Leelanau County, Michigan
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 26089 · population 22,255 · 347 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 273 records for Leelanau County, Michigan from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 230 days; the most frequent are winter storm records (146 records). 174 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 August 30, 2012 rip current, filed for the forecast zone Leelanau, which covers the county: 1 death. FEMA has issued 5 declarations naming the county since 1977, 3 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
- 273on 230 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 20 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $102Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 3strongest F1
- 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 Leelanau County most?
The most frequent records are winter storm records: 146 since 1996. 53% 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 | 146 | 146 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 0 | $18M | 4 of 83 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 52 | 33 | 1975-2025 | 0 | 0 | $30M | 52 of 83 |
| Hail | 37 | 25 | 1998-2025 | 0 | 0 | $3.9M | 36 of 83 |
| High wind and dust storms | 16 | 16 | 1998-2025 | 0 | 0 | $98K | 17 of 83 |
| Floods | 8 | 7 | 1999-2023 | 0 | 0 | $302K | 34 of 83 |
| Extreme cold | 4 | 4 | 2007-2026 | 1 | 0 | $48M | 44 of 83 |
| Tornadoes | 3 | 3 | 1977-2011 | 0 | 0 | $1.3M | 66 of 83 |
| Rip currents and high surf | 2 | 2 | 2012-2019 | 1 | 0 | $6K | 3 of 83 |
| Heat | 2 | 2 | 2001-2018 | 0 | 0 | – | 23 of 83 |
| Lightning | 2 | 2 | 2000-2007 | 0 | 0 | $57K | 19 of 83 |
| Drought | 1 | 1 | 2001-2001 | 0 | 0 | – | 13 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 Leelanau County had?
NOAA records 3 tornadoes in Leelanau County from 1977 to 2011, the strongest rated F1, 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 4 tornadoes whose track touched Leelanau County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 3: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 1 person, 0 of them in Leelanau County.
| Date | Tornado | Rating | Path | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956-04-03 17:35, as SPC files it | Lake Ann | F4 | 50.3 mi | 1 |
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Michigan.
Every tornado record filed for Leelanau County (3)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-06-22 | Leland, Leelanau County | EF0 0.35 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 0 | $26K |
| 1978-08-15 | Leelanau County | 0 | 0 | $250K step | |
| 1977-07-31 | Leelanau County | F1 8.4 mi x 167 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 Leelanau County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the July 8, 2016 hail ($615,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
Considerable damage done to fruit crops, especially cherries.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 653416)
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-15 | Winter StormLeelanau County · forecast zone Leelanau | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-22 | Extreme Cold/Wind ChillLeelanau County · forecast zone Leelanau | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-18 | Winter StormLeelanau County · forecast zone Leelanau | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-10 | Winter StormLeelanau County · forecast zone Leelanau | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-12-28 | Winter StormLeelanau County · forecast zone Leelanau | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-11-08 | Winter StormLeelanau County · forecast zone Leelanau | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-07-23 | Thunderstorm WindGlen Arbor, Leelanau County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-06-21 | HailBingham, Leelanau County | 1.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-02-06 | High WindLeelanau County · forecast zone Leelanau | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2016-07-08 | HailSuttons Bay, Leelanau County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | $615K |
| 2016-07-08 | HailBocus, Leelanau County | 1.50 in hail | 0 | 0 | $615K |
| 2016-07-08 | HailEmpire, Leelanau County | 3.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | $2.6M |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-08-30 | Rip CurrentLeelanau County · forecast zone Leelanau Three individuals were caught in rip currents near Van's Beach in Leland. One was rescued via kayak; a second managed to escape and swim back to shore. Unfortunately, the third, a teenaged male from Lake Leelanau, went under and disappeared. His body was found by searchers the next day, in about six feet of water. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2008-02-10 | Extreme Cold/Wind ChillLeelanau County · forecast zone Leelanau The second big blast of snow, wind, and bitter cold in as many weeks. In fact, this storm was extremely similar to the January 29-30 event. Low pressure rapidly strengthened as it moved northeast away from Lake Superior. Polar air surged into the region behind the departing system, dropping temperatures to around ... | 1 | 0 | – |
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-04-27 | Frost/FreezeLeelanau County · forecast zone Leelanau | 0 | 0 | $48M | |
| 2015-08-02 | Thunderstorm WindGlen Haven, Leelanau County | 78 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $23M |
| 2012-03-02 | Heavy SnowLeelanau County · forecast zone Leelanau | 0 | 0 | $18M | |
| 2015-08-02 | Thunderstorm WindLeland, Leelanau County | 60 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $6.5M |
| 2016-07-08 | HailEmpire, Leelanau County | 3.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | $2.6M |
| 2016-07-08 | HailBocus, Leelanau County | 1.50 in hail | 0 | 0 | $615K |
| 2011-06-22 | TornadoLeland, Leelanau County | EF0 0.35 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 0 | $26K |
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 $250K, in the dollars of the day) holds: August 15, 1978 (tornado, Leelanau 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 Leelanau 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 | – | – | – | – | 21 | 72 | 35 | 18 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 13 | 21 | 6 |
| Hail | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 20 | 13 | 3 |
| High wind and dust storms | – | – | – | – | 1 | 9 | 2 | 4 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
53% 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 42 · Feb 33 · Mar 18 · Apr 15 · May 13 · Jun 21 · Jul 21 · Aug 31 · Sep 10 · Oct 8 · Nov 22 · Dec 39 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Leelanau County
FEMA's register lists 5 declarations that include Leelanau County: one major disaster, 4 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for biological (2) and hurricane (1).
| 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 |
| 1978-01-27 | EM-3057 | Snowstorm | Blizzards & Snowstorms |
| 1977-03-02 | EM-3035 | Drought | Drought |
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 Leelanau County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 8 flood or flash flood records for Leelanau County from 1999 to 2023, on 7 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Leelanau County ranks 2085th of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $122,000 on 20 claims filed in Leelanau County; the most in one year was 5 in 1986. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1985: 3 · 1986: 5 · 1987: 1 · 1988: 1 · 2018: 2 · 2019: 3 · 2020: 2 · 2021: 2 · 2026: 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 Leelanau County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Leelanau County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $15.6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cold Wave | Relatively High | $9.0M | about once a year (modeled) |
| Winter Weather | Relatively High | $419K | 35 a year (modeled) |
| Landslide | Relatively Low | $15K | once in about 3 years (modeled) |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Low | $5.3M | once in about 4 years (modeled) |
| Hail | Relatively Low | $176K | once in about 2 years (modeled) |
| Lightning | Relatively Low | $114K | 24 a year (modeled) |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Low | $243K | about once a year (modeled) |
| Coastal Flooding | Very Low | $10K | once in about 73 years (modeled) |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Leelanau 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 Leelanau CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Leelanau County's FEMA declarations (CSV)5 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis