Three people were killed and 12 others injured after a powerful tornado touched down multiple times across Branch, St. Joseph and Cass counties on March 6, with additional severe weather
Three people died and 12 others were injured after a severe storm spawned a tornado that cut through multiple communities in southern Michigan on March 6. The Branch County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the fatalities and injuries, noting that three of the 12 hurts were transported to local hospitals following the storm in the Union Lake area of Branch County.
The National Weather Service office in Northern Indiana announced it would be conducting storm surveys across portions of Cass, St. Joseph and Branch counties to assess damage left behind by a severe thunderstorm that tracked from Edwardsburg through Three Rivers and into Union City over the course of the afternoon.
A tornado that touched down multiple times
The storm first announced itself aggressively. The NWS office in Northern Indiana described the initial event as a large and extremely dangerous tornado that struck Three Rivers, Michigan, causing significant damage. Storm chasers and emergency management personnel in St. Joseph County reported the tornado touched down multiple times before striking the southwest side of Three Rivers just before 4 p.m. local time.
A tornado warning had been issued for portions of Cass and St. Joseph counties at 3:14 p.m., with an update following at 3:52 p.m. that characterized the situation as particularly dangerous. At that point, the tornado was moving northeast over Three Rivers at approximately 40 mph.
Social media footage captured striking images of the storm’s destructive force in St. Joseph and Cass counties, including a section of roof being torn off a Menards store in Three Rivers and debris being thrown through the air.
Local officials also reported that a person had been trapped in debris and required extrication between Niles and Edwardsburg in neighboring Cass County. The NWS additionally reported a large debris signature on radar over Union City, and damage reports were received across a roughly 60-mile stretch between Niles and Union City. Whether that damage was caused by a single tornado or multiple touchdowns had not been immediately confirmed.
Emergency crews urge the public to stay clear
By 5 p.m., the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Office posted a public appeal on Facebook asking residents to stay away from the north end of the county until further notice. The office noted that firefighters, law enforcement, emergency medical services and other emergency workers needed clear access to continue responding to the active situation unfolding in that area.
The storm system that produced the Three Rivers tornado showed continued organization and the potential for further strengthening as it moved into central Michigan, within the coverage zone of the NWS office in Grand Rapids, which had a separate tornado warning set to expire at 5:30 p.m.
Additional storms expected overnight
Authorities warned Friday evening that the severe weather threat was not over. Additional storms were possible overnight into March 7, and officials urged residents across the affected region to seek shelter immediately and monitor trusted weather sources for the latest updates.
The March 6 tornado is part of a broader stretch of deadly severe weather across the country. In Oklahoma, a woman and her daughter were killed on March 5 when their vehicle was struck by a tornado, and Meteorologist were still surveying that damage as the Michigan storm unfolded. The string of tornado-related deaths marks a grim early start to the severe weather season across multiple states.