Michigan's deadly EF-3 tornado among state's earliest, strongest on record
A rare, early-season tornado in Michigan was the strongest to hit the state since 1977, and left four dead, including a 6th grader.
Michigan is pretty average for number of tornadoes per year, but not this early. AccuWeather Reporter Anna Azallion has more details.
The Lower Peninsula of Michigan experienced several deadly tornadoes on March 6, including an EF-3 tornado in Union City and another tornado near Edwardsburg that killed a local sixth grader. The outbreak marked an unprecedentedly early start to tornado season for the Great Lakes State.
While Michigan ranks in the middle of the United States for average tornadoes per year, March tornadoes are rare, according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Jesse Ferrell.
Debris is left behind following a tornado that hit several cities in rural southwest Michigan on March 7, 2026 in Union City, Michigan. Several people were killed and about a dozen others were injured by the storm in Union City. (Photo by Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)
Michigan averages about 13 tornadoes per year, based on data from 1995 to 2024. Only five of the past 30 years recorded any tornadoes in March in the state, Ferrell said.
On March 6, at least three confirmed tornadoes touched down across the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, causing damage in three counties and resulting in four deaths, including a sixth-grade student in Cass County.
Video from the Michigan State Police shows homes and businesses damaged after tornadoes tore across southwest Michigan on March 6.
National Weather Service survey teams from northern Indiana determined that the Union City tornado was an EF-3 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. With estimated peak winds of 160 mph, it is the strongest tornado to strike Michigan since April 1977, according to AccuWeather experts.
It is also the earliest EF-3 tornado on record in Michigan, surpassing the previous benchmark of March 15, 2022, when an EF-3 hit near Ann Arbor. Before the March 6 tornado, the most recent EF-3 in the state occurred in Gaylord on May 20, 2022.
Debris is left behind following a tornado that hit several cities in rural southwest Michigan on March 7, 2026 in Union City, Michigan. Several people were killed and about a dozen others were injured by the storm in Union City. (Photo by Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)
The timing and severity of the outbreak caught many residents off guard.
The areas that experienced tornadoes were under a Level 1 out of 5, or “Some Risk,” on AccuWeather’s severe weather scale. This level indicates that severe storms are possible in parts of the region and can include tornadoes, even though it is not the highest alert level.
Debris is left behind following a tornado that hit several cities in rural southwest Michigan on March 7, 2026 in Union City, Michigan. Several people were killed and about a dozen others were injured by the storm in Union City. (Photo by Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)
Despite the relatively low risk designation, the necessary ingredients for severe weather came together. The outbreak underscores the importance of staying weather aware and having multiple ways to receive watches and warnings year-round, even in the early spring months in the Great Lakes region.
AccuWeather meteorologists are tracking another round of potent severe weather on Tuesday night for some of the same areas impacted by last week's storms with the greatest risk for tornadoes happening after dark from Missouri to Indiana.
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