The map below shows all ten EF2+ tornadoes from the outbreak, including NWS damage survey paths, warning polygons, local storm reports, and damage assessment data. Click any event to view its full timeline.
Map data: NWS damage assessment team (DAT) surveys, storm prediction center reports, and local storm reports. Visualization powered by DisasterAWARE.
The outbreak began Wednesday evening when a powerful supercell developed across central Oklahoma. The Storm Prediction Center had issued a Moderate Risk for severe weather across parts of Oklahoma, Kansas, and northern Texas.
WFO: Norman (OUN) · 2 fatalities
The first significant tornado of the outbreak touched down near Helena in Alfalfa County and tracked northeast. A 47-year-old woman and her 13-year-old daughter from Fairview were killed when their vehicle was struck by the tornado near a highway intersection at approximately 10 p.m.
NWS damage assessment teams documented three distinct tornado paths from this supercell: an EF2 path stretching 19.1 miles, a second EF2 path of 7.1 miles, and an EF1 segment of 6.4 miles.
Thursday was the most violent day of the first wave. A single supercell developed in La Porte County, Indiana, just after 3 p.m. EST and tracked northeast into southwest Michigan, producing four tornadoes in rapid succession. Simultaneously, another wave of severe weather tore through northeastern Oklahoma.
WFO: Northern Indiana (IWX) · 1 fatality · 110 injuries
The supercell's second tornado intensified as it approached Three Rivers in St. Joseph County, reaching EF2 intensity with winds of 130 mph. Dramatic footage captured the twister ripping the roof off a Menards store and tearing apart a nearby Dollar Tree. The tornado injured 110 people, making it the most injurious single tornado of the outbreak.
WFO: Northern Indiana (IWX) · 3 fatalities · 12 injuries
The deadliest tornado of the first wave touched down at approximately 4:33 p.m. on the northwest side of Union Lake in northern Branch County. It rapidly intensified into a multi-vortex tornado, reaching EF3 intensity with winds up to 160 mph — the strongest tornado to strike Michigan in 49 years and the earliest EF3 ever recorded in the state.
Three people were killed, including a 12-year-old boy, and 12 others were injured. Governor Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of emergency for the affected counties.
WFO: Tulsa (TSA) · 2 fatalities · 1 injury
Another deadly EF3 tornado ripped through Beggs in Okmulgee County, Oklahoma, with peak winds of 135–140 mph. Todd and Becky McClellan of Beggs were killed in the storm.
WFO: Tulsa (TSA) · No fatalities
A separate tornado was confirmed in Rogers County near Collinsville, rated EF2 with peak winds between 125–135 mph.
The outbreak's nocturnal tornadoes struck in the predawn hours of March 7 as the storm system pushed eastward — making them particularly dangerous nighttime tornadoes.
WFO: Shreveport (SHV) · 20 injuries
A tornado touched down at approximately 3:09 a.m., tracking toward Jefferson. Despite being on the ground for only 5 minutes, the tornado caused 20 injuries.
WFO: Shreveport (SHV) · 1 injury
A tornado struck at 5:37 a.m., tearing through the area west of Willisville with a 2.73-mile path and maximum winds of 125 mph.
After a brief lull, the outbreak roared back on March 10 with a second wave of severe weather that produced three more significant tornadoes across Indiana and Illinois — including the strongest tornado anywhere in the United States in over a decade.
WFO: Northern Indiana (IWX)
The most powerful tornado of the outbreak — and only the second EF5 tornado in the United States since 2013 — struck eastern Indiana on March 10. NWS damage assessment teams documented a 14.6-mile damage path with EF5-level destruction and winds in excess of 200 mph.
The EF5 rating makes this tornado historically significant: only one other tornado — in North Dakota in June 2025 — has reached the top of the Enhanced Fujita Scale since 2013. An EF5 in early March is virtually unheard of.
WFO: Chicago (LOT) · 2 fatalities
A long-track supercell developed across northeastern Illinois, producing a destructive tornado through Kankakee County. NWS documented 102 survey points across the damage path. Two people were killed. The same supercell also produced potentially record-breaking hailstones measuring 5 to 6 inches in diameter.
WFO: Chicago (LOT) · 2 fatalities
The most powerful tornado from the March 10 Illinois–Indiana outbreak tracked from near Aroma Park in Kankakee County northeast across the state line into Newton County, Indiana, striking Lake Village before continuing toward DeMotte. The tornado reached EF3 intensity with peak winds of approximately 150 mph.
Ed and Arlene Kozlowski of Lake Village, Indiana were killed when the tornado struck their home, causing what officials described as “total devastation” in the community. NWS documented 125 survey points across the extensive path.
The outbreak was driven by two distinct rounds of potent spring-like weather systems despite occurring in early March — well ahead of the traditional peak tornado season (April–June).
First wave (March 5–7): Strong wind shear, high storm-relative helicity, and unusually high CAPE for early March. A stalled warm front along the Indiana-Michigan border triggered explosive supercell development.
Second wave (March 10): A second powerful storm system produced the EF5 in Indiana and the long-track supercell that devastated communities from Illinois through northwest Indiana, along with historically large hailstones.
The DisasterAWARE platform monitored this outbreak in real-time across all six days, providing automated hazard detection, impact exposure analysis, and multi-source data fusion combining radar signatures, ground truth reports, and NWS damage assessment surveys.
The interactive map above demonstrates the level of event detail available through DisasterAWARE's hazard intelligence platform. Organizations using DisasterAWARE Enterprise received real-time alerts as each tornado warning was issued.
This outbreak is a stark reminder that significant tornadoes — including the most powerful EF5 category — can occur outside the traditional peak season.
Data sources: National Weather Service damage assessment teams (OUN, IWX, TSA, SHV, LOT), Storm Prediction Center, local storm reports. Map visualization generated from NWS data by DisasterAWARE.
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