WEST MICHIGAN (WWMT) — March 6, 2026, will be a day seared into the memory of many across West Michigan.
Four tornadoes touched down during the afternoon and early evening, leaving damage paths across parts of Cass, St. Joseph, Branch and Calhoun counties.
Four tornadoes touched down on March 6, 2026. While tornadoes can happen during any month, it’s rare to see this many stronger tornadoes in early March. (WWMT)
The tornadoes were all produced by the same parent supercell thunderstorm. A supercell is a type of thunderstorm with a rotating updraft that is key to tornado formation.
Below is what we know about each storm, following a weekend of damage surveys conducted by local and state emergency managers alongside National Weather Service meteorologists.
According to the National Weather Service, a tornado first touched down northwest of Runkle Street and Conrad Road, destroying a garage and damaging the front of a home. The Cass County Sheriff confirmed a 12-year-old boy was killed there during the storm.
The tornado moved northeast, toppling trees and causing minor roof damage as it crossed Yankee Street east of Dailey Road.
It widened and intensified along Harris Street between Hess Road and M-62, snapping or uprooting numerous trees and damaging pole barns and homes.
The tornado continued across M-62 and several local roads, passing near Curtis, Day and Chain lakes before lifting east of South and Walnut roads at approximately 3:35 p.m.
The Three Rivers tornado which occurred on Friday, March 6, 2026, has been preliminarily rated at least and EF2 with max winds of 130 mph. A more detailed and finalized tornado summary is expected in the coming days. (WWMT)
A little more than 10 minutes later, a second tornado touched down in Three Rivers.
Videos showed the tornado tracking just north of M-60, causing extensive damage to several commercial buildings near West Broadway Street. The Menards store took a direct hit, with part of its roof and outer facade torn off.
The tornado then moved east-northeast into the city, where it caused significant damage to other businesses and residential neighborhoods.
Huddlestun Lumber Company, located in the heart of Three Rivers along S Main Street, took at direct hit by the tornado on Friday. (Jerrud Heuring/WWMT)
As of Sunday night, the National Weather Service was still assessing the tornado’s starting and ending points. The rating and peak wind estimates remain preliminary and could be updated when the final survey results are released.
A look at the path of the Union City EF3 tornado on March 6, 2026. The worst damage{ }was in the area of Prairie Rose Ln. and Tuttle Rd. on the northwest shore of Union Lake. It weakened slightly as it moved northeast into town. (WWMT)
At approximately 4:35 p.m., a third tornado touched down on the northwest side of Union Lake in northern Branch County and quickly intensified as it tracked along the shoreline, according to the National Weather Service.
Videos showed a multiple-vortex tornado at its peak near Prairie Rose Lane and Tuttle Road, where homes and cottages were destroyed and debris was scattered or lofted to the northeast. Ice was even observed being lifted off the lake.
Officials said a mobile home was thrown about 100 yards, killing one occupant. Two other fatalities and at least a dozen injuries were reported in the area.
The storm weakened as it moved northeast, causing additional damage in Union City before lifting near the Calhoun-Branch county line at approximately 4:42 p.m.
The Union City tornado is the first EF3 or stronger tornado to strike Michigan since an EF3 hit Gaylord on May 20, 2022, and the earliest EF3 or stronger tornado in a calendar year since reliable records began in 1950.
Shortly after the tornado in Union City, another tornado touched down in Clarendon Township, between Tekonsha and Homer. While weak, this tornado still damaged some outbuildings and brought down some mature trees. (WWMT)
About 15 minutes after the Union City tornado, a fourth and final tornado moved through southern Calhoun County between Tekonsha and Homer. It was rated EF0, with maximum winds of 85 mph.
The tornado touched down just before 5 p.m. west of P Drive South and 18 1/2 Mile Road, according to the National Weather Service.
The twister uprooted several trees and snapped already weakened trunks as it traveled nearly 3 miles toward N Drive South, where it eventually lifted.
Minor structural damage was reported along its path, including a chicken coop roof torn off and a farm outbuilding with collapsed walls and scattered metal roofing.
A few additional trees were uprooted near the tornado’s endpoint, though other nearby limb damage was not believed to be tornado-related, surveyors said.
March 6, 2026, was the deadliest day for tornadoes in Michigan since May 13, 1980, when five people were killed by a tornado that tore through the heart of Kalamazoo.
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