The tornadoes formed in a line from west of Traverse City to Torch Lake and Bellaire. The first tornado was a very short-lived twister three miles east of Lake Ann, which is southwest of Traverse City. The tornado path was only around 500 feet long, and the tornado was only 30 feet wide. The NWS gave this very weak twister a rare rating of an EF-U. The same thunderstorm then strengthened and produced the second tornado over Torch Lake.