Iconic College Arena Suffers Roof Damage During Severe Storm
Strong storms wreaked havoc throughout Michigan Tuesday night into Wednesday, leaving more than 60,000 homes and businesses without power and causing damage to various structures.
One of the buildings that was hit was Yost Ice Arena, the legendary home of the University of Michigan men's and women's ice hockey programs. New video footage shows that the arena's roof suffered potentially significant damage.
Part of Yost Ice Arena roof 'ripped off'
WWJ 950 shared video from journalist Luke Sloan which shows mangled metal from the Yost Ice Arena roof on the ground.
"The University of Michigan seeing some bad storm damage this morning," the WWJ tweet reads. "Roads are blocked and a portion of the Yost Ice Arena roof has been ripped off. No reports of injuries. The Ann Arbor Fire Department responded to more than 75 calls by 5:20 a.m."
The University of Michigan seeing some bad storm damage this morning. Roads are blocked and a portion of the Yost Ice Arena roof has been ripped off. No reports of injuries. The Ann Arbor Fire Department responded to more than 75 calls by 5:20 a.m.
— WWJ 950 (@WWJ950) April 15, 2026
???? WWJ's Luke Sloan pic.twitter.com/9pPSaNayra
'The Cathedral of College Hockey'
Yost Ice Arena, which is named after longtime Michigan football coach and athletic director Fielding H. Yost, opened in 1924 as Fielding H. Yost Field House. The building housed the Wolverines' men's basketball program until the opening of Crisler Arena in 1967 and the school's track teams until 1973.
In 1973, it was converted to an ice arena, and has hosted Michigan's hockey teams ever since. The Maize and Blue men's program has won a pair of national championships and earned more than a dozen Frozen Four berths in its tenure at Yost Ice Arena, which has become known as "The Cathedral of College Hockey."
Storms leave Michigan picking up pieces
This week has been a tough one, weather-wise, for the Great Lakes State. Two tornadoes touched down in West Michigan overnight, and there is extensive flooding and thousands of residents without power around the state.
Much of the state remains in a Flood Watch through Thursday, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).
"Flood Watch in effect through Thurs night. Potential exists for multiple rounds of showers and thunderstorms to move across the region during this time," the NWS Detroit office tweeted early Wednesday morning. "Additional 1 to 2 inches of rainfall are expected by Thurs night, with locally higher totals possible."