Michigan rip currents and high surf

Every recorded rip current or surf record since 1996 · 23 counties with a record

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 63 rip current and surf records in Michigan from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 3.3 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the August 5, 2010 rip current in Marquette County: 4 deaths across 2 records. Michigan ranks 15th of 34 states and territories by count and 17th of 34 per square mile.

Rip currents and high surf in Michigan, 1996 to 2026

Surf records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.

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

Records: 631996 to June 30, 2026
A year since 2000: 3.3average
Deaths: 4430 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars: $49Kas filed
Busiest year: 201110 records

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.

Are rip current and surf records common in Michigan?

Michigan averages about 3.3 rip current and surf records a year since 2000, 15th of 34 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2011 (10). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Michigan records 11 rip current and surf records since 1996, 17th of 34 states and territories by that measure.

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.

Which counties in Michigan have the most rip current and surf records?

Per square mile, Berrien County leads Michigan: 20 days with a rip current or surf record since 1996, 35.2 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Berrien County has the most surf records (22 since 1996); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).

Berrien County 35.2 (22)
Benzie County 6.3 (2)
Leelanau County 5.8 (2)
Alger County 5.5 (5)
Marquette County 4.4 (8)
Van Buren County 3.3 (3)
Huron County 2.4 (2)
Baraga County 2.2 (2)
Luce County 2.2 (2)
Emmet County 2.1 (1)
Mason County 2.0 (1)
Muskegon County 2.0 (1)

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.

When is the surf season in Michigan?

67% of its rip current and surf records since 1996 fell in July and August. The busiest month is July (23 records).

The values, month by month

Jan 0 · Feb 0 · Mar 0 · Apr 0 · May 9 · Jun 7 · Jul 23 · Aug 19 · Sep 4 · Oct 1 · Nov 0 · Dec 0 (records).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.

What were the deadliest rip current and surf records in Michigan?

Michigan: the storms with the most deaths since 1996
Date	Record	Killed	Injured	Damage
2010-08-05	Rip CurrentMarquette County · forecast zone Marquette One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. High waves and rip currents led to the drownings of two swimmers near Presque Isle in Marquette and two swimmers in Grand Marais on the afternoon of the 5th.	4	0	–
2020-07-30	Rip CurrentBerrien County · forecast zone Berrien Drownings occurred at 3 beaches along the Berrien County shoreline during the evening hours of July 30th. At the New Buffalo City Beach, a 24-year-old male from Villa Ridge, Missouri went missing near the U.S. Corp of Engineers breakwall, while doing contract work in the area, police said. He was standing in shallow ...	3	5	–
2022-07-13	Rip CurrentVan Buren County · forecast zone Van Buren One storm episode: 3 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. There were three fatalities which occurred on July 13th as a result of rip currents.	3	0	–
2012-08-05	Rip CurrentBerrien County · forecast zone Berrien One storm episode: 2 records; the totals are the episode's. Strong north to northwest winds across Lake Michigan caused wave heights in excess of 8 feet along the south-eastern parts of the lake shore. Local and Coast Guard officials reported two rip current drownings. The first occurred at Tiscornia Beach in St. Joseph when a swimmer became overcome by the high waves. The 41 ...	2	0	–
2009-08-15	Rip CurrentMackinac County · forecast zone Mackinac A 16 year old male was carried by rip currents away from the beach and out to deeper water. His 66 year old grandfather attempted a rescue, but was also overcome by waves and/or rip currents. Onlookers at the scene managed to retrieve the two, but revival attempts were unsuccessful. The two were declared dead at a St ...	2	0	–
2022-08-08	Rip CurrentVan Buren County · forecast zone Van Buren Two people drowned in South Haven during the early afternoon as a result of rip currents and three to five foot waves.	2	0	–
2010-09-03	Rip CurrentBerrien County · forecast zone Berrien Three gentlemen went into the water off a private beach near Bridgman with a small rubber raft. The swimmers became separated from the raft, but two managed to return to it. Witnesses observed a rip current take a 26 year old male out further into the water. Numerous agencies attempted to look for the gentleman, but ...	1	4	–
2006-07-04	Rip CurrentBerrien County · forecast zone Berrien A favorable onshore flow across southeastern Lake Michigan, resulted in waves ranging from 2 to as much as 6 feet at times. This allowed for several occurrances of rip currents along the shores adjacent to Berrien County. While exact figures were not available, officials from Berrien county reported that at least 6 ...	1	4	–
2005-08-27	Hurricane Katrina · Rip CurrentSawyer, Berrien County Coast Guard officials received a report of a 20 year old male caught in a rip current 100 yards off shore from Warren Dunes State Park, near Sawyer. The person was removed from the water and was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead a short time later. Coast Guard and park officials had warned of ...	1	0	–
2007-07-11	Rip CurrentManistee County · forecast zone Manistee A 15 year old boy from a downstate Michigan community, drowned as a result of rip currents at 5th Avenue Beach in the city of Manistee.	1	0	–

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.

Are rip current and surf records becoming more frequent in Michigan?

Michigan's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.

Rip currents and high surf: Michigan and the United States by decade (2020s to June 30, 2026)
Decade	Michigan	United States	Michigan's share
1996-99	1	1,021	0.10%
2000s	9	4,386	0.21%
2010s	35	5,810	0.60%
2020-26	18	2,346	0.77%

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

The most recent rip current and surf records in Michigan

The 12 most recent records, to June 30, 2026
Date	Record	Killed	Injured	Damage
2025-07-21	Rip CurrentBerrien County · forecast zone Southern Berrien County	0	9	–
2025-07-20	Rip CurrentBerrien County · forecast zone Southern Berrien County	0	5	–
2025-06-21	SeicheChippewa County · forecast zone Central Chippewa County	0	0	–
2025-06-21	SeicheChippewa County · forecast zone Western Chippewa County	0	0	–
2025-06-21	Rip CurrentHuron County · forecast zone Huron	1	0	–
2024-07-24	Rip CurrentLuce County · forecast zone Luce	1	0	–
2023-09-03	Rip CurrentMason County · forecast zone Mason	1	0	–
2023-07-28	Rip CurrentOntonagon County · forecast zone Ontonagon	1	0	–
2022-08-08	Rip CurrentVan Buren County · forecast zone Van Buren	2	0	–
2022-07-13	Rip CurrentOttawa County · forecast zone Ottawa	1	0	–
2022-07-13	Rip CurrentVan Buren County · forecast zone Van Buren	1	0	–
2022-07-13	Rip CurrentVan Buren County · forecast zone Van Buren	1	0	–

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.