EF2 tornado in St. Joseph County, Michigan

Another tornado from the same supercell that produced the

Edwardsburg tornado touched down near Roberts Rd and M60 just

southwest of Three Rivers on Friday afternoon. The tornado

quickly intensified and produced EF-2 damage with estimated wind

speeds of 120-130 mph. Here, the tornado hit a Menards, removing

the roof on the southwest and northwest portions of the building,

along with an exterior wall collapse. One section of an nearby

Uhaul facility was also completely destroyed. The tornado

continued through the heart of Three Rivers, producing EF-1 and

isolated pockets of EF-2 damage to residences and businesses

(including the hospital). The tornado crossed the St. Joseph

River, producing extensive damage to a lumber yard before

uprooting many trees in a local cemetery. The tornado produced

another pocket of EF-2 damage to a double-wide mobile home and a

brand new school transportation facility. Multiple school

trailers were tossed either across the street or inside the

transportation facility itself which had its roof removed. As the

tornado became cut off from the main supercell, it began to jog

more eastward. It produced more damage north of Centreville

including a large barn and additional trees snapped.

On the afternoon of March 6th, 2026, a lone supercell developed in La Porte County, IN and tracked northeast into Lower Michigan. The supercell moved through Cass, St Joseph, Branch, and Calhoun counties. NWS storm damage surveys from NWS Northern Indiana and NWS Grand Rapids found that the parent supercell spawned 4 tornadoes across Lower Michigan, ranging from EF-0 to EF-3 intensity. There were numerous reports called in to our office and videos posted on social media by storm chasers, broadcast media, trained spotters, and the public confirming tornado damage in Edwardsburg, Three Rivers, and Union City. The north side of Union Lake in Union City was one of the hardest hit areas with numerous homes taking on significant damage and trees sheared off. Several businesses in the city of Three Rivers also sustained notable damage. Unfortunately, there were multiple fatalities and injuries across Lower Michigan.