‘It’s lifting houses!’ At least six dead as suspected tornadoes hit Michigan, Oklahoma

Hartford, Connecticut/Minneapolis: Authorities are searching through rubble and debris in southern Michigan after suspected tornadoes tore through the region and killed four people, including a 12-year-old boy, during powerful storms also blamed for two deaths in eastern Oklahoma.

First responders from agencies in the Union Lake area near Union City were looking for more possible victims and working to clear roads, authorities said. Photos and videos posted on social media showed flattened homes and downed trees in a lakeside neighbourhood.

Severe thunderstorms that began in northern Indiana appeared to spawn multiple tornadoes in southern Michigan the previous day, said meteorologist Lonnie Fisher of the National Weather Service (NWS), which sent teams to the region to evaluate the damage and confirm tornadoes.

“Most likely there were three distinct tornadoes, but we won’t know 100 per cent for sure until they finish the survey,” Fisher said, adding that the storms intensified rapidly in southern Michigan after hitting northern Indiana.

The threat of severe weather continued across the nation’s midsection, with strong thunderstorms possible from Texas, north-east to Ohio, western Pennsylvania, and New York.

Later on Saturday (US time), the NWS said an initial assessment confirmed that an EF3 tornado with winds of at least 241km/h struck the Union Lake area. Surveys in other damaged areas were pending. Tornado watches were posted in the afternoon for eastern Ohio, northern West Virginia and western Pennsylvania and New York.

Three people were killed and 12 were injured in the Union Lake area, according to the Branch County Sheriff’s Office. It was the second tornado to hit Union City in two years. An EF1 tornado with 153km/h winds touched down briefly in May 2024 and destroyed a machine shed.

Lisa Piper stood on her back deck and recorded a terrifying scene that played out on the other side of frozen Union Lake as a funnel cloud formed, then dropped towards the ground on Friday. Trees were torn from their roots, and debris flew into the air.

“It’s lifting houses!” she said. As the devastation continued, she exclaimed: “Oh, my heart is pounding. Oh, I hope they’re OK.”

Dan Taylor raced home to Union City from his cleaning job at a nearby hospital that day to find his brother and two dogs safe. But a tree fell on his home of 20 years, and portions of the roof of a house across the street blew into his yard.

“I didn’t know what to say. I was lost for words,” he said Saturday. “I’m just thankful that my brother’s all right, my dogs, because it could have turned bad. We’re not guaranteed of anything.”

About 81 kilometres south-west of Union Lake, a 12-year-old boy died and several other people were injured during a possible tornado, the Cass County Sheriff’s Office said. Sheriff Clint Roach said in a Facebook post that Silas Anderson’s parents found him injured and provided first aid, but he later died at a hospital.

Disaster relief workers went door to door in the Union City and Three Rivers areas to offer meals and clean-up supplies. Governor Gretchen Whitmer said she would declare a state of emergency in the Branch, Cass and St Joseph counties.

In Beggs, about 50 kilometres south of Tulsa, Oklahoma, a tornado was blamed for the deaths of two people in a house on Friday, the Okmulgee County Sheriff’s Office said. Two others were taken to a hospital.

The tornado cut a roughly 6.4-kilometre path of damage in Okmulgee County, including Beggs, said Jeff Moore, the county’s emergency manager. Large trees toppled and power outages were reported.

Suspected tornadoes also were reported in northern parts of Tulsa, where a building at the Tulsa Tech Peoria campus was damaged.

Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt declared a state of emergency in several counties to free up support and resources.

The Oklahoma deaths came a day after storms killed a 47-year-old woman and her 13-year-old daughter in their vehicle in Fairview, in the western part of the state.

The spring storms come near the start of what many call tornado season, which generally begins at various times in different parts of the US. Experts recommend a few simple safety steps to take before tornadoes hit, including having a weather radio and a plan for where to take shelter.

In parts of the South, the weather pattern was expected to usher in extremely warm temperatures for this time of year by the weekend.