A large tree toppled over into the playground of Andrews Elementary School in Three Rivers during Sunday’s severe thunderstorm, knocking out a swingset and part of the playground’s fence. (COMMERCIAL-NEWS | ROBERT TOMLINSON) 
Window panes and other debris from Boland Tire in Three Rivers are strewn about in the aftermath of a severe thunderstorm that blew through Three Rivers and St. Joseph County Sunday night. (COMMERCIAL-NEWS | ROBERT TOMLINSON) 
A tree fell on the home of Zach and Aleeyah Fultz during Sunday’s storm, landing in their kitchen. Aleeyah said everyone in their family was okay, and added that it would take a while for the damage to be fixed up. (COMMERCIAL-NEWS | ROBERT TOMLINSON) 
A road sign broke off its post and landed in a nearby tree near the corner of West Michigan Avenue and U.S. 131 in Three Rivers during Sunday’s thunderstorm. (COMMERCIAL-NEWS | ROBERT TOMLINSON) 
A large tree toppled in a yard on North Main Street during Sunday’s thunderstorm, one of many in the North Main Street/Hoffman Road area that were affected by the high winds and rain. (COMMERCIAL-NEWS | ROBERT TOMLINSON) 
Nick Crotser of Three Rivers trims some large branches that fell in his yard in Three Rivers during Sunday’s thunderstorm. (COMMERCIAL-NEWS | ROBERT TOMLINSON) 
A large pine tree lays at a diagonal angle over Hoffman Road near Portage Avenue in Three Rivers after being nearly toppled over during Sunday’s thunderstorm. (Photo provided by Chuck Friese) 
A tree fell in a residential neighborhood near South Lakeview Road in Sturgis during Sunday’s thunderstorm. (Dennis Volkert/Sturgis Sentinel) 
Storm damage at a home on North Lakeview Avenue in Sturgis. (Dennis Volkert/Sturgis Sentinel) 
Uprooted tree at Eye Care West on U.S. 12 in Sturgis. The business office was closed Monday, due to a power outage, which still affected several hundred customers, according to city officials. (Dennis Volkert/Sentinel)
Updated 4:01 p.m. March 31, 2025
By Robert Tomlinson
News Director
ST. JOSEPH COUNTY — A powerful thunderstorm rolled through St. Joseph County Sunday evening, causing numerous power outages, downed trees, and property damage in spots around the county.
According to the National Weather Service, there was “widespread” wind damage throughout the southern Michigan/northern Indiana area, with wind gusts of 60-80 miles per hour recorded. Damage assessments will be performed Monday to examine the extent of the damage, and will determine if any tornadoes occurred. The Kirsch Airport in Sturgis reported a wind gust of 64 miles per hour at 6:22 p.m. Sunday night, according to NWS.
As of 10 a.m. Monday morning, over 3,300 Indiana Michigan Power customers in St. Joseph County were still without power, with 1,895 in the 49093 area code alone. For Consumer’s Energy customers, mainly on the west side of St. Joseph County, there were 2,048 reported outages as of Monday morning, with over 1,100 reported between Three Rivers and Sturgis. Midwest Energy and Communications reported 170 St. Joseph County customers without power Monday morning, while over 5,000 of their customers in Cass County were out of power as of that time. Sturgis Electric reported they have restored power to all but 300 of their customers as of 7:30 a.m. Monday, with nearly 1,300 out of power at the storm’s peak Sunday night.
In Three Rivers, the bulk of the damage was mainly concentrated in the first and third districts, in the West Michigan Avenue corridor and the Main Street/Hoffman Road area. The most recognizable damage were numerous panes of glass that were ripped from windows at Boland Tire on West Michigan Avenue, with debris strewn about from the glass. Workers were observed boarding up the windows late into Sunday night.
In that same area, there were reports of a semi trailer that was blown over in the parking lot between Boland Tire and Biggby Coffee. Some roof damage to Biggby was also reported.
In the Third District of the city, there were two trees that fell in the area of Andrews Elementary School, with one blocking one lane of South Douglas Avenue, and another larger one toppling over and causing damage to the school’s playground fence and swingset.
In the first district, there were multiple trees down in the Hoffman Road, Portage Road and North Main Street areas, with firefighters directing traffic at one point at the intersection of Hoffman and North Main to direct drivers away from some of the hardest-hit areas.
Some homes in the area were hit by trees, causing various levels of damage. One of those hit was the home of Zach and Aleeyah Fultz on Maple Street, where the large tree behind their house slammed into the kitchen area of their home. Aleeyah Fultz said she was taking a nap right before the storm came through, and when she got up to go to the bathroom, she noticed the wind gusts and power flickering and knew something was up.
“I thought maybe it was just the storm, but then I started hearing a lot of commotion, so I grabbed my kids, we went into our bathtub because we don’t have a basement, and then I remember hearing this boom, and that must’ve been the tree landing in our kitchen,” Aleeyah said.
She added that Zach had to go back in after her and the kids went to their neighbor’s house to grab their dog, who was “terrified” at the time, and while its crate was in the affected kitchen area, she said “thankfully” the dog wasn’t in its crate at the time the tree came down. In all, she said she was glad her family was okay.
“I’m happy we’re okay,” Aleeyah said. “[Houses] are replaceable.”
Elsewhere in St. Joseph County, NWS reported various trees and branches down at numerous spots around Sturgis, which were still being cleaned up Monday, a tree down on a power line near Burr Oak, and multiple limbs down around the areas of U.S. 131 and M-216. There was also storm damage reported north of Three Rivers in various spots as well.
St. Joseph County Sheriff Chad Spence confirmed that damage assessments with the NWS are being conducted Monday, noting in a press release the hardest-hit areas of Three Rivers and Sturgis, and the “significant structural damage, downed power lines, and debris-blocked roadways” in those communities. He said in a statement the Sheriff’s Department commends local police, fire departments, EMS, and the St. Joseph County Road Commission for working together to respond “swiftly and effectively” following the storm.
As of Sunday night, Spence said he was not aware of any injuries reported in the county because of the storm.
Robert Tomlinson can be reached at 279-7488 or robert@wilcoxnewspapers.com.
