I Was Driving Behind the Tornado in Croton and Didn’t Know it

Storms wreaked havoc along West Michigan, causing power outages, wind damage, and even tornadoes. I happened to be driving right behind the one in Croton.

Sunday TV Became Reality Weather TV

My son, my best friend Curt, and I had a weekend of steelhead fishing cut short due to bad weather conditions on Sunday, March 30, 2025.

👇BELOW: These Are The 10 Deadliest Tornadoes In Michigan's History👇

As you can see, conditions at the Croton Dam were rainy on Saturday, but we fished all morning and evening, and Curt landed a nice steelhead.

We checked the weather early Sunday morning to see if we could get out one more time before the thunderstorms hit the area, and decided it was best to stay home instead of going fishing.

We ate good food, watched TV, and even snuck in a movie. Later in the day, we thought we would watch the Michigan State vs Auburn college basketball game, but the weather was so bad we couldn't get CBS.

So we flipped through a few other local TV networks, and they were in full storm tracking mode. All the local networks were storm reporting and it was like watching a weather reality show because everything was in real time. We noticed that we were on the very north end of the thunderstorm bands, but didn't think it would amount to much since most of the 70+ mph high winds were reported in the lower part of West Michigan.

Read More: Mystery of the Rainbow Water Flowing in the Grand River

I Was Driving Behind the Tornado in Croton and Didn't Know It

I had to meet my son's mom in Newaygo so she could take him home after a weekend at my house. We drove through Croton, and it was raining, but when we crossed the bridge to Newaygo over the Muskegon River, it suddenly began raining so hard I could barely see the road.

When I got to Jimmy's Roadhouse in Newaygo, the hard rain stopped, but it was still ugly. I dropped my son off and we headed back to watch the rest of the Michigan State game at the Driftwood Bar & Grill on Croton Pond.

On our way toward Croton, trees and branches down on or near the road. Just before crossing the Muskegon River by the Croton Dam, downed trees had blocked a side road. We could see the storm just out in front of us. Then we go to the Happy Campers Campground where trees had fallen on cabins and debris was everywhere. My son texted me to see if we were alright because he heard on the radio that a tornado had touched down in Croton. I told him we were good, but lots of damage was where we had been fishing the day before.

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We kept driving and realized we were right behind the tornado. On the left side of my vehicle, the sky looked normal, but on the right, we could see the storm damage happening in real time, where it was much darker and the winds were ripping. The storm was heading toward Montcalm County. At that point, my friend and I decided to get home to see if I had any damage, but luckily, the storm was just a little south of me. Others were not so lucky, but it was a strange feeling when I realized I was less than a mile behind a tornado in progress.