PlainHazard

Iron County, Michigan

County storm and disaster record · FIPS 26071 · population 11,625 · 1,166 sq mi

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 425 records for Iron County, Michigan from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 357 days; the most frequent are winter storm records (169 records). 250 of them are forecast-zone records, which the National Weather Service files once per zone: a county covered by several zones receives each one, so a single storm can add several records on the same day. The deadliest single record is the January 15, 2019 cold/wind chill, filed for the forecast zone Iron, which covers the county: 1 death. FEMA has issued 7 declarations naming the county since 1977, 5 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding” on June 30, 2026.

The record, 1950 to 2026

Storm records filed for the county each year (2026 to June 30, 2026). Before 1996 NOAA recorded only tornadoes (from 1950), thunderstorm wind and hail (from 1955).

  • recorded, no damage figure
  • under $100,000
  • $100,000 or more
  • $1 million or more
  • $10 million or more, or a death
  • $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
  • a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
  • a year with a death
  • 1955: wind and hail recorded from 1955
  • 1996: all 48 event types from 1996
Storm records
425on 357 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
Deaths recorded
32 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$19Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
Tornadoes
9strongest F2
FEMA declarations
7latest 2026

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026 (file revision 20260918); damage converted to 2025 dollars with the BLS CPI-U. Search the record at NCEI. BLS consumer price index.

What hazards hit Iron County most?

The most frequent records are winter storm records: 169 since 1996. The rank column places the county among Michigan's counties by days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land over each hazard's complete period.

Iron County: records by hazard, 1950 to June 30, 2026
HazardRecordsDaysFirst, lastKilledInjuredDamageRank in state
Winter storms 169 167 1996-2026 1 0 $1.2M 43 of 83
Severe thunderstorm wind 83 57 1958-2025 0 0 $407K 76 of 83
Hail 62 41 1955-2026 0 0 $7.0M 72 of 83
Extreme cold 61 61 1996-2026 2 0 – 3 of 83
Floods 14 13 1996-2026 0 0 $5.8M 57 of 83
Heavy rain 9 9 2005-2022 0 0 – 11 of 83
Tornadoes 9 8 1958-2020 0 2 $348K 70 of 83
High wind and dust storms 8 8 1998-2024 0 0 $3.7M 83 of 83
Heat 5 5 2006-2025 0 0 – 31 of 83
Fog, smoke and funnel clouds 3 3 2008-2023 0 0 – 31 of 83
Lightning 2 2 1998-2019 0 0 $91K 58 of 83

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (county and forecast-zone records attributed to the county; a zone record shows its own totals on each county it covers). Days: dates with at least one record of the hazard in the county. Ranks: days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer), since 1950 for tornadoes, 1955 for hail and thunderstorm wind, 1996 for the rest.

How many tornadoes has Iron County had?

NOAA records 9 tornadoes in Iron County from 1958 to 2020, the strongest rated F2, with 0 deaths and 2 injuries recorded in the county. A tornado that crossed a county line is counted in each county it touched, with the length of its path inside the county.

Counted as whole tornadoes rather than county records, the Storm Prediction Center's database holds 9 tornadoes whose track touched Iron County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 9, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.

Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Michigan.

Every tornado record filed for Iron County (9)
Every tornado recorded in Iron County, newest first
DatePlaceCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2020-08-09 Scott Lake, Iron County EF0 1.03 mi x 250 yd 0 0 $80K
2020-08-09 Crystal Falls Iron C, Iron County EF1 3.8 mi x 250 yd 0 0 $114K
2014-07-06 Michigamme Res, Iron County EF0 3.5 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $2K
2010-04-30 Mineral Hills, Iron County EF0 0.4 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $20K
1995-07-14 Michigamme R., Iron County 0 0 –
1981-06-14 Iron County F2 1.3 mi x 90 yd 0 0 $3K step
1979-06-20 Iron County F0 0.1 mi x 33 yd 0 0 $3K step
1978-08-15 Iron County F1 0.5 mi x 50 yd 0 2 $25K step
1958-08-09 Iron County F1 0 0 $30 step

A damage figure marked "step" is a record from before 1993: NOAA then filed damage by category, and the figure is the category as entered, in the dollars of that year, not an estimate of the loss.

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, tornado records by county (path length in the county, maximum width); ratings as published: F scale before February 1, 2007, EF scale after. Whole-track figures: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database (1950-2025). SPC severe weather database.

When was the last damaging storm in Iron County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the April 13, 2026 flood ($379,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).

County emergency management reported that the M-69 bridge was closed on the 21st and advised residents to evacuate if they resided near flooded waters. On the 18th, social media reports showed inundation for low lying areas in the town of Amasa including damage to local parks and residential septic systems. Deer Lake became inaccessible due to road washouts on the 18th. Flooding in Sagola resulted in railroad washouts. Due to the severity of the flooding, a Disaster Declaration Request was approved by the president on June 30th.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 1334714)
The 12 most recent records kept for Iron County
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-06-24 HailGaastra, Iron County 1.00 in hail 0 0 –
2026-06-24 HailCaspian, Iron County 1.00 in hail 0 0 –
2026-04-13 FloodCrystal Falls Iron C, Iron County 0 0 $379K
2026-04-03 Ice StormIron County · forecast zone Iron 0 0 –
2026-04-02 Winter StormIron County · forecast zone Iron 0 0 –
2026-03-15 BlizzardIron County · forecast zone Iron 0 0 –
2026-03-12 Winter StormIron County · forecast zone Iron 0 0 –
2026-02-20 Winter StormIron County · forecast zone Iron 0 0 –
2026-01-22 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillIron County · forecast zone Iron 0 0 –
2026-01-19 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillIron County · forecast zone Iron 0 0 –
2026-01-13 Winter WeatherIron County · forecast zone Iron 0 0 –
2026-01-08 Winter WeatherIron County · forecast zone Iron 0 0 –

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database; every record of 2025-2026 is listed, earlier ones when they caused deaths, injuries or $250,000 of damage (2025 dollars), and every tornado.

The deadliest and costliest records

Records with deaths or injuries in Iron County, most deaths first
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2019-01-15 Cold/Wind ChillIron County · forecast zone Iron The Iron River Police Department received a call about an unresponsive man found in an alleyway on the morning of the 16th. The 75-year old man was confirmed deceased once police and EMS arrived on the scene. Law enforcement said that health and weather were contributing factors in the man's death. Temperatures on the ... 1 0 –
2014-12-16 Winter WeatherIron County · forecast zone Iron The observer at Amasa measured 8 inches of snow in 24 hours. Also an 82-year old Iron River man died of exposure when officials believe he became disoriented in the snow on the evening of the 16th and drove his ORV through the ice on Chicaugon Lake during an ice fishing trip. 1 0 –
2011-02-08 Cold/Wind ChillIron County · forecast zone Iron The combination of Arctic air and gusty north winds plunged wind chill readings near 25 below zero on the morning of the 8th. Actual minimum temperatures dipped below zero every morning from the 8th through the 11th reaching extreme readings near 25 below at several locations on the morning of the 11th. A Caspian man ... 1 0 –
1978-08-15 TornadoIron County F1 0.5 mi x 50 yd 0 2 $25K step

A damage figure marked "step" is a record from before 1993: NOAA then filed damage by category, and the figure is the category as entered, in the dollars of that year, not an estimate of the loss.

The costliest records in Iron County since 1993, damage in 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2000-06-09 HailIron River, Iron County 1.75 in hail 0 0 $7.0M
1998-11-11 High WindIron County · forecast zone Iron 0 0 $3.6M
2023-04-13 FloodMichigamme Res, Iron County 0 0 $3.0M
2020-07-09 Flash FloodBasswood, Iron County 0 0 $1.1M
1997-01-24 Heavy SnowIron County · forecast zone Iron 0 0 $1.1M
2002-04-15 FloodIron County · forecast zone Iron 0 0 $459K
1999-07-14 Flash FloodCaspian, Iron County 0 0 $399K
2026-04-13 FloodCrystal Falls Iron C, Iron County 0 0 $379K

Before 1993 NOAA filed damage by category, not amount, so the list above starts in 1993. The highest category filed here before then (entered as $25K, in the dollars of the day) holds: August 15, 1978 (tornado, Iron County).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths and injuries direct and indirect; damage is property plus crops as estimated by the National Weather Service, converted to 2025 dollars.

Is it getting more frequent?

Records per decade for Iron County's most frequent hazards. Counts rose everywhere after 1996, when NOAA began recording every event type, so compare decades within a hazard's complete period only (the shaded cells come before it).

Iron County: records per decade (the 2020s to June 30, 2026)
Hazard1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020-26
Winter storms––––12387247
Severe thunderstorm wind210315341315
Hail1210633127
Extreme cold––––5162614
Floods––––2354

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).

What time of year?

Records by month in Iron County. The two busiest months are in violet.

The values, month by month

Jan 55 · Feb 51 · Mar 31 · Apr 52 · May 22 · Jun 54 · Jul 44 · Aug 31 · Sep 16 · Oct 10 · Nov 17 · Dec 42 (records).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.

Federal disaster declarations for Iron County

FEMA's register lists 7 declarations that include Iron County: 3 major disasters, 4 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for flood (2) and biological (2).

Declarations including Iron County, newest first
DeclaredNumberTypeTitle
2026-06-30DR-4925FloodSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding
2020-03-27DR-4494BiologicalCovid-19 Pandemic
2020-03-13EM-3455BiologicalCovid-19
2005-09-07EM-3225HurricaneHurricane Katrina Evacuation
2002-05-06DR-1413FloodFlooding
1978-01-27EM-3057SnowstormBlizzards & Snowstorms
1977-03-02EM-3035DroughtDrought

Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), declarations through October 2, 2026; one declaration is counted once however many areas it names. OpenFEMA dataset page.

How many floods has Iron County had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 14 flood or flash flood records for Iron County from 1996 to 2026, on 13 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Iron County ranks 2685th of 2,942 U.S. counties.

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $0 on 3 claims filed in Iron County; the most in one year was 2 in 1979. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.

The values, year by year

1979: 2 · 1999: 1; the other years: 0.

Source: FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims, as of September 8, 2026; claims by year of loss, payments in the dollars of the year paid. OpenFEMA dataset page.

FEMA's modeled risk for Iron County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Iron County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $13.1 million. These are FEMA's model estimates of future loss from 18 hazards, not a count of what happened; they can differ from the record above.

National Risk Index ratings for Iron County (December 2025 release), by FEMA's rating, then score
HazardRisk ratingExpected annual lossModeled frequency
Cold WaveRelatively High$10.0M6.3 a year (modeled)
HailRelatively Moderate$497K1.2 a year (modeled)
Winter WeatherRelatively Low$41K16 a year (modeled)
LightningRelatively Low$115K26 a year (modeled)
Strong WindRelatively Low$182K1.3 a year (modeled)
WildfireVery Low$23Konce in about 2,458 years (modeled)
Riverine FloodingVery Low$2.1Monce in about 2 years (modeled)
DroughtVery Low$8K3.1 modeled event-days a year

Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.

Counties that share a border with Iron County

  1. Marquette County 1,103
  2. Houghton County 1,005
  3. Gogebic County 677
  4. Baraga County 632
  5. Ontonagon County 630
  6. Vilas County, WI 565
  7. Dickinson County 503
  8. Iron County 425
  9. Forest County, WI 365
  10. Florence County, WI 265

Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.

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