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.
The tornado that struck Fairview, Oklahoma on March 5, 2026, was rated as an EF-2 after damage surveys were conducted by National Weather Service (NWS) in Norman. At least one other EF-2 and two EF-1 tornadoes were also identified in the region.
Severe storms and tornadoes struck southwest Michigan, United States, on March 6, 2026, killing at least four people and injuring more than a dozen in Branch and Cass counties. Homes were destroyed, trees uprooted, and power infrastructure damaged as emergency crews carried out search and rescue operations through the night.
Ambae’s Manaro Voui volcano remained in minor eruption on March 6, 2026, as Vanuatu’s government approved emergency response measures after acid rain and ash impacts spread beyond the island. Authorities maintained Alert Level 3 and prepared evacuation plans in case activity escalates further, but said no mass evacuation had been ordered at this stage.
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.3 struck 182 km (113 miles) ESE of Kirakira, Solomon Islands at 14:27 UTC on March 6, 2026. The agency is reporting a depth of 8.7 km (5.4 miles). EMSC is reporting M6.3 at a depth of 9 km (5.6 miles). According to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC), there is no tsunami threat from this event.
An M4.9 earthquake struck near Edgefield in northwestern Louisiana, United States, at 11:30 UTC on March 5, 2026, becoming the strongest inland earthquake recorded in the state. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported the event at a depth of 11.1 km (6.9 miles), while the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) estimated a depth of 10 km (6.1 miles). The quake was widely felt across northern Louisiana and parts of neighboring Texas.
A mother and daughter were killed near Fairview, Oklahoma, after a tornado struck their vehicle near state highways 60 and 243 late on March 5, 2026, according to the Major County Sheriff’s Office. The fatalities were confirmed on March 6.
Multiple tornadoes were reported across parts of Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas on March 5, 2026, as severe thunderstorms moved across the southern Plains. The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) received at least seven tornado reports during the event, with storms causing localized damage and leaving more than 11 000 customers without power as of March 6, according to PowerOutage.US.
Severe thunderstorms capable of producing very large hail, damaging winds, and a few tornadoes are forecast to develop across the Texas Panhandle, western Oklahoma, and southern Kansas late on March 5, 2026. The National Weather Service (NWS) Storm Prediction Center (SPC) has issued an Enhanced Risk for the region as atmospheric conditions become favorable for supercell development along a dryline during the late afternoon and evening.
Record rainfall struck Dallas–Fort Worth, Texas, on March 4, 2026, when Dallas–Fort Worth International Airport recorded 39.4 mm (1.55 inches) of rain, breaking the previous daily record of 32.3 mm (1.27 inches) set in 1937. The storms flooded highways across North Texas, caused the collapse of a commercial building roof on Kingsley Road, and triggered a lightning-caused house fire in Fort Worth.
