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.