Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is calling for a federal review after no tornado watch was issued ahead of the deadly storms that struck southwest Michigan on March 6, killing four people and injuring several others.
Whitmer’s office said it wants to determine whether staffing or funding cuts at the National Weather Service may have played a role in the absence of a watch before the storms moved through the region. The governor declared a state of emergency Sunday for Branch, Cass and St. Joseph counties and later toured storm damage from a Michigan State Police helicopter.
The request for a review comes after a series of tornadoes swept across southern Michigan and northern Indiana Friday afternoon, leaving widespread damage and multiple casualties.
According to the National Weather Service, the storms began when “a lone supercell developed in La Porte County, IN and tracked northeast into Lower Michigan,” moving through Cass, St. Joseph and Branch counties during the afternoon hours.
Damage surveys conducted over the weekend confirmed at least three tornadoes in southwest Michigan. Preliminary ratings show an EF-1 tornado in Edwardsburg with winds near 95 mph, an EF-2 tornado in Three Rivers with winds reaching about 130 mph and an EF-3 tornado near Union City with winds estimated at up to 160 mph. Officials said those ratings remain preliminary as additional drone footage, photos and video evidence are reviewed.
Authorities said the storms caused four fatalities — three in Branch County and one in Cass County — and more than a dozen injuries. Twelve injuries were reported near Union Lake in Union City, with additional injuries reported in the Edwardsburg area.
The EF-1 tornado in Edwardsburg killed a 12-year-old boy when it destroyed part of a home northwest of Runkle Street and Conrad Road. The most destructive storm struck near Union Lake and Union City, where the EF-3 tornado heavily damaged numerous homes and sheared off trees along the north side of the lake. Several businesses in Three Rivers also sustained notable structural damage.
Meteorologists say tornado watches are typically issued for broad regions hours before potential storms develop, while tornado warnings are issued once a tornado has been detected or reported. National Weather Service offices began issuing tornado warnings Friday afternoon after reports of a tornado near Edwardsburg.
Storm Prediction Center Deputy Director Bill Bunting said the storms developed in a highly localized environment that made them difficult to anticipate in advance.
The National Weather Service also noted the Union City tornado is historically significant. The agency said its preliminary EF-3 rating makes it “the earliest EF3+ tornado in the calendar year for Michigan,” surpassing the previous record set by a March 15, 2012 tornado north of Ann Arbor.
Officials said damage assessments and recovery efforts remain ongoing as crews continue evaluating the full extent of the destruction.
“Our hearts go out to anyone affected by the severe storms and tornadoes,” the National Weather Service said in a statement, thanking emergency managers, trained spotters, storm chasers, media and members of the public who submitted reports, photos and videos documenting the damage.
Image credit: Michigan State Police.
