Ann Arbor Tornado Damage: 80+ MPH Wind Response

A National Weather Service tornado warning was issued for downtown Ann Arbor and surrounding Washtenaw County communities today, April 15, 2026, with measured wind gusts up to 80 mph plus near the University of Michigan campus. If you are dealing with Ann Arbor tornado damage tonight, Prime Restoration is dispatching emergency crews across Washtenaw County and this guide walks you through what to do in the next twelve hours. What you do tonight will decide how painful the next twelve weeks become.

Call (586) 277-1069 for emergency tarping and water mitigation. We are answering around the clock and rolling trucks across Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Saline, Dexter, and Chelsea as the warning system clears.

What Actually Happened in Ann Arbor Today

The Detroit/Pontiac Weather Forecast Office issued a tornado warning covering a polygon that stretched from Dexter and Chelsea through downtown Ann Arbor, across Ypsilanti, and down toward Saline. Peak measured gusts hit 80 mph plus in the downtown core near State Street and South University. That is tornado-force territory on the Enhanced Fujita scale, sitting right at the EF0 to EF1 boundary even if no funnel touched down. Trees are down on Packard, Washtenaw Ave, and Stadium Blvd. Power is out across Kerrytown, Burns Park, the Old West Side, Water Hill, and Ann Arbor Hills.

This is not the same event our crews handled at 50 to 60 mph earlier in the day across Macomb and Oakland counties. Eighty mph plus winds do fundamentally different things to a house, and the Ann Arbor storm damage we are responding to tonight is a full tier more severe than anything the east side of the system delivered.

Ann Arbor Roof Damage Patterns at 80 MPH PLUS

At 50 mph you lose shingle tabs. At 80 mph plus you start losing entire roof decking sections to uplift. Here is what we expect Washtenaw County homeowners to find at first light:

• Full shingle field loss on windward slopes, especially on the 1920s and 1930s Craftsman bungalows and early Tudors that dominate Burns Park and the Old West Side. Original plank decking on these homes has a century of nail fatigue and gives up fast at tornado-force wind speeds.
• Slate and clay tile strikes. Many Burns Park Tudors still have original slate. When slate goes airborne at 80 mph plus it becomes a projectile that can penetrate a neighbor's siding or window.
• Chimney masonry failure. Century-old brick chimneys with soft lime mortar are the single most common total loss we see after tornado-force wind events in Michigan.
• Tree impact through the roof deck. Ann Arbor's tree canopy is one of the densest in Michigan. Expect oaks and silver maples down on homes across Water Hill and Ann Arbor Hills.
• Window and sunroom glazing failure from debris impact, particularly on newer north side subdivisions where homes sit on open lots without mature windbreaks.

Immediate Safety and Documentation Steps Tonight

Before you think about insurance, think about survival. Shut off power at the main if water is entering any room with electrical outlets. Shut off gas at the meter if you smell anything. Stay out of the attic until daylight. Assume every downed wire is live.

Once you are safe, start documenting. Your phone is the most important tool you own right now. Walk the exterior from the sidewalk and shoot video of every elevation of the house. Get wide shots that include a recognizable landmark so the timestamp and location are unambiguous. Shoot the street. Shoot the neighbor's damage. Shoot the downed trees. Our detailed windstorm photo and claim documentation playbook walks through exactly what an adjuster needs to see and in what order, with the specific Xactimate line items that tend to get missed on Ann Arbor wind claims.

Do not climb onto the roof. Do not tarp anything yourself in the dark on a wet deck. If water is actively entering, move furniture, pull rugs, and set buckets. Then call (586) 277-1069 and let our crew handle the tarping when they arrive.

Insurance Claims for Ann Arbor Tornado Damage

A tornado warning with measured 80 mph plus gusts is the cleanest wind claim scenario that exists in Michigan. Every standard HO-3 policy covers wind as a named peril. Your deductible may be a separate wind or hurricane deductible, typically one to two percent of the dwelling coverage, so check your declarations page before you assume the standard deductible applies.

Call your carrier tonight or first thing in the morning. Get a claim number. Michigan has a matching statute that can force the carrier to replace undamaged materials if matching replacements are not reasonably available, which matters enormously for slate roofs, stamped metal ceilings, and original wood siding on the historic housing stock in Kerrytown and the Old West Side. Our Michigan storm damage and insurance claim guide covers the statute language and how to use it effectively.

Keep every receipt. Hotel nights, board-up materials, bottled water, tarps, even meals if your kitchen is unusable. Additional Living Expense coverage reimburses this, but only if you document it.

Emergency Tarping and Water Mitigation in Washtenaw County Tonight

Prime Restoration runs 24/7 emergency dispatch across Washtenaw County alongside our Macomb and Oakland County response. For Ann Arbor tornado damage and Washtenaw County wind damage calls tonight, we are handling three things immediately on every stop:

• Self-adhered membrane roof tarping, not a blue plastic sheet. A real tarp mechanically fastened to sound decking with cap nails, sealed at all edges, rated to shed water through the next rain cell.
• Water extraction and structural drying with truck-mounted extractors, commercial dehumidifiers, and air movers. Paper-faced drywall and carpet pad have a 48-hour window before microbial growth becomes a second claim.
• Xactimate scope documentation formatted for every major carrier, so your claim file has the line items and photos it needs from day one.

Shelter in Place, or Leave Tonight?

If any of the following are true, leave tonight and find a hotel west of the affected area:

• You can see sky from inside any room.
• Any exterior wall is visibly out of plumb, bowed, or separated from the foundation.
• You hear ongoing creaking, popping, or settling sounds.
• Gas smell of any kind.
• Water is entering an electrical panel or near any outlet you cannot de-energize.
• A tree is resting on the structure, even if it looks stable.

If none of those are true and the roof envelope is mostly intact, you can shelter in a lower interior room. Keep shoes on. Keep a flashlight, phone, and car keys within arm's reach.

Call Prime Restoration Now

Ann Arbor tornado damage from an 80 mph plus event is serious but survivable. The homeowners who come out of this cleanly will be the ones who slow down tonight, stay safe, document thoroughly, and get professional emergency mitigation onsite within the first 24 hours. Call (586) 277-1069 and we will dispatch to your address across Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Saline, Dexter, and Chelsea. Our crews are also running the same system's eastern track, and if you have family in Macomb County affected by the windstorm, see our Macomb County windstorm response guide for local instructions. Stay safe, charge your phone, and let the professionals handle the roof.