EF0 Tornado — St. Joseph, Michigan

2025-03-30 · near Oakwood, St. Joseph, Michigan

Event narrative

Ground and aerial surveys confirm a weak tornado began near the intersection of Olnhausen and Shimmel Rd where over a dozen pine trees were snapped and several others were uprooted. The tornado proceeded quickly northeast removing an empty grain bin and a portion of a pole barn roof west of the intersection of Fawn River and Stubey roads. The grain bin was thrown into power lines along Fawn River Road, possibly aiding in the damage to several snapped power poles. Spans of a center pivot were rolled once. The tornado then continued across open fields to west of Balk Rd and US 12 where trees were blown down onto power lines. A piece of metal from the barn roof was wrapped around a pole several feet off the ground. Another center pivot was damaged northeast of this intersection. The tornado then dissipated shortly thereafter.

Wider weather episode

A cold front pushed into the area during the afternoon and evening hours, interacting with decent shear and MLCAPE to allow for numerous thunderstorm development. Pockets of damaging winds occurred along with a total of six confirmed tornadoes (three in far southern Lower Michigan and three in northern Indiana).

View location on OpenStreetMap → (41.7660, -85.5090)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1241139. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.