Deadly storms and tornadoes strike US state of Michigan

A series of tornadoes tore through several cities, uprooting trees and destroying homes.

Powerful storms swept through southern Michigan on Friday, killing four people and injuring several others, as at least one confirmed tornado tore through the region. In Union Lake, near Union City, three fatalities and 12 injuries occurred when a tornado hit, while another death was reported in Cass County. The storm caused severe destruction, uprooting trees, damaging homes, and scattering debris. A historic church in Union City was damaged, although its grand piano was spared.

At least four people were killed Friday in southern Michigan as powerful storms that produced at least one tornado reduced homes to rubble, sent parts ... , and left a trail of debris ... . The storms knocked down trees as tornado warnings were issued across the southern part of the state. In the Union Lake area of Branch County, about two hours outside Detroit, there were three reported deaths, 12 injuries, and three individuals transported to the hospital as of Friday evening, the Branch County Sheriff's Office said in a statement. About 50 miles southwest, in Cass County, there was one reported death, authorities said.

Multiple tornadoes touched down in the Plains and Midwest on Thursday and Friday, including an EF-3 tornado in Michigan. More severe thunderstorms are on the way, threatening lives and property.

Towns across the Midwest and Plains are picking up the pieces after a severe weather outbreak spawned numerous damaging tornadoes that killed at least eight people and injured dozens more.

An intense and deadly tornado tore through south central Michigan on Friday afternoon, laying siege to neighborhoods in Union City, about 25 miles east-southeast of Kalamazoo, with additional tornado damage reported in the town of Three Rivers about 25 miles away.

Powerful storms whipped up tornadoes that left swaths of damage and killed four in Michigan and two in Oklahoma, with homes reduced to rubble, downed trees, and power outages.

An intense and deadly tornado tore through south central Michigan on Friday afternoon, laying siege to neighborhoods in Union City, about 25 miles east-southeast of Kalamazoo, with additional tornado damage reported in the town of Three Rivers about 25 miles away. The afternoon tornado was particularly striking because it passed over several frozen lakes, including Union Lake. While multiple tornadoes struck the Tulsa and eastern Oklahoma areas, Michigan got the day's strongest tornado, which formed thanks to a warm front slyly lurking nearby. The worst damage appears to have hit Union City, where homes were destroyed, vehicles were tossed and trees were left stripped and partially debarked. At least four people have been killed in at least two counties across the region, according to local authorities. At the very least, it was the strongest tornado on record so early in the season in Michigan. The impact suggests winds may have reached 145 mph to 170 mph, which could mean the tornado was in the high-end EF3 to perhaps EF4 range on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, which rates tornado damage on a scale from 0 (weakest) to 5 (strongest).

At least three tornadoes touched down in southern Michigan during Friday's severe storms, according to the National Weather Service. An EF-3 tornado ripped through Union City, Michigan, in Branch County. The federal agency said it had a wind speed of at least 165 mph — just 1 mph shy of an EF-4 classification on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. At least three people died and 12 others were injured as a result of the twister, according to the agency, and several homes in the area were severely damaged. Officials said that only a small portion of the Union City tornado's possible track has been assessed and that other details, including how far it went and how long it lasted, "will be released as they become available."

Video from Three Rivers obtained by Michigan Public showed a funnel cloud forming and careening across a strip mall parking lot, rocking cars and sending debris spiraling as it swept through the city 20 miles south of Kalamazoo. A couple traveling through Three Rivers from northern Indiana said they watched the tornado rip the roof off a Menards hardware store. A manager at the store told MLive that people inside scrambled for cover, and he was not aware of any serious injuries. The St. Joseph County Sheriff's Office told people to avoid travel in the city of Three Rivers and Fabius Township, which neighbors the city to the west, and to call 911 to report anyone unaccounted for. "Citizens should anticipate power outages, closed roadways and/or neighborhoods, and cellular/internet disruptions," the sheriff's office said. Indiana Michigan Power, which supplies electricity to the area, reported more than 4,700 customers without power near Three Rivers Friday evening. The storm cell that spawned the tornadoes churned across the state for more than three hours. The National Weather Service issued 10 tornado warnings starting at 3:15 p.m. and ending at 6:30 — although a severe thunderstorm watch remained in effect for parts of Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan until 11 p.m. The weather service said the storms also had a chance to bring golf-ball size hail. Michigan State Police said in a social media post that injuries and property damage had been reported as a result of the storms, but did not offer details.

At least six people were killed Friday in Michigan and Oklahoma as powerful storms produced at least one tornado that reduced homes to rubble, sent parts of roofs flying into the air, and left a trail of debris hanging from power lines. The Michigan storms knocked down trees as tornado warnings were issued across the southern part of the state. In the Union Lake area of Branch County, about two hours outside Detroit, there were three reported deaths, 12 injuries, and three individuals transported to the hospital as of Friday evening, the Branch County Sheriff's Office said in a statement. About 50 miles southwest, in Cass County, there was one reported death, authorities said.