Lenawee County, Michigan

County storm and disaster record · FIPS 26091 · population 99,376 · 750 sq mi

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 666 records for Lenawee County, Michigan from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 418 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (318 records). The deadliest day on its record was April 11, 1965: tornado records filed for Lenawee County that day count 9 deaths across 2 records. FEMA has issued 6 declarations naming the county since 1965, 4 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
666on 418 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
Deaths recorded
10110 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$290Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
Tornadoes
33strongest F4
FEMA declarations
6latest 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 Lenawee County most?

The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 318 since 1962. 49% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1962 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.

Lenawee County: records by hazard, 1950 to June 30, 2026
HazardRecordsDaysFirst, lastKilledInjuredDamageRank in state
Severe thunderstorm wind 318 190 1962-2026 0 8 $8.1M 15 of 83
Hail 136 81 1963-2026 0 1 $4.1M 11 of 83
Winter storms 61 58 1996-2023 0 0 $5.7M 83 of 83
Floods 34 28 1996-2020 0 0 $1.1M 11 of 83
High wind and dust storms 33 33 1996-2026 0 0 $27M 18 of 83
Tornadoes 33 28 1954-2021 9 89 $239M 18 of 83
Lightning 18 14 1997-2007 1 0 $1.4M 7 of 83
Extreme cold 16 16 1996-2019 0 10 $3.5M 25 of 83
Heat 15 15 1999-2026 0 2 – 12 of 83
Drought 2 2 2001-2002 0 0 – 17 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 Lenawee County had?

NOAA records 33 tornadoes in Lenawee County from 1954 to 2021, the strongest rated F4, with 9 deaths and 89 injuries recorded in the county. That is 18th 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 33 tornadoes whose track touched Lenawee County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 33, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 44 people, 9 of them in Lenawee County.

The deadliest and strongest tornadoes that touched Lenawee County, whole tracks
DateTornadoRatingPathKilled
1965-04-11 18:00, as SPC files itTecumsehCrossed IN, MIF490.3 mi23
1965-04-11 18:40, as SPC files itTecumsehF480.5 mi21
1964-08-22 13:35, as SPC files itOnstedF30.1 mi0

Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Michigan.

Every tornado record filed for Lenawee County (33)
Every tornado recorded in Lenawee County, newest first
DatePlaceCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2021-06-20 Riga, Lenawee County EF1 2.69 mi x 125 yd 0 0 $272K
2010-06-06 Rome Center, Lenawee County EF1 2.48 mi x 250 yd 0 0 $677K
2006-06-21 Addison, Lenawee County F0 2.2 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $59K
1999-05-23 Rome Center, Lenawee County F1 4.9 mi x 35 yd 0 0 $27K
1998-03-28 Tipton, Lenawee County F1 0.5 mi x 25 yd 0 0 $45K
1994-06-20 Blissfield, Lenawee County F0 0.5 mi x 20 yd 0 0 $100K
1988-05-15 Lenawee County F0 0.2 mi x 10 yd 0 1 $3K step
1988-04-03 Lenawee County F0 1 mi x 30 yd 0 0 $25K step
1987-07-31 Lenawee County F0 3.5 mi x 20 yd 0 0 $3K step
1987-06-29 Lenawee County F1 0.8 mi x 147 yd 0 0 $3K step
1986-07-15 Lenawee County F0 0.2 mi x 13 yd 0 0 –
1985-05-27 Lenawee County F1 4.9 mi x 80 yd 0 0 $3K step
1983-05-01 Lenawee County F2 2 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $25K step
1983-05-01 Lenawee County F2 5.9 mi x 500 yd 0 0 $25K step
1983-05-01 Lenawee County F2 1.9 mi x 400 yd 0 0 $25K step
1982-04-12 Lenawee County F0 0.1 mi x 13 yd 0 0 $3K step
1979-08-29 Lenawee County F1 0.3 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $25K step
1979-06-20 Lenawee County F2 0.6 mi x 27 yd 0 0 $250K step
1976-06-24 Lenawee County F1 1 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $25K step
1976-03-12 Lenawee County F2 0 0 $250K step
1974-04-03 Lenawee County F2 4.3 mi x 33 yd 0 0 –
1974-04-03 Lenawee County F2 0 3 $25K step
1973-06-26 Lenawee County F0 0 0 –
1973-06-16 Lenawee County F1 2.5 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $25K step
1972-08-18 Lenawee County F0 0.1 mi x 10 yd 0 0 $25K step
1965-04-11 Lenawee County F4 23.2 mi x 33 yd 4 41 –
1965-04-11 Lenawee County F4 23.2 mi x 1,760 yd 5 42 $25M step
1964-08-22 Lenawee County F1 0 0 $25K step
1964-08-22 Lenawee County F3 0 2 $25K step
1962-08-26 Lenawee County F1 0.5 mi x 33 yd 0 0 $25K step
1958-08-03 Lenawee County F0 0 0 $30 step
1956-04-14 Lenawee County F1 0 0 $3K step
1954-06-12 Lenawee County F0 0.1 mi x 7 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 Lenawee County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the March 13, 2026 high wind ($25,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).

The 12 most recent records kept for Lenawee County
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-06-30 Excessive HeatLenawee County · forecast zone Lenawee 0 0 –
2026-06-11 Thunderstorm WindTecumseh Airport, Lenawee County 56 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-06-11 Thunderstorm WindOnsted, Lenawee County 52 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-06-10 Thunderstorm WindCement City, Lenawee County 52 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-05-18 Thunderstorm WindAdrian, Lenawee County 56 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-04-15 Thunderstorm WindCone, Lenawee County 56 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-03-26 HailBlissfield Betz Airport, Lenawee County 0.75 in hail 0 0 –
2026-03-13 High WindLenawee County · forecast zone Lenawee 55 kt wind 0 0 $25K
2025-08-16 HailClinton, Lenawee County 0.75 in hail 0 0 –
2025-07-12 Thunderstorm WindBritton, Lenawee County 50 kt wind 0 0 –
2025-06-18 Thunderstorm WindTipton, Lenawee County 50 kt wind 0 0 –
2025-05-15 Thunderstorm WindCambridge Jct, Lenawee County 42 kt wind 0 0 $1K

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 Lenawee County, most deaths first
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
1965-04-11 TornadoLenawee County F4 23.2 mi x 1,760 yd 5 42 $25M step
1965-04-11 TornadoLenawee County F4 23.2 mi x 33 yd 4 41 –
2003-08-01 LightningAdrian, Lenawee County A woman was struck by lightning and killed standing in her backyard. 1 0 –
2007-02-03 Cold/Wind ChillLenawee County · forecast zone Lenawee 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
2000-05-09 Thunderstorm WindAdrian, Lenawee County A strong cold front moved slowly south across southeast Michigan during the afternoon and evening of the 9th. Thunderstorms developed in the warm, humid air out ahead of the cold front. A number of these became severe, producing the worst severe thunderstorm outbreak in metro Detroit in almost two years. The ... 70 kt wind 0 3 $1.6M
1974-04-03 TornadoLenawee County F2 0 3 $25K step
2006-05-29 HeatLenawee County · forecast zone Lenawee An early season heat wave, leading to an unusually hot Memorial Day, resulted in dozens of people suffering from heat related illnesses. Near record to record setting high temperatures, in the low to mid 90's, sent some people to the hospital. The official high temperatures for the day ranged from 88 to 93 degrees. Of ... 0 2 –
1986-09-26 Thunderstorm WindLenawee County 0 2 –

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 Lenawee County since 1993, damage in 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2017-03-08 High WindLenawee County · forecast zone Lenawee 56 kt wind 0 0 $18M
2011-02-20 Ice StormLenawee County · forecast zone Lenawee 0 0 $2.0M
1996-04-12 Thunderstorm WindHudson, Lenawee County 0 0 $1.9M
1996-04-12 HailAdrian, Lenawee County 1.00 in hail 0 0 $1.9M
1999-01-11 Cold/Wind ChillLenawee County · forecast zone Lenawee 0 0 $1.8M
2018-05-04 High WindLenawee County · forecast zone Lenawee 52 kt wind 0 0 $1.8M
2000-05-09 Thunderstorm WindAdrian, Lenawee County 70 kt wind 0 3 $1.6M
2023-02-22 Ice StormLenawee County · forecast zone Lenawee 0 0 $969K

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: April 11, 1965 (tornado, Lenawee County, 5 killed).

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 Lenawee 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).

Lenawee County: records per decade (the 2020s to June 30, 2026)
Hazard1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020-26
Severe thunderstorm wind05825591037444
Hail012103062238
Winter storms––––933145
Floods––––181321
High wind and dust storms––––610125
Tornadoes359103111

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

What time of year?

49% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1962 fell in June and July. The two busiest months are in violet.

The values, month by month

Jan 31 · Feb 31 · Mar 40 · Apr 40 · May 99 · Jun 142 · Jul 118 · Aug 80 · Sep 34 · Oct 9 · Nov 15 · Dec 27 (records).

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

Federal disaster declarations for Lenawee County

FEMA's register lists 6 declarations that include Lenawee County: 2 major disasters, 4 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for biological (2) and snowstorm (2).

Declarations including Lenawee County, newest first
DeclaredNumberTypeTitle
2020-03-27DR-4494BiologicalCovid-19 Pandemic
2020-03-13EM-3455BiologicalCovid-19
2005-09-07EM-3225HurricaneHurricane Katrina Evacuation
1999-01-27EM-3137SnowstormMi - Severe Weather 1/2 /99
1978-01-27EM-3057SnowstormBlizzards & Snowstorms
1965-04-14DR-190TornadoTornadoes & Severe Storms

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 Lenawee County had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 34 flood or flash flood records for Lenawee County from 1996 to 2020, on 28 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Lenawee County ranks 1569th of 2,942 U.S. counties.

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $345,000 on 60 claims filed in Lenawee County; the most in one year was 13 in 1982. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.

The values, year by year

1979: 1 · 1981: 5 · 1982: 13 · 1983: 2 · 1985: 3 · 1987: 1 · 1990: 1 · 1996: 3 · 1997: 2 · 1998: 1 · 2000: 1 · 2001: 4 · 2006: 1 · 2008: 2 · 2009: 5 · 2011: 6 · 2015: 6 · 2019: 1 · 2022: 1 · 2023: 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 Lenawee County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Lenawee County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $30.4 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 Lenawee County (December 2025 release), by FEMA's rating, then score
HazardRisk ratingExpected annual lossModeled frequency
Strong WindRelatively High$2.2M5.3 a year (modeled)
TornadoRelatively Moderate$5.4Monce in about 3 years (modeled)
HailRelatively Moderate$1.2M3.2 a year (modeled)
Cold WaveRelatively Moderate$4.7M2.9 a year (modeled)
Ice StormRelatively Moderate$343K1.6 a year (modeled)
LightningRelatively Moderate$545K38 a year (modeled)
Riverine FloodingRelatively Low$15M1 a year (modeled)
EarthquakeRelatively Low$550Konce in about 887 years (modeled)

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

Counties that share a border with Lenawee County

  1. Washtenaw County 988
  2. Lucas County, OH 724
  3. Lenawee County 666
  4. Monroe County 644
  5. Hillsdale County 427
  6. Jackson County 394
  7. Fulton County, OH 360

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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