4Warn Weather – The Storm Prediction Center has issued a Tornado Watch for all of Southeastern Michigan until 4 a.m. Wednesday morning, April 15, 2026.

As we’ve been highlighting throughout the day, we are in an atmospheric situation where showers and thunderstorms are expected to develop tonight and into the overnight, and severe thunderstorms are likely.

Remember, a Tornado Watch means that conditions are favorable for the development of severe weather, including tornadoes, in and close to the watch area.

Forecast Update

We’re watching thunderstorms forming off to the west of Metro Detroit, which could develop into a line capable of producing damaging winds, hail, and tornadoes late tonight and into the overnight hours.

Multiple tornado warnings have been issued tonight, with damage confirmed over Southeastern Wisconsin.

These storms are moving into Michigan within the next few hours and will impact Metro Detroit late tonight and into the overnight hours.

What is a Tornado Watch?

A Tornado Watch means conditions are favorable for tornadoes to develop across a large region.

Watches are issued by the Storm Prediction Center, a national forecasting center that monitors severe weather across the United States.

A watch can cover multiple counties or even several states and typically lasts several hours. It signals that the atmosphere has the ingredients needed for severe storms capable of producing tornadoes.

Think of a tornado watch as a heads-up to stay alert and be ready if storms begin to develop.

However, tornado watches are not issued for every storm that produces a tornado.

Watches are generally issued when forecasters believe there is a greater chance of multiple storms producing severe weather across a broad area.

If tornado potential is expected to be very isolated or uncertain, forecasters may not issue a tornado watch in advance.

That means it is possible and not uncommon for a tornado warning to be issued even when a tornado watch was never in place.

What is a Tornado Warning?

A Tornado Warning means a tornado is happening or about to happen.

Warnings are issued by local offices of the National Weather Service when radar detects strong rotation within a storm or when a tornado is reported by trained spotters, emergency managers, or the public.

Warnings usually last 20 to 45 minutes and focus on specific communities in the storm’s path.

When a tornado warning is issued, immediate action is needed. People should move to a basement or an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building and stay away from windows.

It’s also important to understand that severe thunderstorms themselves can sometimes produce tornadoes.

A storm may first be under a severe thunderstorm warning because it is producing damaging winds or hail.

If meteorologists detect rotation within that storm, a tornado warning may then be issued for areas in the storm’s path, while the severe thunderstorm warning may still remain in effect.

Severe thunderstorms can produce powerful winds capable of causing major damage and becoming deadly, and in some cases, they can also produce tornadoes.

The Detroit Pistons are expected to have their core rotation set ahead of their NBA playoff adventure – but two players will undoubtedly have question marks based upon their performance in the early rounds.

Cade Cunningham, Duncan Robinson, Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris, and Jalen Duren will more than likely be the starting five for the Pistons ahead of their first-round tie against the eighth seed, which will be determined from the play-in tournament.

Who are the odd men out?

While Isaiah Stewart and Daniss Jenkins will be Detroit’s first options off the bench, with Caris LeVert, Ron Holland and Javonte Green providing solid minutes, there is a player who will need to get going early, otherwise his minutes could drop unless the Pistons go through injury concerns.

That man is Kevin Huerter.

After a difficult stretch for most of the season, Huerter has finally started to find his rhythm. With the Pistons in need of perimeter shooting, head coach J.B. Bickerstaff may give the veteran guard an opportunity to prove he can consistently knock down shots.

 If he struggles, however, he could face limited minutes after the first round, should the Pistons progress.

Ron Holland could face limited minutes as well

If Huerter finds his groove and perhaps attracts a more increased role, then that could cut into the minutes of Holland and Green, with the latter being the only Piston to appear in every game this season, so it’s unlikely Bickerstaff moves away from him entirely, though a slight dip in playing time is possible.

As for Holland, who averaged around 20 minutes per game, he faces more uncertainty heading into the playoffs due to his limitations in Detroit’s half-court offense. If the team runs into trouble, he could also find himself losing valuable minutes

Holland has averaged 8.2 points in 19.9 minutes this season, shooting a respectable 43% from the floor, but for more minutes and to give Bickerstaff a minutes nightmare, his points production will need to improve.

As for the remaining players, Marcus Sasser and Paul Reed are expected to be out of the playoff rotation, along with Chaz Lanier and Tolu Smith. The only exception could be that Reed provides valuable frontcourt depth and would likely be called upon quickly in the event of injuries or foul trouble. Smith might see some minutes, but will mainly be garbage time.

Meanwhile, two-way players Wendell Moore and Isaac Jones are ineligible to participate in the postseason.

Community members gathered in Angell Hall Sunday evening to eat, connect and listen to panelists at “Detroit Chinatown Visions,” an event featuring the Detroit Chinatown Vision Committee discussing new developments and a proposed revival of Detroit’s Pan-Asian neighborhood.

The Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month event was presented by the Office of Multi-Ethnic Student Affairs and Trotter Multicultural Center. It featured food, discussion of the history of Detroit’s Chinatown and a screening of “Big Fight in Little Chinatown,” a documentary on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on Chinese communities all over the country.

The DCVC is working to create a new center for Detroit’s Pan-Asian community after the original two were destroyed in the 1960s as part of Detroit’s urban renewal initiatives. DCVC member Roland Hwang, founder of American Citizens for Justice, began the panel by reviewing Detroit’s first and second Chinatown neighborhoods. Hwang said the original community was torn down when the Detroit Housing Commission labeled it as a slum in need of demolition. One prevalent restaurant in the neighborhood — Chung’s Chop Suey — relocated to Cass Ave in an attempt to create a second Chinatown. However, the neighborhood largely ended after the business closed in 2000.

Jacob Molewyk, DCVC co-chair of Asian outreach, said the committee began after the 2023 demolition of the Shanghai Cafe and the Chinese Merchants Association building at 3143 Cass Ave., a cornerstone of Detroit’s Asian community. 

DCVC member Leslie Tom said the committee hopes to commemorate the history lost due to the gentrification of Detroit neighborhoods.

“There is a lot of pressure to kind of gentrify these areas, or lose the memory of how these immigrant communities have created these enclaves in these cities,” Tom said. “And when you make these disappear, you sort of lose the identity and the memories of your origin story, and how your culture thrived and survived in this country.”

In July 2025, the committee hosted its first block party to celebrate the revival of Detroit’s Chinatown and Asian American heritage, featuring vendors, art and performances. Tom said she is excited for DCVC’s second block party planned for July 25, the anniversary of the day the merchant association building was knocked down. 

“I feel like it’s so beautiful,” Tom said. “I’ve not seen a community with so many multi-generational skills come together and really start to reclaim what the space is and reclaim that history. To start to rethink what the future of this space could be, expanding into a Pan-Asian identity, rather than just a Chinatown.”

Lisa Yee-Litzenberg, DCVC co-chair of Asian outreach, said the organization focuses on community development and neighborhood planning through its non-profit arm, the Chinatown Redevelopment Corporation.

“What we’re doing is doing a lot of work to do strategic planning,” Yee-Litzenberg said. “We’re really listening to the community. We’re building from the ground up. So we’ve been partnering a lot with the local community residents (and) the businesses. …We’ve been  hearing from a lot of other Chinatowns around the country and even in Canada and elsewhere, to kind of see how they built themselves up and the challenges that they’re facing.”

Hwang concluded by reemphasizing the organization’s mission to preserve Pan-Asian culture in Detroit before opening the panel to audience questions.

“Ethnic enclaves, particularly Japantowns, Koreatowns, Chinatowns, etc., are not easily movable or replaceable, and they should flourish in the name of cultural preservation,” Hwang said. “People should recognize that other cities do a better job of preservation and recognizing their historical significance. I think that that’s part of our mission: to make sure that people realize the importance of recognizing past neighborhoods and cultures.”

In an interview with the Michigan Daily, LSA senior Tyler Nguyen, AA&PI Heritage Month and event co-coordinator, said he encourages students to engage with local history and community efforts.

“If you’re an individual who is wondering about your place, there is actually history right at your fingertips, right at your doorstep and right on campus,” Nguyen said. “Acknowledging that is a really important step as we find more permanent and fulfilling answers to the questions we have about our community.”

Daily Staff Reporter Hayley Weiss can be reached at hayweiss@umich.edu.

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