An EF-1 tornado swept through a portion of Canton Township on Wednesday, the National Weather Service confirmed Thursday.

The storm damaged buildings at an industrial park on Lilley Road in Canton just before 7 p.m. Dec. 23. Sheet metal and insulation was strewn across the fields and runway at the Canton-Plymouth Mettetal Airport.

National Weather Service officials reached the scene in western Wayne County by 9 a.m. Dec. 24 to make their determination on the tornado.

The tornado traveled about 2 miles on a path about 100 yards wide. Winds reached up to 90 miles per hour, according to service's preliminary report.

The tornado touched down in a neighborhood southwest of Warren and North Lilley Roads in Canton Township, knocking down several pine trees and tree limbs.

Two buildings and vehicles at an industrial park on Lilley sustained damage. The storm ripped sheet metal and insulation from the buildings and spread it across the Canton-Plymouth Mettetal Airport.

A gas station at Joy and Haggery roads was damaged before the tornado lifted near Haggery Road and Newport Drive.

This was Michigan's first tornado in December since records begin in 1950.

More than 35 volunteers from the Civil Air Patrol came out to the airport Thursday morning to start the cleanup. Small pieces of debris are potentially dangerous to aircraft.

Lt. Col. Steve Cassani of the Civil Air Patrol said two more groups of volunteers were headed out to Canton Township to help the community in the spirit of the season.

Lindsay Knake is the K-12 education reporter for The Ann Arbor News. Follow her on twitter or contact her at 989-372-2498 or lknake@mlive.com.