March 3, 2011 - 5:39pm
Earthquake, tornado hit Washtenaw County area
BY ESHWAR THIRUNAVUKKARASU
Inclement weather has recently struck Ann Arbor and the greater Washtenaw area with reports of an earthquake yesterday afternoon and a tornado touching down in Saline and Milan last night.
Buildings around campus shook during the earthquake, University police reported. The epicenter of the earthquake, which was confirmed at 1:41 p.m. as a 5.0-magnitude tremor, was 40 miles north of Ottawa, Canada, according to a recent U.S. Geological Survey.
The USGS also reported that the aftershocks were felt not only in Michigan but also in many eastern states, including Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Maine and Pennsylvania among others.
No significant damage as a result of the earthquake has yet been reported.
A second round of severe thunderstorms with intense lightning accompanied the geological activity later in the evening yesterday. The National Weather service issued a flood advisory with two to four inches of rainfall in some areas of the county. Local area tornado warnings also prompted reports of high-wind gusts and possible tornadoes.
One weather spotter reported a tornado touching down at about 10 p.m. between Saline-Milan Road and Jewell Road, according to an annarbor.com article. Locals in the area also reported the tornado touching down near their homes, according to television reports.
The National Weather service ceased its flood advisory earlier this morning with no reports of major flooding last night.
