Tornado outbreak of March 5–7, 2026

On March 6, the Storm Prediction Center outlined an Enhanced Risk for severe weather for the Great Plains and the Ozarks. The primary hazard was expected to be large hail. A 10% tornado risk with a CIG1 hatched area was outlined from north-eastern Texas into south-west Missouri, including eastern Oklahoma and western Arkansas, with the primary tornado threat expected to happen in Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma, extending into western Arkansas, Missouri, and southern Iowa. On the night of March 5, 2026, a warm front stalled over northern Indiana and slowly moved northward throughout the afternoon hours of March 6th, with said crossing the Indiana-Michigan state line by 3 pm EST. Southerly winds boosted temperatures into the low to mid 70s across southern Michigan, in conjunction with ample low level moisture being transported northward. Wind shear values built up to 40-50 knots along with surface based CAPE values of 500-2000 J/kg. Storm-relative helicity (SRH) levels reached 200-250 m²/s² within the vicinity of Branch County as well, which is favorable for the formation of supercellular tornadoes. Just after 4 pm EST, a supercell developed in northern Indiana and rode the frontal boundary up into southern Michigan. The supercell initially produced a weak but deadly tornado near Edwardsburg, Michigan, then later produced a strong tornado that impacted the city of Three Rivers, Michigan, where 10 people were injured and multiple businesses sustained damage. Hailstones ranging from quarter to golf ball size fell along the supercells path, with the largest hailstones being 1.75 inches. ==Confirmed tornadoes==

{{Tornado Chart March 5 event March 6 event March 7 event Three Rivers, Michigan This significant and damaging tornado first touched down in St. Joseph County near Arthur L Jones Road and M-60, and tracked east-northeastward, destroying an outbuilding and uprooting trees at EF0 intensity. The tornado began to quickly intensify as it turned northeastward parallel to M-60, uprooting large swaths of trees at EF1 intensity. As it entered the southwestern part of Three Rivers, the tornado then reached EF2 strength and struck a Menards store, with the roof being torn away on the southwest and northwest sections of the building, and an exterior wall collapsing while several customers were inside shopping. A nearby U-Haul facility had an entire section lifted off the ground and destroyed, a Marshalls department store had its entire front blown out, and an OMNI Community Credit Union suffered roof damage. The tornado then weakened back to EF1 intensity and crossed US 131/M-60 at the West Broadway Street intersection before tracking over the Three Rivers Health Hospital complex, which sustained EF1 damage. A Holiday Inn had the southeast corner of its roof ripped off, while another building also suffered roof damage. The tornado then reached EF2 intensity again as it moved through the Immaculate Conception church complex, snapping large trees, heavily damaging the school's gym, and causing exterior wall and roof damage to the church. Northeast of there, homes suffered severe roof damage, including one that had most of its roof ripped off and another that had its attached garage destroyed. The tornado then weakened slightly, but continued to cause widespread EF1 damage as it moved through the central portions of Three Rivers. Numerous homes and vehicles sustained damage, including a two-story home that had its roof removed, and powerlines, traffic lights, and trees throughout the city were damaged or destroyed. The tornado then crossed the St. Joseph River and struck a lumber yard along M-86, destroying a large building and other covered structures in the yard. It then crossed the river again and caused more damage in residential areas before uprooting numerous trees in a cemetery and damaging the W.E. Slitt & Sheet Company facility building. The tornado then turned east-northeastward and reached EF2 intensity again as it crossed 6th Avenue Road and struck a mobile home, completely destroying the garage and tearing off the roof. A nearby newly constructed school transportation facility had its garage doors destroyed and was entirely unroofed. School buses had their windows shattered, and several trailers were tossed and destroyed, including some that were thrown across the road and another that was thrown into the building. The tornado then weakened back to EF1 intensity as it continued east-northeastward through fields and forested areas before crossing St. Joseph River a third time, damaging trees and outbuildings north and northeast of Centreville before dissipating north of Spring Creek Road and west of Bucknell Road after turning due east. The tornado injured 10 people along its path, tracked , and reached a maximum width of . The tornado weakened as it continued into Union City, where it would inflict EF1EF2 damage before dissipating near the Branch/Calhoun County line. Lower construction quality and older homes being impacted contributed to a lack of a higher rating on the Enhanced Fujita scale. The tornado tracked and reached a maximum width of . The following day, professional crews and residents began to clear debris, with trees being extracted from the roofs of homes. Union City High School offered shelter and resources to those affected and began to accept monetary and material donations. Operation BBQ, a volunteer group, arrived in Union City and began to give out free meals to people affected. The tornado was the earliest EF3+ tornado to ever occur in the calendar year for the state of Michigan, and was the strongest to take place in the state in nearly 50 years, since an F4 struck the city of Kalamazoo on April 2, 1977. == Non-tornadic effects ==

Winter storm On the cold side of the system, a winter storm affected much of the Rocky Mountains on March 5–6. Heavy snowfall totals were primarily focused in the more mountainous regions where winter storm warnings were issued, with accumulations over ; the highest being . In Denver, Colorado, the city received , the first snowfall approximately 40 days, owing to a record-warm winter up to that point. Up to 1,302 flights out of Denver International Airport were either delayed or cancelled due to the weather. Three people were injured in Rio Grande City, Texas, on March 7th due to damaging winds. Hail up to the size of softballs was also reported near Rio Grande City by the Texas Department of Public Safety. ==Aftermath==

According to federal weather officials, neither a tornado watch nor a severe thunderstorm watch was put into effect in Michigan during the outbreak due to the storm being primarily concentrated in a small three-county area, which made it difficult to detect in advance; the highest risk level on that day in the area was also only a Level 1 Marginal risk. Governor Whitmer's office called for a probe into the absence of a tornado watch alert and questioned if it could be attributed to President Donald Trump's funding cutbacks to the National Weather Service. ==See also==