Luce County, Michigan

What hazards hit Luce County most?

The most frequent records are winter storm records: 267 since 1996. 47% 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.

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 Luce County had?

NOAA records 4 tornadoes in Luce County from 1977 to 2016, 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 Luce County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 4, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.

Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Michigan.

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 Luce County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the July 24, 2024 rip current (1 death).

A 14-year-old Toledo, OH boy drowned in Lake Superior on the 24th after being caught in a rip current at a beach near the Lake Superior State Forest Campground. A 15-year-old was also caught in the rip current but was able to swim to the safety of shallow water. The Coast Guard, Luce County Sheriff and Michigan DNR conservation officers conducted a search by boat and helicopter until dusk on the evening of the 24th , but waves of 4 to 5 feet at the time of the drowning hindered search and recovery efforts. The search continued on the next day with additional aid from the Michigan State Police Dive and Drone Team until the victim's body was recovered that afternoon on the 25th.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 1201317)

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

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 Luce 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).

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

What time of year?

47% of its winter storm records since 1996 fell in December and January. The two busiest months are in violet.

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

Federal disaster declarations for Luce County

FEMA's register lists 5 declarations that include Luce County: one major disaster, 4 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for biological (2) and hurricane (1).

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 Luce County had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 1 flood or flash flood record for Luce County from 2023 to 2023, on 1 day, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Luce County ranks 2830th of 2,942 U.S. counties.

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $5,511 on 1 claim filed in Luce County; the most in one year was 1 in 2001. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.

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 Luce County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Luce County Very Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $1.7 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.

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

Counties that share a border with Luce County

1. Alger County 697
2. Schoolcraft County 556
3. Luce County 406
4. Chippewa County 343
5. Mackinac County 217

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 Luce CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
• Download Luce County's FEMA declarations (CSV)5 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis