Severe storm causes power outages, property damage in St. Joseph County

A powerful thunderstorm swept through St. Joseph County on Sunday evening, bringing widespread power outages, downed trees, and property damage across the region.

According to the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Office, Sturgis and Three Rivers were the hardest-hit areas. The National Weather Service (NWS) reported that the storm, fueled by intense winds, caused “widespread” damage across southern Michigan and northern Indiana, with gusts reaching 60 to 80 mph.

Residents in Three Rivers and Sturgis began reporting power outages Sunday evening. In Sturgis, approximately 1,300 customers served by Sturgis Electric lost power. As of Tuesday morning from the City of Sturgis, all but 300 customers have had service restored.

The NWS report noted numerous downed trees and debris across Sturgis, making travel difficult. Memory Lane Trailer Park sustained significant damage, with roads blocked and some trailers affected.

In Three Rivers, the storm shattered large glass panes at Boland Tire and damaged trailers in the business’s parking lot. Several homes and the Three Rivers Airport also temporarily lost power.

Aleeyah Fultz and her family had a harrowing experience Sunday when a fallen tree landed on their Three Rivers home, tearing a hole through the roof and causing a gas leak. Aleeyah awoke from a nap to flickering lights and winds that rattled the house.

“I looked out my living room window to see the skies pitch black and sticks and debris flying everywhere,” she said. “I gathered my kids and dog and had them sit in the bathtub, and I ran to my bedroom to wake my husband up. Then me and the kids and dog were just sitting in the bathroom hoping for the best, terrified.”

Shortly thereafter Aleeyah heard a loud crash. “After the rumbling stopped (my husband) Zach peeked out and said it looked clear enough for us to run to our next door neighbor’s house. We all booked it over there (before realizing) we didn’t grab our dog. So Zach ran back over.”

Aleeyah said her husband was gone for three to five minutes before he returned with the family dog in tow. “He was coughing up a lung and said there was a gas leak in our house along with the tree. He and my neighbor then ran over to our gas meter and shut the gas off,” she said.

“Zach had bravely rescued our dog who had ran in his crate because he was scared, and his crate was unfortunately in our kitchen where the gas leak was. We are all just so happy we made it out safely.”

Cass County also reported severe damage. Large oak trees fell along Elkhart Road east of M-62, and an agricultural irrigation system was overturned in a field northeast of the M-62 and May Street intersection. Power poles were snapped and lay across the road near May Street and Conrad Road, with some breaking at the base and others several feet above the ground. A nearby home also reported blown-out windows.

A National Weather Service damage assessment on Monday confirmed that the storm was not a tornado but rather a “straight-line wind” event.

Another storm is forecasted for Wednesday, prompting the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Office to issue an advisory. The statement warns of possible thunderstorms throughout the day, with the potential for severe weather in the afternoon and evening. Areas along and south of I-96 face the highest risk, with damaging winds as the primary threat, along with the possibility of large hail and isolated tornadoes.

Najifa Farhat is a staff reporter for Watershed Voice. Alek Haak-Frost is executive editor and publisher of Watershed Voice.