NWS: straight line winds, not a tornado

WYOMING, Mich. (WOOD) - Did a tornado hit Wyoming on Sunday? The National Weather Service said no.

The NWS inspected damage caused by Sunday's storms that hit Wyoming, particularly the area of Burlingame and 52nd Street, and in the end they determined it was straight line winds that caused the damage.

The most dramatic visual evidence was a garage roof picked up by winds that ricocheted off a neighbor's house and landed at a house behind on Bunkerway Court.

Before a tornado can be declared, the NWS has to do field research on the damage and the extent of the damage. Early indications showed the culprit was straight-line winds, and their investigation supported that theory.

"There are lots of trees down throughout the neighborhood, but this looks like the worst of it," said Jamie Beilinski, of the National Weather Service. "Typically, when you get straight-line winds going through a neighborhood, you have the wind funneling in different directions, and so that's why you see intense damage in some parts and not others."

But some trees are more susceptible to a hit than others.

"Any trees with long spindling limbs are susceptible to straight-line winds, like Cottonwood, Chinese Elm, some Oak trees, most of your soft woods," said Pete Cushman, of Tops Tree Service.

Homeowners should have their trees maintained, or sometimes, cable them, he added.