Michigan natural disasters

The state's storm and disaster record · population 10,071,992 · 83 counties and county equivalents

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 36,397 storm events in Michigan since 1950, 31,311 of them since 1996 when every event type began to be recorded, and the Storm Prediction Center counts 1,152 tornadoes in the state since 1950. The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events (13,171). In NOAA's storm record since 1950, the deadliest tornado day in Michigan was June 8, 1953: tornadoes and the storms that came with them killed 125 people in the state; the deadliest of them in Michigan, the Flint tornado, killed 116 (SPC). FEMA has made 46 declarations for Michigan since 1953, 40 for natural hazards; 35 were major disasters.

The record, 1950 to 2026

Storm events recorded in Michigan 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 $1 million
$1 million or more
$10 million or more
$100 million or more, or 10 deaths
$1 billion or more, or 100 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 events recorded: 36,3971950 to June 30, 2026
Deaths recorded: 4955,303 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars: $13.0Bas filed (scale steps before 1993)
Tornadoes (SPC): 1,1521950 to 2025
FEMA declarations: 4635 major disasters

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026 (file revision 20260918); tornado count: NOAA Storm Prediction Center, 1950-2025; damage in 2025 dollars (BLS CPI-U). Search the record at NCEI.

What natural disasters happen in Michigan?

By NOAA's records, Michigan's most frequent hazards are severe thunderstorm wind events (13,171), winter storm records (10,836), hail reports (6,036); the deadliest are tornadoes (253 deaths). Each hazard is counted over the years NOAA has recorded it everywhere: tornadoes since 1950, hail and thunderstorm wind since 1955, everything else since 1996. Open a hazard for its years, months, counties and worst events.

Michigan: records by hazard to June 30, 2026
Hazard	Records	Last 10 years	Killed	Injured	Damage	Counties
Severe thunderstorm wind	13,171	2,797	62	388	$915M	83 of 83
Winter storms	10,836	2,951	52	160	$450M	83 of 83
Hail	6,036	853	0	8	$598M	83 of 83
High wind and dust storms	1,523	426	10	12	$461M	83 of 83
Floods	1,305	414	12	8	$4.0B	81 of 83
Tornadoes	1,291	152	253	3,467	$6.2B	83 of 83
Extreme cold	1,075	337	30	200	$122M	63 of 83
Heat	368	134	9	882	–	59 of 83
Lightning	327	23	19	127	$30M	68 of 83
Heavy rain	164	27	1	4	$1.8M	19 of 83
Fog, smoke and funnel clouds	155	19	3	13	$354K	51 of 83
Rip currents and high surf	63	24	44	30	$49K	23 of 83
Drought	54	0	0	0	$250M	29 of 83
Wildfires	29	5	0	4	$30M	16 of 83

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: every record counted once in the state; "last 10 years" is 2017-2026 (2026 to June 30, 2026).

What were the deadliest disasters in Michigan?

The storms with the most deaths since 1950, from the National Weather Service's own entries. NOAA files one storm as several records when it crosses forecast zones and counties or changes type, and groups them under one episode; each row here is an episode, with its totals and the narrative of its deadliest record. Before 1996 tornado records carry no episode and stand alone. The narrative says what happened: some deaths the National Weather Service files under a weather type had another cause beside the weather.

Michigan: the 10 storm episodes with the most deaths
Date	Record	Character	Killed	Injured	Damage
1953-06-08	Tornadoes of the day; the deadliest, Flint, killed 116 (SPC) · TornadoGenesee County Every tornado record filed in the state that day (12, in 10 places; before 1996 NOAA filed no storm episodes); the totals are the day's.	F5 9.6 mi x 833 yd	125	914	$25M step
1965-04-11	Tornadoes of the day; the deadliest, Tecumseh, killed 23 (SPC) · TornadoBranch County Every tornado record filed in the state that day (25, in 15 places; before 1996 NOAA filed no storm episodes); the totals are the day's.	F4 15.5 mi x 1,333 yd	53	800	$250M step
1956-04-03	Tornadoes of the day; the deadliest, Grand Rapids, killed 17 (SPC) · TornadoOttawa County Every tornado record filed in the state that day (12, in 9 places; before 1996 NOAA filed no storm episodes); the totals are the day's.	F5 15.1 mi x 400 yd	20	376	$250K step
1964-05-08	Tornadoes of the day; the deadliest, New Baltimore, killed 11 (SPC) · TornadoMacomb County Every tornado record filed in the state that day (5, in 5 places; before 1996 NOAA filed no storm episodes); the totals are the day's.	F4 3.3 mi x 833 yd	11	226	$2.5M step
1997-07-02	Otisville · Thunderstorm WindGrosse Pt Farms, Wayne County One storm episode: 19 records in 8 places; the totals are the episode's.		7	105	$259M
2023-08-24	Webberville · Thunderstorm WindSand Lake, Kent County One storm episode: 11 records in 6 places; the totals are the episode's. Severe storms developed during the evening hours in an extremely unstable environment. Two tornadoes occurred. The first tornado touched down in west central Kent County from Alpine Township to Plainfield Township and was rated an EF-1. The second tornado touched down in eastern Ingham County from Williamston to ...	61 kt wind	7	4	$160M
2007-12-01	Winter WeatherOakland County · forecast zone Oakland One storm episode: 7 records in 7 places; the totals are the episode's. A low pressure system developed over Colorado and tracked through the Central Plains and eventually over Southeast Lower Michigan. With temperatures in the low 20s, the precipitation on the evening of the 1st began as all snow. Portions of the Tri-Cities and Thumb region received up to 7 inches of snow, with generally ...		7	0	–
1980-05-13	Tornadoes of the day; the deadliest, Kalamazoo, killed 5 (SPC) · TornadoKalamazoo County Every tornado record filed in the state that day (2, in 2 places; before 1996 NOAA filed no storm episodes); the totals are the day's.	F3 10.6 mi x 450 yd	5	94	$25M step
1956-05-12	Tornadoes of the day; the deadliest, Flint, killed 3 (SPC) · TornadoGenesee County Every tornado record filed in the state that day (12, in 9 places; before 1996 NOAA filed no storm episodes); the totals are the day's.	F4 6.6 mi x 100 yd	4	156	$2.5M step
2026-03-06	TornadoSherwood, Branch County One storm episode: 8 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. On the afternoon of March 6th, 2026, a lone supercell developed in La Porte County, IN and tracked northeast into Lower Michigan. The supercell moved through Cass, St Joseph, Branch, and Calhoun counties. NWS storm damage surveys from NWS Northern Indiana and NWS Grand Rapids found that the parent supercell spawned 4 ...	EF3 5.23 mi x 500 yd	4	22	$3K

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: deaths direct and indirect, as filed in this state, summed over the records of each episode (EPISODE_ID); a forecast-zone record counts the zone's deaths once. A tornado's whole-track deaths (SPC), on the state's tornado page, can be higher when the track crossed a state line. Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.

The costliest records in Michigan

Michigan: the 8 records with the most damage since 1993, 2025 dollars
Date	Record	Character	Killed	Injured	Damage
2014-08-11	Flash FloodEast Rockwood, Wayne County		0	0	$1.4B
2014-08-11	Flash FloodFerndale, Oakland County		0	0	$499M
2014-08-11	Flash FloodSt Clair Shrs, Macomb County		0	0	$374M
2001-07-01	DroughtWayne County · forecast zone Wayne		0	0	$250M
2010-04-05	HailSchoolcraft, Kalamazoo County	1.75 in hail	0	0	$169M
1997-07-02	TornadoHighland Park, Wayne County	F2 5 mi x 2,500 yd	0	90	$165M
2003-04-03	Ice StormOakland County · forecast zone Oakland		1	2	$160M
2004-05-23	FloodMacomb County · forecast zone Macomb		0	0	$156M

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 $250M, in the dollars of the day) holds: April 11, 1965 (tornado, Branch County, 9 killed).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, converted to 2025 dollars with the BLS CPI-U. BLS consumer price index.

Which counties in Michigan have the most records?

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950 attributed to each county (forecast-zone records count on every county the zone covers).

Every county in Michigan

Billion-dollar disasters in Michigan

NOAA counted 60 weather or climate disasters from 1980-2024 that cost at least $1 billion (adjusted for inflation) and affected Michigan, led by severe storm (41). The most recent: Central and Eastern Tornado Outbreak and Severe Weather (2024); Hurricane Beryl (2024); Central and Northeast Severe Weather (2024).

Michigan: billion-dollar disasters by type, 1980-2024
Type	Events	Total cost (NOAA's range)
Severe Storm	41	$5.0B-$10.0B
Winter Storm	7	$500M-$1.0B
Drought	5	$2.0B-$5.0B
Flooding	5	$2.0B-$5.0B
Freeze	1	$5M-$100M
Tropical Cyclone	1	$100M-$250M

Every one of the 60, newest first

Central and Eastern Tornado Outbreak and Severe Weather2024
Hurricane Beryl2024
Central and Northeast Severe Weather2024
Upper Midwest Flooding2024
Central and Eastern Severe Weather2024
Central, Southern, Southeastern Tornado Outbreak2024
Central and Eastern Severe Weather2024
Central, Southern, Northeastern Winter Storm and Cold Wave2024
North Central and Southeastern Severe Weather2023
Rockies Hail Storms and Central and Eastern Severe Weather2023
Central and Eastern Severe Weather2023
Central and Eastern Winter Storm and Cold Wave2022
North Central and Eastern Severe Weather2022
North Central Hail Storms2022
Midwest Derecho and Tornado Outbreak2021
Southeast, Central Tornado Outbreak2021
North Central Severe Weather2021
Central Severe Storms2021
Ohio Valley Hail Storms2021
Central Severe Weather - Derecho2020
North Central and Ohio Valley Hail Storms and Severe Weather2020
Southeast Tornadoes and Northern Storms and Flooding2020
Missouri River and North Central Flooding2019
Central and Northeast Severe Weather2018
Southern and Eastern Tornadoes and Severe Weather2018
Midwest Tornado Outbreak2017
Central/Southeast Tornado Outbreak2017
Southeast and Eastern Tornadoes2016
Central and Northeast Severe Weather2015
Midwest/Ohio Valley Severe Weather2015
Central and Eastern Winter storm, Cold Wave2015
Michigan and Northeast Flooding2014
Central Severe Weather2014
Midwest/Southeast/Northeast Winter Storm2014
Ohio Valley Tornadoes2013
Western/Plains Drought/Heat Wave2013
U.S. Drought/Heat Wave2012
Rockies and Midwest Derecho2011
Midwest/Southeast Tornadoes and Severe Weather2011
Midwest/Mid-Atlantic Severe Weather2008
Midwest Flooding2008
Western, Central and Northeast Severe Weather2008
Western/Eastern Drought/Heat Wave2007
Central Severe Weather2006
Severe Storms, Hail, Tornadoes2004
Southern Derecho and Eastern Severe Weather2003
Midwest/Plains Severe Weather2003
Severe Storms/Hail2003
Western/Central Drought/Heat Wave2003
Midwest/Ohio Valley Hail and Tornadoes2001
Central and Eastern Winter Storm1999
Central and Eastern Severe Storms and Flooding1998
Northern Plains and Great Lakes Derecho, Tornadoes1998
Severe Storms, Tornadoes1991
U.S. Drought/Heat Wave1988
Michigan Flooding1986
Winter Storm, Cold Wave1985
Freeze/Cold Wave1983
Midwest/Plains/Southeast Tornadoes1982
Midwest/Southeast/Northeast Winter Storm, Cold Wave1982

Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters, state summary for Michigan, 1980-2024 (NCEI's last update; the product is archived). A disaster that affected several states counts in each. NCEI billion-dollar disasters.

Federal disaster declarations in Michigan

FEMA has made 46 declarations for Michigan since 1953: 35 major disasters, 10 emergencies and one fire management assistance declaration. The most common incident types are flood (14), severe storm (10), tornado (6).

1950s 3
1960s 1
1970s 10
1980s 5
1990s 7
2000s 7
2010s 5
2020s 8

The 15 most recent declarations in Michigan
Declared	Number	Type	Title	Areas named
2026-06-30	DR-4925	Flood	Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding	37
2025-07-22	DR-4880	Severe Ice Storm	Severe Winter Storm	14
2024-02-08	DR-4757	Flood	Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding	9
2021-07-15	DR-4607	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes	5
2020-07-09	DR-4547	Dam/Levee Break	Severe Storms and Flooding	5
2020-05-21	EM-3525	Dam/Levee Break	Severe Storms and Flooding	2
2020-03-27	DR-4494	Biological	Covid-19 Pandemic	94
2020-03-13	EM-3455	Biological	Covid-19	94
2018-08-02	DR-4381	Flood	Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides	3
2017-08-02	DR-4326	Severe Storm	Severe Storms and Flooding	4
2016-01-16	EM-3375	Toxic Substances	Contaminated Water	1
2014-09-25	DR-4195	Flood	Severe Storms and Flooding	3
2013-06-18	DR-4121	Flood	Flooding	16
2008-07-14	DR-1777	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding	12
2005-09-07	EM-3225	Hurricane	Hurricane Katrina Evacuation	83

Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.

Flood insurance claims in Michigan

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $150 million on 14,792 claims in 76 Michigan counties. Claims count insured losses only.

Source: FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims, as of September 8, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.

FEMA's modeled risk across Michigan's counties

How FEMA's National Risk Index rates Michigan's counties overall: a model of expected future loss from 18 hazards, not a count of events.

Relatively High 3
Relatively Moderate 10
Relatively Low 37
Very Low 33

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