GAYLORD, Michigan — A second person has been killed in a rare tornado that hit a small community in northern Michigan, state police said Saturday.
The person was in his 70s and lived in a mobile home park, Lt. Derrick Carroll said.
The tornado hit Gaylord, a city of about 4,200 people about 230 miles (370 kilometers) northwest of Detroit, around 3:45 p.m. Friday.
More than 40 people were injured.
The Nottingham mobile home park was one of the first sites affected by the tornado, Carroll said.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of emergency for Otsego County, making more state resources available to the county.
Extreme spring winds are rare in the area because the Great Lakes absorb storm energy, especially early in the season when the lakes are very cold, said Jim Keysor, a Gaylord-based meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
“Many children and young adults would never have experienced direct severe weather if they had lived in Gaylord their entire lives,” he said.