecting the atmosphere to destabilize in Toledo but the warm front was stalled due to Lake Erie. This event could definitely of been worse if the warm front could of advanced further north into SE MI.
Thanks AJ! After 10 tornadoes observed this year thus far, feel I've seen enough. Regarding the red light infractions, I almost included a visual reference to ZELDA II: The Adventure of Link "I AM ERROR" [look that up if it's vague], but felt it would have gone over many people's heads and settled on the sound effect. Glad you enjoyed the video. Stay safe storm observing out west!
The brightness/contrast on the video was balanced out in editing to bring out the greenish-gray-mustard yellow color of the vortex. In real time, light [from the rear flank downdraft] that was filtering in behind the vortex made it appear a very greenish yellow to the eyeballs until it passed east towards Portage Road.
Hi! This is so neat that you made a documentary about this tornado….my son was at work at Zeigler motorsports when this happened…he wastched it cross I 94 from the showroom window…..anyhow, you did a great job and I am a new subscriber!😅
It's definitely an event in the southern Great Lakes region that will be long remembered and or reviled by those whom directly experienced it. Glad you enjoyed the video!
Thanks! There is a certainly a natural spring theme to the entire video intro. Everything has really greened up around here in the prior two weeks prior to the tornado.
On Monday, June 8, 1953, an exceptionally violent tornado struck the north side of Flint, Michigan and the northern suburb of Beecher, causing catastrophic damage and hundreds of casualties.
I watched your video of 2004 within minutes of coming out and UA-cam just didnt decide to recommend future videos, I am glad you have great coverage, it reminds me of Weatherbox, with a VHS style and I appreciate the way you show meteorological breakdowns before the main event, as people should be aware of what goes on to prepare chases that take time to plan. Cheers again @BlakeNaftel
Thanks for the comment! I was creating weather videos with actual S/VHS videotape and film likely before the individual who produces 'Weatherbox' was even born :) but still adhere to a very tried and true video journal flow while out storm observing. Always fun to provide some meteorological synopsis into the mix. Glad you enjoyed the video!
I have a place in Scotts. I am however at the farm in Cass County. The animals were upset and acting strange all day. So much I can't acted my cowboy neighbor to be careful that day. He drives school buss. I contacted other friends and family. And carried on. I was to be in Kzoo that afternoon. There were other signs that morning. By noon I was bone tired. I canceled my apt in Portage and stayed home. Laid down. Dogs got me up about 330pm. Very concerning. Farm dogs don't mind weather.I looked outside. Dogs were crazy. Lot of energy in the air all day. Watching WSBT, they broke in. Storms and massive hail we're coming off the lake. Other storms were forming. The other farm is past Jones. Storms were by 4 all over the place. Berrien, Cass, St. Joseph, Elkhart and on and on. My farmhouse south of Dowagiac I felt was dead center for the coming storm, the first wave. By chance, it shifted north of Dowagiac. WSBT was all over it. We had blue sky as Twin Lakes and Alton Rd got blitzed. Mom n Dads farm was also dead center for a slightly later storm, but shifted to the other side of Constantine. My brother drove thru that coming from Goshen to Mom n Dads to check on them before going to Edwardsburg. I was to be in Portage when the tornado was to hit. My brother was at the baby doctor in Portage on Center St, Woodbridge and saw the tornado as they fled. Him and his 8 mo pregnant wife. They saw it. Mom and dad at their farm outside Jones said it got midnight dark as the storm hit. We got lucky. Many did not. My property at Twin Lakes, no damage. Across the street, the damage began. True massive damage on that side of the big lake. From the Association park all down that side. One place was picked up and trashed down on trees and limbs. I layer tracked damage down to 32nd St. I swear from the damage there had to be multiple vortex's. Great coverage.
Thanks for sharing your experiences of the day, Daniel! Many interesting connections with nature, animals and the overall atmosphere observed that day. I've heard others describe similar experiences from prior tornado events. Glad your brother and his wife were safe on Portage and Center! Most of the tornadoes on 5/7 did exhibit multi-vortex structure at times, including the early stages of the Kalamazoo County/Portage tornado in Texas Township, much of which had to do with a set of physical tornado vortex dynamics and atmospheric conditions that aligned/transpired around 6 p.m. Truth be told however, any tornado can exhibit multiple vortices, some are more visibly obvious than others and certainly when cloud bases are low. Here's to not having another tornado outbreak in this area for some time to come. Glad you enjoyed the video!
@BlakeNaftel Storn chasers risk a lot, going out, driving into theses storms, just to keep us informed. Thank you very much. Do you live here in Michigan? I have a short tornado video. Again thank you for doing this ❤ Bill McHale Otsego Michigan
This is kinda crazy for me to see cause I was here when it happened. I had to shelter in a basement bathroom and I could hear the wind from where I was and I was a couple miles away from the tornado. One of my good friends house was barely missed by the tornado and he showed all my friends the tons of trees down. It was totally insane. It was crazy to see that happened as a person who is really into meteorology.
Grew up in Illinois, lived in Indiana, and now in Oklahoma. I have seen my fair share of nasty weather. I have never seen a sky so green and malevolent. Thanks for your video. Great content.
Thanks for watching, Michelle. A lot of tree and plant material lofted into the vortex as it passed through the Gourdneck state game area likely contributed to the greener/gray contrast. Either way, unfriendly skies that day.
Pavilion Estates in portage is what you should have included, by far the most impacted from the may 7th tornado, near flattened, they received the most impact in all of portage (chief of police told me himself) and you put oak brook estates? That was minor damage compared to pavilion estates. Months later residents (what’s left) are still receiving help from Red Cross.
I created this production in under a week after the tornado with the specific focus on the lead up, meteorology and day of the event. It was never intended to be a comprehensive documentary on all of the impacts by the tornado in Kalamazoo County. Local and national news media was/is the place to turn for that. I drive the damage track almost daily as I am an area resident. Reminders of devastation will remain for decades. Considering what happened and with atmospheric history as a guide, we were quite fortunate the tornadoes of May 7, 2024 did not take any lives unlike the events of May 13, 1980. Those displaced by the winds will persevere, but we need only to look around to see the twisted trees and damaged homesteads to realize how quickly everything familiar to us can change in an instant.
I grew up in Schoolcraft. I live out of town now but this hit home. Friends and family in area. I know someone who lives behind the Marijuana place on Sprinkle rd by that trailer park south of wings stadium.
This is the 1st video I've tried to watch since that day. I live on S and work on Westnedge and that day I had to get in the cooler and hope for the best. My ears popped and I went in. Im really glad no one was killed seeing how destroyed many areas still are. I have to drive by many places people weren't so lucky. The trees destroyed really reminds me it was a Tree City USA. Btw I broke a law or 2 driving home that nite from work and I have a dash cam so full disclosure
I too live nearby and the scenery around south Portage is definitely not a pleasant view to repeatedly see as I drive north from 12th and over into KZO/Portage on a typical basis. The trees and forested regions in/around Gourdneck Game area and many neighborhoods will show signs of the tornadic winds for decades to come. Your experience sounds rather unnerving to say the least. Where on Westnedge were you? Tornadoes, certainly when they strike populated areas are never pleasant moments for anyone, even for one such as I who ventures out to intentionally chronicle/report severe weather events. Likewise, I'm glad no-one was killed or seriously injured. I feel a lot of the awareness on 5/7/2024 had to do with advanced mass smart phone tornado alerts and advanced warning through mainstream media. Still, I did see plenty of people who appeared to obliviously drive directly towards the tornado vortex, certainly at US-131 and Center just before it crossed the highway. Perhaps they were unaware, really were set on getting home, didn't know what was happening or all combined. Glad you were alright!
I work at Texas Roadhouse. It was dinner rush time and super weird to hear 100s of phones going off twice. 1st when it was in Van Buren and then in Portage. I think my ears popped when it hit the trailer park behind Sams behind the restaurant. Crazy day for sure!
@@heatherwilcox9901 That's a story to share for the generations ahead. It didn't even occur to me about the dinner rush at the time. Yikes! Glad everyone came out unscathed from the Texas Roadhouse!
While a noteworthy and tragic event in state history, I bypassed mention of the June 8, 1953 outbreak intentionally as it did not directly impact southwest lower Michigan.
Sirens were audible from Schoolcraft [to my south] and Texas Corners at 5:48 p.m, but as everything happened so fast in Portage, I don't recall hearing them there. There was an expanded tornado warning in advance from NWS GRR prior for Kalamazoo County just prior to my own and other spotter reports. I am aware that certain townships and county EMA's have different siren activation protocols. My guess would be that cellular phone tone alerts were the primary warning mode for many residents.
Great video! Still crazy to see a tornado hit so many places i know so well. Only note: let’s make sure that in the future only people from Indiana call it Michiana 😉.
@@blueyedwonder8747 I was well aware of the scene on Westnedge as the tornado passed by. I do not endorse running reds in the face of a tornado. Just a day in my life! Corrected for typos. Cheers.
Thx for owning up to the irresponsible driving. As storm chasers do not need local police hating them coming thru their towns!! The great Tim Samaras (may he RIP 🙏))talked about that in his book Tornado Hunter about how some drive /speed!! Good job with some great footage. 👍🏻
Thanks. This was far from manic storm chasing sensationalism that so permeates the scene these days, rather just a momentary poor choice on my part in the heat of the moment. Tim was a personal friend as was Carl and unfortunately nobody is immune from split-second decisions while in or around tornadoes.. be it rolling cautiously through a red light, or a direct, fatal impact from a violent vortex. The later [driving into the tornado circulation] seems to have become lost on an entire generation of extreme weather fanatics in the wake of the events of 2013.
@BlakeNaftel I have never seen Westnedge so empty. It was always fun fighting traffic. I used to live in Walnut Trail. BTW thanks for the video. I was looking all over for videos of it. Its just unfortunate with the damage. The whole route you took ive traveled so many times.
Yes indeed. It's fairly common to see a rainbow as a tornado and attendant supercell thunderstorm passes east if there are no other storms obstructing light behind the storm and one is positioned just right. In this case, when I turned around and see the sun shining to the west within the RFD [rear-flank downdraft], that flood of light provided a quick but full display of color behind the destructive vortex.
The fact that i can drive 5 minutes down 10th street from my house and see where it touched down....... Holy fuck I dodged a huge bullet. I watched max velocity's livestream too and there was a circulation near my house that actually weakened. I thought that would be the end of it but then Max spotted the circulation you highlighted at the middle of the video and HOLY FUCK when it crossed into Portage IT WENT FROM 0-100 REALLY FAST
Great video. I don’t think you needed to apologize though for running that red light because you’re using common sense when did use common sense become a crime?
Thanks. I felt obligated to make mention of the lights as volunteer storm spotters or chasers are not above the law, even amidst a destructive tornado. I also don't encourage that behavior in others, which is very easily emulated after viewing on the internet.
Honestly admitting I was wrong in having done so and not hiding that fact was my choice, nor do I fear any likely warranted criticism or repercussions. Life moves on, just like the wind.
@@BlakeNaftel I see no problem with your action considering the situation. You made sure your actions were safe at the moment. I respect you for being very upfront about it, and not editing it out. UA-cam seems to be full of critics just looking for a reason to trash someone. I did enjoy your video. Really great footage !
Thanks for the suggestion, Rick. The production is a free educational program, not a mad max storm chaser video. Some people do care about the meteorological setup and therefore it was provided for reference.
This is one of the best documentaries of the supercell that produced the Portage tornado.
Thanks for watching. Glad you enjoyed it!
@@BlakeNaftel It's fantastic, mate. I was watching this live on Max Velocity and various live cams (mostly in Vicksburg). I do want to see more of this work but, again, torn because of what it is and what it can do.
The algorithm has delivered me here.
Good stuff.
At least you admitted you had done a bad thing and suggest nobody do the same. More responsible than most amateur chasers.
Indeed! Nobody is immune from irresponsible maneuvers around/or near significant tornadoes, certainly in populated areas, whether one has decades of storm observing under their belt or merely just starting out.
In a bizarre twist, from childhood on I had watched, re-watched and become very familiar with the Kalamazoo tornado video recorded by a WKZO/WWMT-TV news crew on Tuesday, May 13, 1980 and later worked at that station. In that 1980 tornado broadcast special, available on this channel, the reporter who recorded that tornado video said [to paraphrase]: "We stopped for a light -- spotted the funnel cloud, then proceeded on Howard Street with caution, the camera still rolling." The 2024 event followed in a similar way, yet I neglected to stop at the light when in retrospect, I would have had essentially a similar view. Cyclical irony. Live and learn.
@@BlakeNaftellol
@BlakeNaftel as long as you're responsibly reporting what you are seeing to authorities that will relay the information appropriately, you go ahead and run reds and break traffic laws as needed, within reason. Valuable information to save lives trumps traffic law. And if you get a ticket during a tornado, I'd argue your defense is pretty good
@@matthewsteinmetz729 Point taken. Being up front about the red-runner road moves was to not tip toe around the obvious that it happened. Storm chasing videos on UA-cam that feature poor choices and risky behavior are easily emulated, which only compounds future issues of illegal or stupid behavior. I make no claim of "saving lives" with the spotter reports submitted/phoned in to NWS/media, but something fortunate did work that day in terms of public awareness ahead of that tornado in that nobody lost their lives/or were seriously injured.
I drive Centre street daily and the landscape sure has changed. So lucky no one was seriously hurt.
Bro you have been banging out weather docs for a minute now 🙏thank you for adding the pre chase portion I feel like that’s a really important part chasers leave out
Thanks! Most videos produced by storm chasers starting in the mid-1980's through early 2000's included a synopsis, lead up, hurry up/wait, crescendo and climax/bust of a chase day. That's always been the basic blueprint for how I present events, but also acts as an audio log of thoughts and actions, some ill timed, to review afterwards. Glad you enjoyed the video!
Thank you so much for putting this excellent presentation together Blake.
Thanks, Roy. Glad you enjoyed it! A bit too close to home regarding that atmospheric encounter.
I can't believe how green it got.
I was in the Plainfield Illinois tornado of 1990 & the sky was green like that. That storm produced an f5 tornado that ripped everything apart for 7 miles. Many deaths.
When I see a green sky like that I know extreme danger is likely
@@garylee12345 green sky is an indication of hail in the storm.
@@ryandaniel4571 In certain instances, yes, supercells do have a "green" or aqua-tone when hail is visible from an approaching preciptation core. In this situation during the tornado in Portage, the greenish yellow coloration was due to the vortex passing through the Gourdneck State Game area and ingesting a lot of trees and plants, combined with the light filtered through the rear flank downdraft. Soil or vegetation content or lack there of often dictates the color of a tornado, depending on where one is viewing it from.
@@garylee12345 I recall Plainfield very well, of which was mainly a violent rain-wrapped vortex that caught many people off guard. The sky and nature will tell you what's inbound if one cares to listen.
Very awesome video. Very informative, I enjoy watching these videos and not trying to watch and listen to videos while listening to yelling and language. Enjoyed learning about previous tornadoes from the past also. I have watched every tornado video I could find over the past probably 40 years and now with UA-cam I can just watch them here. But it’s so sad and heartbreaking to see families that loose everything they own and many families loose loved ones. Keep up the great videos.
This is one of the best storm chase videos I've seen. Keep up the great work! Your level of detail and video style are tremendous.
I’m from the new buffalo area. I was in Michigan city over on county line rd, I could see the meso and then the wall cloud start to really tighten up. As soon as I pointed it out, it went past and just got stronger and stronger. I could see the funnel. Had no idea how strong it had become.
Great job putting this video together.
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed the video.
Long time viewer... Always look forward to your videos, excellent as usual!
This was an incredible video. Lots of local history as well.
Glad you enjoyed the production!
Oh my god I did not expect to see a documentary style video about the only tornado to ever come close to my home, thank you for documenting this, I love content like this and meteorology and storm chasing, love to see it about my own lived experiences yk
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed the video and hopefully the Kalamazoo Co./Portage region does not experience anything quite like that day again for some time.
The only Paw Paw Lake I knew of before today is the one in Coloma. :D I was very confused till I saw the other one on a map. Thank God the tornado scooted right on by us here in Three Rivers.
Me… I was…in the tornado
Those storms on May 7th were terrifying. Michigan is no stranger to tornadoes or bad weather. But we don't usually get strong tornadoes. My county (Hillsdale County) saw a small supercell move in from Indiana with very strong rotation and wind speeds. Thankfully, no tornado touched down. But it was looking to hit the community of Cambria head on (population less than 200) and possibly sideswipe Reading. It would have been a devastating tornado as our county is filled with small, tight-knit communities.
Edit: First responders were ready in case one did drop. Almost every one I know has a police scanner including my family. We were listening to the various local fire stations call out the rotation as it moved across the county. It always amazes me how strong our bond is when something bad happens around here.
Two strong/significant tornado events/outbreaks [February 27 + May 7, 2024] in the span of about three months for the southern tier of lower Michigan is quite active, but not unheard of. The pattern this year is very reminiscent of the broad sweep of tornado events from 1950 through the late 1970's era within/around the Great Lakes. Personally, both events this year swept over my family homestead in Texas Township, of which was extremely un-nerving in both instances. The amount of tree damage along Center street and into Portage around the Gourdneck State Game area will be quite evident for many years to come.
First responders, spotters and yes, even a few chasers who were not attempting to drive into the vortex, all played a vital part in the warning process. Thankful to read your region was relatively spared, as these tornadoes easily could have been far more destructive. The warning and public awareness process, overall, worked.. despite our region not having experienced such a serious tornado outbreak in quite a few decades [i.e. 27-March-1991 tornado outbreak]. Thanks for your comments and story!
There was one near Mendon that day......
This is amazing. Such good work wrapping all of this storyline together!
Thank you for doing this!
Thank you for the excellent aerial survey perspectives, Caleb. I'm thankful our mutual friend Jason Heeres connected us all. Worthwhile effort and glad we could all collaborate.
Amazing man. Such quality work.
I live in portage I’m still grieving the damage celery flats is my favorite park I’ve gone on the trail for my whole life and have family history of the park :) my family was really close to it and I’m grateful they’re ok I was by western campus at the time and the only thing I’ve seen was the tree outside my apartment fell
Great video Blake. Impressive!
Thank you for sharing the how the ingredients came together for this event. Wonderfully told and well done! 👏👏
Great video, I was a little worried with the trends of the convective models as well. My parents live in Hillsdale county MI and I live in Toledo OH. After the line of showers came through I was expecting the atmosphere to destabilize in Toledo but the warm front was stalled due to Lake Erie. This event could definitely of been worse if the warm front could of advanced further north into SE MI.
Excellent video Blake! Good on you for admitting those mistakes and moving on. Will be looking at chasing again Sunday and Monday in Kansas.
Thanks AJ! After 10 tornadoes observed this year thus far, feel I've seen enough. Regarding the red light infractions, I almost included a visual reference to ZELDA II: The Adventure of Link "I AM ERROR" [look that up if it's vague], but felt it would have gone over many people's heads and settled on the sound effect. Glad you enjoyed the video. Stay safe storm observing out west!
Wow, that was the greenest I’ve ever seen a tornado video.
The brightness/contrast on the video was balanced out in editing to bring out the greenish-gray-mustard yellow color of the vortex. In real time, light [from the rear flank downdraft] that was filtering in behind the vortex made it appear a very greenish yellow to the eyeballs until it passed east towards Portage Road.
Michigan tornadoes seem to have a trend of being very green but it’s all relative to where you are compared to the sun
Hi! This is so neat that you made a documentary about this tornado….my son was at work at Zeigler motorsports when this happened…he wastched it cross I 94 from the showroom window…..anyhow, you did a great job and I am a new subscriber!😅
Congratulations, you have earned my subscription. Wonderfully put together video, lovely narration and music choice. Keep it up!
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed the production!
Great video man! I chased the Colon Shearwood tornado that day. crazy day for sure.
It's definitely an event in the southern Great Lakes region that will be long remembered and or reviled by those whom directly experienced it. Glad you enjoyed the video!
I love the videos at the start
They’re so beautiful
Thanks! There is a certainly a natural spring theme to the entire video intro. Everything has really greened up around here in the prior two weeks prior to the tornado.
Right next to Kalamazoo, home of Western Michigan University. At 23:44 you're on Portage Crossing Drive.
Great video I watched this go down on radar I’m from the tip of the mitt it looked bad on the scans but this really brings it home
6:22 That is the identical "green sky" from the Oak Lawn, Tornado on APril 21, 1967.. and so many others like it.
@@ChristopherSaindon Stay in the sunshine, babe! Tornadoes are terrible!
On Monday, June 8, 1953, an exceptionally violent tornado struck the north side of Flint, Michigan and the northern suburb of Beecher, causing catastrophic damage and hundreds of casualties.
I watched your video of 2004 within minutes of coming out and UA-cam just didnt decide to recommend future videos, I am glad you have great coverage, it reminds me of Weatherbox, with a VHS style and I appreciate the way you show meteorological breakdowns before the main event, as people should be aware of what goes on to prepare chases that take time to plan. Cheers again @BlakeNaftel
Thanks for the comment! I was creating weather videos with actual S/VHS videotape and film likely before the individual who produces 'Weatherbox' was even born :) but still adhere to a very tried and true video journal flow while out storm observing. Always fun to provide some meteorological synopsis into the mix. Glad you enjoyed the video!
Portage was not far from me. It's around 15-20 minutes or less. I was super thankful the tornado went around me as it could have been much worse.
I have a place in Scotts. I am however at the farm in Cass County. The animals were upset and acting strange all day. So much I can't acted my cowboy neighbor to be careful that day. He drives school buss. I contacted other friends and family. And carried on. I was to be in Kzoo that afternoon. There were other signs that morning. By noon I was bone tired. I canceled my apt in Portage and stayed home. Laid down. Dogs got me up about 330pm. Very concerning. Farm dogs don't mind weather.I looked outside. Dogs were crazy. Lot of energy in the air all day. Watching WSBT, they broke in. Storms and massive hail we're coming off the lake. Other storms were forming. The other farm is past Jones. Storms were by 4 all over the place. Berrien, Cass, St. Joseph, Elkhart and on and on. My farmhouse south of Dowagiac I felt was dead center for the coming storm, the first wave. By chance, it shifted north of Dowagiac. WSBT was all over it. We had blue sky as Twin Lakes and Alton Rd got blitzed. Mom n Dads farm was also dead center for a slightly later storm, but shifted to the other side of Constantine. My brother drove thru that coming from Goshen to Mom n Dads to check on them before going to Edwardsburg. I was to be in Portage when the tornado was to hit. My brother was at the baby doctor in Portage on Center St, Woodbridge and saw the tornado as they fled. Him and his 8 mo pregnant wife. They saw it. Mom and dad at their farm outside Jones said it got midnight dark as the storm hit. We got lucky. Many did not. My property at Twin Lakes, no damage. Across the street, the damage began. True massive damage on that side of the big lake. From the Association park all down that side. One place was picked up and trashed down on trees and limbs. I layer tracked damage down to 32nd St. I swear from the damage there had to be multiple vortex's.
Great coverage.
Sorry for all Grammer problems. Phone posting sucks. Again great vid
Thanks for sharing your experiences of the day, Daniel! Many interesting connections with nature, animals and the overall atmosphere observed that day. I've heard others describe similar experiences from prior tornado events. Glad your brother and his wife were safe on Portage and Center! Most of the tornadoes on 5/7 did exhibit multi-vortex structure at times, including the early stages of the Kalamazoo County/Portage tornado in Texas Township, much of which had to do with a set of physical tornado vortex dynamics and atmospheric conditions that aligned/transpired around 6 p.m. Truth be told however, any tornado can exhibit multiple vortices, some are more visibly obvious than others and certainly when cloud bases are low. Here's to not having another tornado outbreak in this area for some time to come. Glad you enjoyed the video!
@BlakeNaftel Storn chasers risk a lot, going out, driving into theses storms, just to keep us informed. Thank you very much. Do you live here in Michigan? I have a short tornado video. Again thank you for doing this ❤ Bill McHale Otsego Michigan
Might be a tornado?? You knew dam well that it was !! Lol
This is kinda crazy for me to see cause I was here when it happened. I had to shelter in a basement bathroom and I could hear the wind from where I was and I was a couple miles away from the tornado. One of my good friends house was barely missed by the tornado and he showed all my friends the tons of trees down. It was totally insane. It was crazy to see that happened as a person who is really into meteorology.
Grew up in Illinois, lived in Indiana, and now in Oklahoma. I have seen my fair share of nasty weather. I have never seen a sky so green and malevolent. Thanks for your video. Great content.
Thanks for watching, Michelle. A lot of tree and plant material lofted into the vortex as it passed through the Gourdneck state game area likely contributed to the greener/gray contrast. Either way, unfriendly skies that day.
I live in Houston. Sans the fat tornado (we have skinny ones) this stuff is kind of... _new normal,_ spring weather now.
Pavilion Estates in portage is what you should have included, by far the most impacted from the may 7th tornado, near flattened, they received the most impact in all of portage (chief of police told me himself) and you put oak brook estates? That was minor damage compared to pavilion estates. Months later residents (what’s left) are still receiving help from Red Cross.
I created this production in under a week after the tornado with the specific focus on the lead up, meteorology and day of the event. It was never intended to be a comprehensive documentary on all of the impacts by the tornado in Kalamazoo County. Local and national news media was/is the place to turn for that.
I drive the damage track almost daily as I am an area resident. Reminders of devastation will remain for decades. Considering what happened and with atmospheric history as a guide, we were quite fortunate the tornadoes of May 7, 2024 did not take any lives unlike the events of May 13, 1980. Those displaced by the winds will persevere, but we need only to look around to see the twisted trees and damaged homesteads to realize how quickly everything familiar to us can change in an instant.
It started to look pretty gnarly towards Jackson Michigan later that afternoon/early evening. Thankfully, we didn't experience any tornadoes here.
I remember it was like a 2% tornado chance here but they upped it to a 5% last minute
Nice work, Blake. Thanks.
I grew up in Schoolcraft. I live out of town now but this hit home. Friends and family in area. I know someone who lives behind the Marijuana place on Sprinkle rd by that trailer park south of wings stadium.
Man... That thing was a stud !! WoW !! 1st footage I have seen from this 🌪!! Scary Sh!t !!
This is the 1st video I've tried to watch since that day. I live on S and work on Westnedge and that day I had to get in the cooler and hope for the best. My ears popped and I went in. Im really glad no one was killed seeing how destroyed many areas still are. I have to drive by many places people weren't so lucky. The trees destroyed really reminds me it was a Tree City USA. Btw I broke a law or 2 driving home that nite from work and I have a dash cam so full disclosure
I too live nearby and the scenery around south Portage is definitely not a pleasant view to repeatedly see as I drive north from 12th and over into KZO/Portage on a typical basis. The trees and forested regions in/around Gourdneck Game area and many neighborhoods will show signs of the tornadic winds for decades to come. Your experience sounds rather unnerving to say the least. Where on Westnedge were you?
Tornadoes, certainly when they strike populated areas are never pleasant moments for anyone, even for one such as I who ventures out to intentionally chronicle/report severe weather events. Likewise, I'm glad no-one was killed or seriously injured. I feel a lot of the awareness on 5/7/2024 had to do with advanced mass smart phone tornado alerts and advanced warning through mainstream media. Still, I did see plenty of people who appeared to obliviously drive directly towards the tornado vortex, certainly at US-131 and Center just before it crossed the highway. Perhaps they were unaware, really were set on getting home, didn't know what was happening or all combined. Glad you were alright!
I work at Texas Roadhouse. It was dinner rush time and super weird to hear 100s of phones going off twice. 1st when it was in Van Buren and then in Portage. I think my ears popped when it hit the trailer park behind Sams behind the restaurant. Crazy day for sure!
@@heatherwilcox9901 That's a story to share for the generations ahead. It didn't even occur to me about the dinner rush at the time. Yikes! Glad everyone came out unscathed from the Texas Roadhouse!
Speaking of tornadoes in the state of Michigan he did not mention Beecher MI F5
While a noteworthy and tragic event in state history, I bypassed mention of the June 8, 1953 outbreak intentionally as it did not directly impact southwest lower Michigan.
Huge tornado and zero sirens in the town.. my goodness. I’m sure this chaser along with many others, helped and possibly saved other peoples lives
Sirens were audible from Schoolcraft [to my south] and Texas Corners at 5:48 p.m, but as everything happened so fast in Portage, I don't recall hearing them there. There was an expanded tornado warning in advance from NWS GRR prior for Kalamazoo County just prior to my own and other spotter reports. I am aware that certain townships and county EMA's have different siren activation protocols. My guess would be that cellular phone tone alerts were the primary warning mode for many residents.
Sky got so green it made the red lights look green too. Lol
44 years after they were hit by the 1980 tornado
Point of clarification @ 11:29 - Dowagiac is pronounced "də-WAH-jak".
Great video! Still crazy to see a tornado hit so many places i know so well. Only note: let’s make sure that in the future only people from Indiana call it Michiana 😉.
Thanks! As far as the Michiana element, my first broadcast weather experiences were in that region and at WNDU-TV, alas it's always stuck :)
Bro, you drove straight through a red light 😂
@@blueyedwonder8747 Yep. That’s,life babe!
@@BlakeNaftel Just saying, doing that on Westnedge is NEVER safe. ❤️🤗 (Nor is driving through a red light in general, but Westnedge....)
@@blueyedwonder8747 I was well aware of the scene on Westnedge as the tornado passed by. I do not endorse running reds in the face of a tornado. Just a day in my life! Corrected for typos. Cheers.
@@blueyedwonder8747 Situational awareness is a blessing! 😃
Thx for owning up to the irresponsible driving. As storm chasers do not need local police hating them coming thru their towns!! The great Tim Samaras (may he RIP 🙏))talked about that in his book Tornado Hunter about how some drive /speed!! Good job with some great footage. 👍🏻
Thanks. This was far from manic storm chasing sensationalism that so permeates the scene these days, rather just a momentary poor choice on my part in the heat of the moment. Tim was a personal friend as was Carl and unfortunately nobody is immune from split-second decisions while in or around tornadoes.. be it rolling cautiously through a red light, or a direct, fatal impact from a violent vortex. The later [driving into the tornado circulation] seems to have become lost on an entire generation of extreme weather fanatics in the wake of the events of 2013.
Do some of these folks even know its a twister?
Several people seemed/were completely oblivious, certainly those not looking south towards it.
@BlakeNaftel I have never seen Westnedge so empty. It was always fun fighting traffic. I used to live in Walnut Trail. BTW thanks for the video. I was looking all over for videos of it. Its just unfortunate with the damage. The whole route you took ive traveled so many times.
More big winds this year.
Minute 23:30
Is that a rainbow 🌈 I'm seeing 👀 in the tornado 🌪 ?
Yes indeed. It's fairly common to see a rainbow as a tornado and attendant supercell thunderstorm passes east if there are no other storms obstructing light behind the storm and one is positioned just right. In this case, when I turned around and see the sun shining to the west within the RFD [rear-flank downdraft], that flood of light provided a quick but full display of color behind the destructive vortex.
@BlakeNaftel thanks. You read my mind. I was going to ask next if that's comon. Good job
Always be safe and keep chasing😂❤😂❤
Don't worry about your driving, it's still better than the FIPs around here
The fact that i can drive 5 minutes down 10th street from my house and see where it touched down.......
Holy fuck
I dodged a huge bullet.
I watched max velocity's livestream too and there was a circulation near my house that actually weakened. I thought that would be the end of it but then Max spotted the circulation you highlighted at the middle of the video and HOLY FUCK when it crossed into Portage IT WENT FROM 0-100 REALLY FAST
Great video. I don’t think you needed to apologize though for running that red light because you’re using common sense when did use common sense become a crime?
Thanks. I felt obligated to make mention of the lights as volunteer storm spotters or chasers are not above the law, even amidst a destructive tornado. I also don't encourage that behavior in others, which is very easily emulated after viewing on the internet.
no one cares about what you did driving, get to why people are watching your video already!
It was part of the overall experience and equation of the day, was irresponsible to showcase without mention, hence I addressed it.
Me…l
Running red lights for a youtube video doesn't seem very smart.
Honestly admitting I was wrong in having done so and not hiding that fact was my choice, nor do I fear any likely warranted criticism or repercussions. Life moves on, just like the wind.
@@BlakeNaftel I see no problem with your action considering the situation. You made sure your actions were safe at the moment. I respect you for being very upfront about it, and not editing it out. UA-cam seems to be full of critics just looking for a reason to trash someone. I did enjoy your video. Really great footage !
No need in pointing something out that he already covered. Great video!!
HOW MANY RED LIGHTS ARE YOU GONNA JUST GO THROUGH
Two, clearly.
Nothing to see here, move on.
Im not a weatherman so have no idea and dont care about those stupid maps...Save this crap for a classroom since you want to act like a teacher...
Thanks for the suggestion, Rick. The production is a free educational program, not a mad max storm chaser video. Some people do care about the meteorological setup and therefore it was provided for reference.
There's the door, Skippy.... -----------------------------------------> Don't let it hit ya where the Good Lord split ya!