Lapeer County, Michigan
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 26087 · population 88,578 · 647 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 532 records for Lapeer County, Michigan from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 349 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (263 records). The deadliest single record is the August 3, 2022 thunderstorm wind: 1 death. FEMA has issued 11 declarations naming the county since 1975, 8 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Hurricane Katrina Evacuation” on September 7, 2005.
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
- 532on 349 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 478 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $335Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 20strongest F5
- FEMA declarations
- 11latest 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 Lapeer County most?
The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 263 since 1956. 52% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1956 fell in June and July. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 263 | 161 | 1956-2026 | 1 | 3 | $4.0M | 16 of 83 |
| Hail | 86 | 51 | 1956-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 32 of 83 |
| Winter storms | 71 | 70 | 1996-2025 | 2 | 0 | $6.7M | 65 of 83 |
| High wind and dust storms | 33 | 33 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 0 | $20M | 13 of 83 |
| Tornadoes | 20 | 19 | 1951-2012 | 0 | 59 | $284M | 27 of 83 |
| Floods | 16 | 16 | 1996-2020 | 0 | 0 | $18M | 25 of 83 |
| Extreme cold | 15 | 15 | 1996-2019 | 0 | 10 | $1.7M | 23 of 83 |
| Heat | 14 | 14 | 1999-2026 | 0 | 1 | – | 9 of 83 |
| Lightning | 10 | 7 | 2000-2017 | 0 | 4 | $2.2M | 12 of 83 |
| Drought | 2 | 2 | 2001-2002 | 0 | 0 | – | 12 of 83 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 2 | 2 | 2002-2002 | 1 | 1 | – | 24 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 Lapeer County had?
NOAA records 20 tornadoes in Lapeer County from 1951 to 2012, the strongest rated F5, with 0 deaths and 59 injuries recorded in the county. That is 27th of 83 Michigan counties by days with tornadoes per 1,000 square miles since 1950. 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 21 tornadoes whose track touched Lapeer County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 20: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 116 people, 0 of them in Lapeer County.
| Date | Tornado | Rating | Path | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953-06-08 19:30, as SPC files it | Flint | F5 | 18.9 mi | 116 |
| 1953-06-08 21:30, as SPC files it | Yale | F4 | 33.8 mi | 0 |
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Michigan.
Every tornado record filed for Lapeer County (20)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-03-15 | Columbiaville, Lapeer County | EF2 4.59 mi x 400 yd | 0 | 0 | $643K |
| 2007-08-24 | Hadley, Lapeer County | EF1 3.16 mi x 250 yd | 0 | 0 | $1.4M |
| 2004-05-14 | Clifford, Lapeer County | F0 0.1 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2003-06-08 | Lapeer County | F0 0.1 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2001-05-21 | Hadley, Lapeer County | F0 7.1 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $225K |
| 1999-05-23 | Imlay City, Lapeer County | F1 3.9 mi x 17 yd | 0 | 0 | $80K |
| 1999-05-06 | Clifford, Lapeer County | F0 0.3 mi x 65 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1997-07-02 | Columbiaville, Lapeer County | F1 1 mi x 1,000 yd | 0 | 0 | $368K |
| 1996-06-21 | Imlay City, Lapeer County | F1 0.1 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1988-07-25 | Lapeer County | F0 0.2 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1986-07-19 | Lapeer County | F1 2.3 mi x 40 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1983-06-26 | Lapeer County | F1 11 mi x 60 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1978-06-12 | Lapeer County | F0 1.5 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $30 step |
| 1978-04-11 | Lapeer County | F0 1.5 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1977-07-04 | Lapeer County | F1 | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1973-04-01 | Lapeer County | F1 | 0 | 0 | $250 step |
| 1968-08-07 | Lapeer County | F1 3.8 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1953-06-08 | Lapeer County | F4 9.6 mi x 833 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1953-06-08 | Lapeer County | F5 | 0 | 59 | $25M step |
| 1951-08-15 | Lapeer County | F1 0.2 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 0 | $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.
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 Lapeer County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the March 13, 2026 high wind ($25,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-30 | Excessive HeatLapeer County · forecast zone Lapeer | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-25 | HailGoodland, Lapeer County | 0.88 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-25 | HailFive Lakes, Lapeer County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-10 | Thunderstorm WindHolloway Res, Lapeer County | 56 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-18 | Thunderstorm WindNorth Lake, Lapeer County | 61 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-13 | High WindLapeer County · forecast zone Lapeer | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $25K |
| 2025-08-12 | Thunderstorm WindMetamora, Lapeer County | 58 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-07-24 | Thunderstorm WindImlay City, Lapeer County | 59 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-06-27 | Thunderstorm WindHadley, Lapeer County | 58 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $5K |
| 2025-05-15 | Thunderstorm WindThornville, Lapeer County | 61 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-05-15 | Thunderstorm WindDryden, Lapeer County | 55 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-05-15 | Thunderstorm WindMillville, Lapeer County | 56 kt wind | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-08-03 | Thunderstorm WindAttica, Lapeer County A tree fell onto a Dodge Ram truck traveling on the road. The tree went through the trucks windshield and entered the passenger compartment, killing a 36 year old woman passenger. | 54 kt wind | 1 | 0 | – |
| 2007-12-01 | Winter WeatherLapeer County · forecast zone Lapeer Trained spotters reported one to three inches of snow and one to two tenths of an inch of ice on top of the snow. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2007-04-04 | Winter WeatherLapeer County · forecast zone Lapeer A very cold airmass blasted into the region, leading to intense lake effect snow squalls from Saginaw to Flint and east into Lapeer County. The squalls were narrow but intense bands that dumped up to 4 inches of snow in some areas with only trace amounts in other areas. The snow was also accompanied by wind gusts up ... | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2002-10-12 | Dense FogLapeer County · forecast zone Lapeer A 17-year old male was killed while driving his pickup truck in dense fog. His truck collided with a dump truck hauling a trailer. Dense fog, which reduced visibility to near zero, was said to have been the cause of the accident. The accident occurred in Lapeer County's Goodland Township. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 1953-06-08 | TornadoLapeer County | F5 | 0 | 59 | $25M step |
| 2007-02-03 | Cold/Wind ChillLapeer County · forecast zone Lapeer A bitter cold airmass blasted into the region on Saturday, February the 3rd and persisted through Tuesday, February the 6th. Temperatures through this period were 20 to 25 degrees below normal. Daytime temps struggled to reach 10 degrees while subzero temperatures occurred all 3 nights. Flint set 2 temperature records ... | 0 | 10 | $36K | |
| 2002-07-22 | LightningLapeer County A newspaper reported that three people were struck by lightning while walking toward a dumpster in the parking lot of an apartment complex. Witnesses claim that lightning ricocheted off the dumpster and hit the three people (2 men and one woman). They were all taken to the hospital with minor injuries. | 0 | 3 | – | |
| 2007-05-15 | Thunderstorm WindAlmont, Lapeer County A trained spotter reported trees down across a major highway. One of the trees fell on a vehicle. An occupant of the vehicle suffered minor injuries. | 56 kt wind | 0 | 1 | $14K |
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.
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-03-08 | High WindLapeer County · forecast zone Lapeer | 56 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $12M |
| 1996-06-21 | Flash FloodNrn 1/2 Of Co., Lapeer County | 0 | 0 | $11M | |
| 2009-08-09 | FloodHolloway Res, Lapeer County | 0 | 0 | $4.1M | |
| 2013-12-21 | Ice StormLapeer County · forecast zone Lapeer | 0 | 0 | $3.8M | |
| 2006-08-02 | Flash FloodColumbiaville, Lapeer County | 0 | 0 | $1.9M | |
| 2007-08-24 | TornadoHadley, Lapeer County | EF1 3.16 mi x 250 yd | 0 | 0 | $1.4M |
| 2018-05-04 | High WindLapeer County · forecast zone Lapeer | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1.2M |
| 2000-07-27 | LightningDryden, Lapeer County | 0 | 0 | $1.1M |
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 $25M, in the dollars of the day) holds: June 8, 1953 (tornado, Lapeer 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 Lapeer 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 1 | 0 | 6 | 13 | 51 | 77 | 71 | 44 |
| Hail | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 44 | 14 | 13 |
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 10 | 34 | 20 | 7 |
| High wind and dust storms | – | – | – | – | 6 | 15 | 9 | 3 |
| Tornadoes | 3 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 2 | 10 | 3 | 1 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
52% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1956 fell in June and July. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 29 · Feb 25 · Mar 32 · Apr 42 · May 50 · Jun 75 · Jul 135 · Aug 65 · Sep 23 · Oct 19 · Nov 15 · Dec 22 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Lapeer County
FEMA's register lists 11 declarations that include Lapeer County: 6 major disasters, 5 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for flood (3) and biological (2).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-03-27 | DR-4494 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3455 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2005-09-07 | EM-3225 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation |
| 2003-09-23 | EM-3189 | Other | Power Outage |
| 2001-01-10 | EM-3160 | Snowstorm | Snow |
| 1996-07-23 | DR-1128 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 1986-09-18 | DR-774 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding |
| 1985-09-18 | DR-744 | Flood | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 1978-01-27 | EM-3057 | Snowstorm | Blizzards & Snowstorms |
| 1976-03-19 | DR-495 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Icing & Flooding |
| 1975-04-26 | DR-465 | Flood | Severe Storms, High Winds & Flooding |
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 Lapeer County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 16 flood or flash flood records for Lapeer County from 1996 to 2020, on 16 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Lapeer County ranks 1960th of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $174,000 on 27 claims filed in Lapeer County; the most in one year was 8 in 2009. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1979: 1 · 1981: 2 · 1982: 2 · 1996: 3 · 1997: 2 · 1998: 1 · 2001: 2 · 2003: 3 · 2004: 1 · 2006: 1 · 2009: 8 · 2013: 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 Lapeer County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Lapeer County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $28.0 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.
| Hazard | Risk rating | Expected annual loss | Modeled frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strong Wind | Relatively High | $2.4M | 4.7 a year (modeled) |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | $5.6M | once in about 4 years (modeled) |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Moderate | $5.0M | 3 a year (modeled) |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Moderate | $274K | 1.3 a year (modeled) |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Low | $13M | once in about 2 years (modeled) |
| Hail | Relatively Low | $461K | 2.3 a year (modeled) |
| Lightning | Relatively Low | $282K | 32 a year (modeled) |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | $362K | 2.5 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 Lapeer 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
- Severe thunderstorm wind in MichiganThe state's severe thunderstorm wind events, 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 Lapeer CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Lapeer County's FEMA declarations (CSV)11 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis