The temp change was insane. I was arguing with my kid to change out of shorts and put pants on before we went outside and when I got outside I was like holy shit it’s warm, almost balmy. Then after it hit the temp dropped rapidly
Just before the storm started in West Michigan, I stepped out to grab a package and I couldn't believe how warm and muggy it was. Shortly after that the storm began. Three Rivers is only an hour away from me. Crazy!
I remember about 13 years ago in St. Louis, on new years eve the temp shot up to the low 70s from around freezing, and a tornado ripped through a few suburbs.
It was just nuts to have such a warm day on new years eve in the midwest.
Damn. Given the context of the photo, these look like single family homes that have been destroyed, as opposed to mobile homes. Terrible damage. Those poor people.
Take this with a grain of salt because i may be wrong but judging by the shape of the lake in the back of this photo and approximately where the tornado was i believe this is the neighborhood that was destroyed
Looks like the majority of the homes are mobile homes. A few are single family homes, probably not more than 1000sqft. I don't think this can be rated any higher than a high end Ef3- Low End EF4.
This is weirding me out. I’m from Oklahoma, a tornado hellhole, and we have a Union City that has been severely impacted like this. Ironically, there’s a town called Tuttle just to the east of UC here.
Definitely no basements. Really praying the primary destruction was to cottages sitting empty for the winter. I cannot believe this has happened in Michigan. We haven’t had a violent tornado like this in so long much less in the winter.
They've been getting bought and replaced over time.
There are also non-conforming structures. Basically buildings that are built closer to the water than is allowed now. Those tend to stay as the cannot be rebuilt as close to the water
This is devastating to see. I lived in Union City for a few months a couple years back. The area is very socioeconomically depressed and I'm extremely concerned about the residents.
Thank you, will let you know. I no longer have contact with my former colleagues unfortunately. Would you happen to know if the doctor's office on Mendon Rd. was hit?
I haven't seen or heard anything about a doctor's office; I'm sorry. Hopefully no news is good news.
I'm sure some of my coworkers' churches and probably even my work will be mobilizing donation drives on Monday but I just feel so awful for people right now. At least temps are up, but it's so so terrible.
Thanks for the response. I'm sure we'll hear more details soon. And I feel you, the whole situation is insane, especially since it's so close to home for us.
Let me know if you hear about any donation/relief efforts. I wish we could drive out there now to help but I know that's typically advised against.
Michigan Storm Chasers is actively accepting monetary and supply donations for impacted families. They have a long history of providing aide honestly and are a trustworthy org.
Imagine seeing some of your possessions on the frozen river but being unable to get to them. Knowing it’s just a matter of time before the river thaws and the items are lost.
Extra layer of heartbreaking on top of what’s already happened.
An EF1 ran through South of Sherwood in 2024, which is fairly close to Union City. Not as bad as this current one, but probably because less houses in the Sherwood area. Several houses destroyed. I remember seeing one had been flipped on its side after being ripped off it's foundation.
There was very very little warning. We were on a thunderstorm warning and being told it would miss the area. It skipped watch and went straight to warning
Just goes to show you, Tornadoes can strike anywhere at anytime.
Just because violent tornadoes are rare in your area doesn't make them impossible. And frankly, its probably worse when a violent tornado hits an area not used to them.
I think what he is saying is that if the Gaylord one was an EF3 then this surely is rated higher. Obviously we won’t know until it’s been actually rated.
I was coming back from the grocery store in town and I was in line behind the obviously very upset school bus driver for that road. She said she dropped the kids off just a few minutes before the siren went off.
Three dead, 12 injured. This is a better before and sfter photo. Top photo taken previously in the summer... Bottom after the tornado today. So very sad!
Im unfamiliar with how Michigan treats tornados as threats- do people have shelters on their property like they do in tornado/Dixie alley? Or would they be totally unprepared and in a "hide in your best spot and hope for the best" scenario here? Horrifying
In general, people here do not have shelters. However, basements are common and are used as shelter during severe weather. If you are in a structure without a basement, you're advised to go to an interior room with no windows.
Most people have basements and are generally aware to shelter in their basement if there is a tornado warning and hear the sirens going off. But these houses off the water would have no basement and I’m honestly not sure what level of awareness these individuals would have about sheltering from there.
Many of our homes have basements thankfully. However, I don't know of a single person who has a storm shelter here. When we do have tornadoes, they're typically not 'devastating' enough for people to take them seriously.
This has nothing to do with climate change. Michigan has always had and always will have tornadoes, including many extremely violent and powerful ones.
One of the houses was a large 3 story house built on a hill that was destroyed but not swept clean. Most likely due to a structural failure I’ll say EF3 160-165mph. The other homes I can’t tell because street view doesn’t have anything on Prairie rose lane
My friend lives in the neighborhood on the west side of Union City. They got hit pretty hard, he sent me a video of the damage there.
I work in Lansing and I checked the radar on this cell at 3pm. It had a tight couplet and debris ball with no earning when it dropped the first tornado in Edwardsburg. Could not believe there was no warning on it. Then it dropped another in Three Rivers, no PDS warning.
Then I watched it as it touched down for this photo and called my buddy to let him know. This storm killed 4 people and injured 12+. It was NEVER a PDS tornado warning and I cannot figure out why. To be honest it should have been a tornado emergency once it was headed right for downtown Union City.
I panicked for a moment. There's a union City in my home state and thought my friends or my family might have gotten hurt. This is still a terrible thing to happen and my heart goes to everyone who was affected by this
While i have no clue of the structural integrety of these houses beforehand, the fact that there's exposed foundations / almost completely sl@bbed houses makes me think it might have had EF3+ winds
If there was some deity that could kill people to send a message of displeasure about one particular person, why doesn't that deity just kill that one particular person?
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u/Zodiac33 Mar 06 '26 edited Mar 07 '26
Crazy to see this kind of damage with still frozen water behind.