Keweenaw County, Michigan
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 26083 · population 2,043 · 540 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 408 records for Keweenaw County, Michigan from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 390 days; the most frequent are winter storm records (281 records). 367 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 most damaging was the April 22, 2023 flood ($969,000 in 2025 dollars). FEMA has issued 5 declarations naming the county since 1978, 3 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Flooding” on June 18, 2013.
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
- 408on 390 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 00 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $2.0Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 2strongest F0
- FEMA declarations
- 5latest 2020
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 Keweenaw County most?
The most frequent records are winter storm records: 281 since 1996. 50% of its winter storm records since 1996 fell in December and January. 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.
| Hazard | Records | Days | First, last | Killed | Injured | Damage | Rank in state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter storms | 281 | 273 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 0 | $136K | 1 of 83 |
| High wind and dust storms | 46 | 44 | 1998-2026 | 0 | 0 | $512K | 2 of 83 |
| Extreme cold | 25 | 25 | 2006-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 5 of 83 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 23 | 22 | 1983-2023 | 0 | 0 | $104K | 78 of 83 |
| Floods | 8 | 8 | 2003-2025 | 0 | 0 | $1.3M | 49 of 83 |
| Hail | 7 | 7 | 1955-2017 | 0 | 0 | $10K | 83 of 83 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 6 | 6 | 2006-2023 | 0 | 0 | – | 1 of 83 |
| Heavy rain | 5 | 5 | 2012-2017 | 0 | 0 | – | 8 of 83 |
| Heat | 3 | 3 | 2006-2025 | 0 | 0 | – | 25 of 83 |
| Tornadoes | 2 | 2 | 1987-2003 | 0 | 0 | $6K | 77 of 83 |
| Rip currents and high surf | 1 | 1 | 2011-2011 | 0 | 0 | – | 14 of 83 |
| Wildfires | 1 | 1 | 2021-2021 | 0 | 0 | $11K | 8 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 Keweenaw County had?
NOAA records 2 tornadoes in Keweenaw County from 1987 to 2003, the strongest rated F0, with 0 deaths and 0 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 2 tornadoes whose track touched Keweenaw County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 2, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Michigan.
Every tornado record filed for Keweenaw County (2)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003-08-28 | Copper Harbor, Keweenaw County | F0 0.1 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1987-07-11 | Keweenaw County | F0 1 mi x 23 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K 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 Keweenaw County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the April 22, 2023 flood ($969,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
Local media reported Highway M-26 was closed on the evening of the 22nd due to the collapse of a retaining wall at the Silver River Bridge in Keweenaw County. The bridge's already compromised stone retaining wall eroded due to the heavy runoff from spring snow melt forcing the closure of Highway M-26. Traffic has been rerouted along US Highway 41. While MDOT was already planning on a $2.9 million project to remove and replace the bridge this summer, the snowmelt runoff contributed to the bridge failure closing the road sooner than anticipated.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 1093904)
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-12 | Winter StormKeweenaw County · forecast zone Keweenaw | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-28 | High WindKeweenaw County · forecast zone Keweenaw | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-02-20 | Winter StormKeweenaw County · forecast zone Keweenaw | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-18 | Winter StormKeweenaw County · forecast zone Keweenaw | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-22 | Extreme Cold/Wind ChillKeweenaw County · forecast zone Keweenaw | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-22 | Winter StormKeweenaw County · forecast zone Keweenaw | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-22 | BlizzardKeweenaw County · forecast zone Keweenaw | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-19 | Extreme Cold/Wind ChillKeweenaw County · forecast zone Keweenaw | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-18 | Winter StormKeweenaw County · forecast zone Keweenaw | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-14 | Winter WeatherKeweenaw County · forecast zone Keweenaw | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-06 | Winter WeatherKeweenaw County · forecast zone Keweenaw | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-04 | Winter WeatherKeweenaw County · forecast zone Keweenaw | 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
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-04-22 | FloodDelaware, Keweenaw County | 0 | 0 | $969K | |
| 1994-06-14 | HailCopper Harbor, Keweenaw County | 2.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | $10K |
| 2011-07-01 | Thunderstorm WindCopper Harbor, Keweenaw County | 65 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $5K |
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 $3K, in the dollars of the day) holds: July 11, 1987 (tornado, Keweenaw 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 Keweenaw 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).
| Hazard | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 26 | 88 | 119 | 48 |
| High wind and dust storms | – | – | – | – | 5 | 13 | 14 | 14 |
| Extreme cold | – | – | – | – | 0 | 6 | 11 | 8 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 2 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
50% of its winter storm records since 1996 fell in December and January. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 91 · Feb 70 · Mar 32 · Apr 28 · May 8 · Jun 25 · Jul 17 · Aug 10 · Sep 10 · Oct 13 · Nov 37 · Dec 67 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Keweenaw County
FEMA's register lists 5 declarations that include Keweenaw County: 2 major disasters, 3 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for biological (2) and flood (1).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-03-27 | DR-4494 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3455 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2013-06-18 | DR-4121 | Flood | Flooding |
| 2005-09-07 | EM-3225 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation |
| 1978-01-27 | EM-3057 | Snowstorm | Blizzards & Snowstorms |
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.
FEMA's modeled risk for Keweenaw County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Keweenaw County Very Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $609,000. 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.
| Hazard | Risk rating | Expected annual loss | Modeled frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Weather | Relatively Low | $28K | 38 a year (modeled) |
| Wildfire | Very Low | $3K | once in about 4,495 years (modeled) |
| Coastal Flooding | Very Low | $0 | once in about 128,347,306 years (modeled) |
| Drought | Very Low | $3 | 1.6 modeled event-days a year |
| Cold Wave | Very Low | $62K | 1.5 a year (modeled) |
| Ice Storm | Very Low | $3K | once in about 46 years (modeled) |
| Hail | Very Low | $12K | once in about 4 years (modeled) |
| Riverine Flooding | Very Low | $475K | once in about 4 years (modeled) |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Keweenaw County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.
Next
- Tornadoes in MichiganEvery Michigan tornado since 1950 and the counties with the most per square mile
- Winter storms in MichiganThe state's winter storm records, by county, year and month
- The Michigan recordEvery hazard in the state, its deadliest events and its federal declarations
- FEMA's risk rating for each hazard in Keweenaw CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Keweenaw County's FEMA declarations (CSV)5 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis