Union City Tornado Damage Photos Show Rare Twister's Destruction

Photos on Getty Images and social media show the devastating trail of damage left by the Union City, Michigan, tornado.

According to the Branch County Sheriff's Office, the twister injured a dozen people, with three deaths. Searches for survivors continued on March 7, 2026. It's very rare for Michigan to be hit with a tornado, especially outside the summer months. Rarer yet, viral videos showed the tornado cutting a swath along a frozen lake. An aerial video, which was shared by the Village of Union City on Facebook, captured the damage from the air. You can see Union City tornado damage photos throughout this article.

“Our search efforts around Union Lake will be continuing this morning and throughout today. Please avoid the area,” the Sheriff’s Department wrote on March 7. “I know there are a lot of great people in our community that want to donate items to the victims of the tornado and the area affected. Emergency Management is advising there is not a need for groceries or perishable goods. If you feel you need to do something to help, please make a monetary donation to the Branch County Sheriff’s Office Victim Services Unit or the American Red Cross.”

Where Is Union City, Michigan?

Union City, Michigan, is located in southern Michigan, closer to South Bend, Indiana, than it is to Detroit.

"The Village of Union City was legally established on January 26th, 1866 and was granted a Village charter by the State of Michigan on March 23rd, 1869," the Union City website explains. "Union City got its name from the union of the St. Joseph and Coldwater Rivers."

The website says that 1,599 people lived in Union City in 2010. "Union City experienced significant storm damage this evening, particularly around the Union Lake and downtown areas. Village crews, emergency responders, and utility workers are actively working to assess damage and clear debris," the village wrote.

The Detroit Free Press published a series of Union City tornado damage photos. According to the Detroit News, search efforts were focused around Union Lake, as people in Union City picked up debris and assessed the damage from the twister.

The photos on Getty Images show fallen trees and damaged homes.

A Resident of Union City Said the Tornado Was 'Chugging Like a Train'

"You could kind of hear it chugging like a train," Union City resident Duane Green told the newspaper. "I watched it come up the street. I went in (the store), went down to the basement.

"When I came out ... you could see the storm was going that way," he added to the Detroit News.

According to the Detroit News, the "area west of Union City, at Union Lake" suffered the most tornado damage.

The tornado's winds reached up to 150 mph. "The National Weather Service has rated the Union City tornado that struck Friday as an EF3," reported Mid Michigan Now. "The last EF3 tornado confirmed in Michigan occurred on May 20, 2022, in Gaylord," that site noted.

"First, we want to say thank you. Since the storm, we have received an overwhelming number of messages and calls from people offering help… everything from food, equipment, dumpsters, porta potties, and even manual labor. The generosity of this community and surrounding communities has been incredible," the Village of Union City wrote on Facebook.

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