The Tulsa Tech Peoria Campus damaged by a Friday night storm is shown Saturday, March 7, 2026 in Tulsa, Okla. (Mike Simons /Tulsa World via AP)

Authorities searched through rubble and debris in southern Michigan on Saturday after suspected tornadoes tore through the region and killed four people, including a 12-year-old boy, during powerful storms also blamed for two deaths in eastern Oklahoma.

First responders from multiple agencies in the Union Lake area near Union City looked for more possible victims and worked to clear roads, authorities said. Photos and videos posted on social media showed flattened homes and downed trees in a lakeside neighborhood.

Severe thunderstorms that began in northern Indiana appeared to spawn multiple tornadoes in southern Michigan the previous day, said meteorologist Lonnie Fisher of the National Weather Service, which sent teams to the region to evaluate the damage and confirm tornadoes.

“Mostly likely there were three distinct tornadoes, but we won’t know 100 percent for sure until they finish the survey,” Fisher said, adding that the storms intensified rapidly in southern Michigan after hitting northern Indiana.

The threat of severe weather continued in the nation’s midsection, with strong thunderstorms possible from Texas northeast all the way to Ohio and western Pennsylvania and New York.

Later Saturday the NWS said an initial assessment confirmed that an EF3 tornado with winds of at least 150 mph struck the Union Lake area. Surveys in other damaged areas were pending. Tornado watches were posted in the afternoon for eastern Ohio, northern West Virginia and western Pennsylvania and New York.

Three people were killed and 12 were injured in the Union Lake area, according to the Branch County Sheriff’s Office.

About 50 miles southwest of Union Lake, a 12-year-old boy died and several other people were injured during a possible tornado.

In Beggs, about 30 miles south of Tulsa, Oklahoma, a tornado was blamed for the deaths of two people in a house on Friday, the Okmulgee County Sheriff’s Office said. Two others were taken to a hospital.

The tornado cut a roughly 4-mile path of damage in Okmulgee County including Beggs, said Jeff Moore, the county’s emergency manager.

Suspected tornadoes also were reported in northern parts of Tulsa, where a building at the Tulsa Tech Peoria campus was damaged.

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt declared a state of emergency in several counties to free up support and resources.

The Oklahoma deaths came a day after storms killed a 47-year-old woman and her 13-year-old daughter in their vehicle in Fairview, in the western part of the state.

The spring storms come near the start of what many call tornado season, which generally begins at various times in different parts of the U.S. Experts recommend a few simple safety steps to take before tornadoes hit, including having a weather radio and a plan for where to take shelter.

In parts of the South, the weather pattern was expected to usher in extremely warm temperatures for this time of year by the weekend.