Ottawa County was placed under a tornado warning at 8:43 p.m. Thursday as severe weather continued to move across West Michigan, while the National Weather Service kept a broader tornado watch in effect for several counties until 2:05 a.m.
The warning came as Allegan, Muskegon and Ottawa counties were also under a severe thunderstorm warning until 9:45 p.m., leaving Ottawa County covered by both alerts at the same time. The overlapping warnings underscored how active the weather remained across the region as evening turned to night.
The tornado watch had been issued Thursday evening for several West Michigan counties, but the source did not identify which counties were included. What was clear was the immediate impact: residents in Ottawa County faced the most serious warning in place at 8:43 p.m., even as nearby counties remained under severe thunderstorm alerts.
More severe weather updates were expected to follow, and the next official word could tighten or extend the alerts already on the board. For now, the key detail is simple: the tornado warning in Ottawa County remained the most urgent active threat while the watch continued through 2:05 a.m. and the thunderstorm warning was set to expire at 9:45 p.m.
