WATCH: Union City, Michigan, Tornado Lake Video Shows Deadly Twister's Rampage
A bizarre moment happened in Union City, Michigan, when a deadly tornado was captured on video heading along the frozen Union Lake.
The dangerous tornado sliced through trees and houses along the bank of the lake. "Video shows a tornado tearing through a neighborhood in Union Lake, Michigan as severe storms moved across the region," NBC 5 Chicago wrote in a YouTube caption. According to Weather.com, "Union City saw this quick-moving and strong twister churn along the water."
"Oh, I hope everyone is okay over there," a woman says in the video. "Oh my God." The tornado cut a path along the lake. "It's lifting houses off of the...holy (expletive). Oh, my heart is pounding. Oh, I hope they're okay."
"There goes a house," a man said in a second video that also captured the Union Lake tornado tearing along the shore and sending debris flying into the air. Drone footage documented the damage after the tornado had passed through.
Photos also captured the damage from the tornado. Another video showed search efforts extended to the lake. That video also captured extensive damage to lake homes lining the water.
The Union Lake, Michigan, Tornado Left 12 People Injured, Including 3 Dead
(Photo by Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)
The Union Lake tornado killed three people and injured 12, according to the Branch County Sheriff's Office.
"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."
According to the Detroit Free Press, the twister was a "surprise tornado." Another person died in Cass County, the Free Press reported.
(Photo by Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)
"The storm formed near Edwardsburg and moved over a 50-mile swath through Three Rivers and Union City, causing widespread damage," the Free Press reported.
A tornado in Oklahoma left another two people dead, according to the Free Press.
People Commented on the Unusualness of the Tornado Lake Video
(Photo by Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)
People commented on the unusual scene. "And those things move faster than you think. It really picked up steam fast. And I've actually never seen footage of a tornado crossing water....even though it was on the edge of the lake/river," wrote one person on the NBC 5 YouTube account.
"That's a wide one. Can't say it's too often you see one in the colder month, along the frozen, or in these parts trying to cross into the water and island hop. Pretty crazy," another person noted.
According to the National Weather Service, Michigan tornadoes are fairly rare, although there are numerous other documented incidents in the past. June and July are the more common months for tornadoes, the NWS wrote, adding that, previously, zero tornadoes had been reported in March in Michigan.