Tornado watch issued for several counties throughout Southeast ...

4Warn Weather – A tornado watch has been issued for several counties throughout Southeast Michigan on Wednesday night.

The National Weather Service issued the tornado watch just before 9 p.m. Wednesday, July 12.

The watch is in effect for Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Washtenaw, Monroe, Livingston, and Lenawee counties until 3 a.m. Thursday.

Multiple tornadoes have been confirmed in the Chicago area tonight, including downtown. Those storms are now crossing Lake Michigan and heading east at around 30 mph.

The question is whether we will still have the dynamics needed to produce severe thunderstorms with the potential for isolated tornadoes by the time these clusters reach Southeast Lower Michigan.

At this point, it looks like we will have enough of the ingredients needed for severe weather, including supercells, especially in our southern region closest to the Ohio border.

Currently, parts of Monroe, Lenawee, Washtenaw, and Livingston counties are under a level 2 slight risk of severe weather.

The main threat is still heavy rain and flooding. However, strong wind gusts over 60 mph and isolated tornadoes are still possible.

Based on current radar observations, pushing the timing back a bit to around 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. The rest of Metro Detroit will continue to see heavy rain with the potential for flash flooding past midnight but ending before the morning commute.

Local 4′s Kim Adams will be tracking these storms for you over the next several hours. More data will be coming in with multiple updates and new information.

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