Large and violent tornado hit Union City, Michigan and put counties on alert
A early season tornado has left Union City with widespread damage and fatalities
A large and violent tornado has caused serious damage on the ground in Union City, Michigan.
Reports and pictures have come out showing the widespread damage, but no reports on the number of fatalities. The National Weather Service (NWS) final warning covered Three Rivers and Centreville, Michigan, an area of over 18,000 people.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer activated the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) following the tornado, as per the Michigan State Police. Injuries have been reported in Branch, Cass and St. Joseph counties, with the St. Joseph police advising residents to avoid the north part of the county.
There is no rating for how strong the tornado was, but if the rating were EF3+, it would be the earliest on record for the state. The tornado occurred less than 200 km south of the U.S.-Canada border.
WATCH: Damaging tornado rips through Michigan
Photos show large amounts of damage across the area, as rescue efforts appear to be still ongoing as of the time of writing.
The risk still remains for other tornadoes to form in the area thanks to the current system, with a 2 per cent tornado risk in Buffalo going into Saturday.
The same system is currently impacting Ontario with thunderstorms going into the weekend. Thunderstorms range from non-severe to potentially severe with no tornado threat at this time.
Stay with The Weather Network for more information and updates as the situation evolves