8 dead in Michigan and Oklahoma as over 25 tornadoes hit central United States
At least eight fatalities have been confirmed in parts of Michigan and Oklahoma as a severe weather outbreak spawned dozens of tornadoes across five states between March 5 and 6, 2026. Four fatalities were reported in Michigan and four were reported in Oklahoma, while injuries and widespread destruction were reported across the affected regions.
Tornado moving west of Fairview, Oklahoma, on March 5, 2026. Credit: Fairview Emergency Management Department
At least eight fatalities have been confirmed since March 5 after a major severe weather outbreak spawned multiple tornadoes across Michigan and Oklahoma.
The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) received more than 25 tornado reports between March 5 and 6. While not all of these have been confirmed by the National Weather Service, some have been assessed, including the deadly tornado in Fairview, Oklahoma, which was rated an EF-2 on March 6.
The first fatalities to be reported due to the outbreak were in Fairview, where a mother and daughter were killed after getting struck by the EF-2 tornado on US Highway 60 on March 5.
Meanwhile, two more fatalities were reported in Okmulgee County after an apparent tornado struck a home northeast of Beggs, confirmed Sheriff Eddy Rice.
Tornadoes caused at least four fatalities in Branch and Cass counties in Michigan, along with over a dozen who were injured. Three people were killed, and 12 were injured in the Union Lake area near Union City, according to the Branch County Sheriff’s Office. Three of the injured were hospitalized.
One fatality and several injuries were reported in Cass County after a tornado touched down near Edwardsburg on the afternoon of March 6.
Tornadoes were reported across multiple states, including Oklahoma, Michigan, Kansas, Arkansas, and Texas, through March 5 and 6. States of Emergency and/or Emergency Operations were activated in Michigan, Texas, and Missouri on March 5.
SPC’s storm reports show that four tornadoes were reported across Oklahoma on March 5, while seven were reported on March 6. These include radar-confirmed tornado debris signatures near Helena, Jet, Jefferson, Tulsa, Collinsville, Inola, and Beggs.
Meanwhile, at least seven tornadoes were reported across Cass, St. Joseph, Branch, and Calhoun counties in Michigan on March 6.
Four tornadoes were reported in Kansas between March 5 and 6, while two were reported in Texas, and one was reported in Arkansas.
It is to be noted that these reports remain preliminary and are yet to be fully confirmed by the NWS, and many more tornadoes have been reported that have not been included in the SPC storm reports.
At the time of writing, multiple EF-1 and EF-2 tornadoes have been confirmed. While some media reports indicate tornadoes of EF-3 strength may have touched down in Michigan, this has not been confirmed by any authorities.
I am an Assistant Editor and Severe Weather & Science Journalist at The Watchers, specializing in real-time severe weather coverage, geophysical event reporting, and research-driven scientific analysis. You can reach me at rishav(at)watchers(.)news.
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Thank you, Barry.