PlainHazard

Michigan heat

Every recorded heat record since 1996 · 59 counties with a record

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 368 heat records in Michigan from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 26 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the July 17, 2011 excessive heat in Wayne County: 3 deaths across 2 records. Michigan ranks 29th of 51 states and territories by count and 36th of 50 per square mile.

Heat in Michigan, 1996 to 2026

Heat 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
3681996 to June 30, 2026
A year since 2000
26average
Deaths
9882 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
–as filed
Busiest year
200662 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 heat records common in Michigan?

Michigan averages about 26 heat records a year since 2000, 29th of 51 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2006 (62). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Michigan records 65 heat records since 1996, 36th of 50 states and territories by that measure.

  1. 1. New Jersey 2320
  2. 2. Delaware 1555
  3. 3. Maryland 1330
  4. 4. Oklahoma 685
  5. 5. Illinois 590
  6. 6. Mississippi 584
  7. 7. Louisiana 576
  8. 8. Missouri 547
  9. 9. Tennessee 540
  10. 10. Puerto Rico 537
  11. 36. Michigan 65

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 heat records?

Per square mile, Macomb County leads Michigan: 16 days with a heat record since 1996, 33.4 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Oakland County has the most heat records (18 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).

  1. Macomb County 33.4 (16)
  2. Bay County 29.4 (13)
  3. Monroe County 29.1 (16)
  4. Wayne County 27.8 (17)
  5. Midland County 27.0 (14)
  6. Shiawassee County 26.4 (14)
  7. Livingston County 24.8 (14)
  8. Genesee County 22.0 (14)
  9. Lapeer County 21.6 (14)
  10. Washtenaw County 21.2 (15)
  11. Oakland County 20.8 (18)
  12. Lenawee County 20.0 (15)

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 heat season in Michigan?

68% of its heat records since 1996 fell in June and July. The busiest month is July (144 records).

The values, month by month

Jan 0 · Feb 17 · Mar 17 · Apr 0 · May 17 · Jun 107 · Jul 144 · Aug 59 · Sep 7 · Oct 0 · Nov 0 · Dec 0 (records).

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

What were the deadliest heat records in Michigan?

Michigan: the storms with the most deaths since 1996
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2011-07-17 Excessive HeatWayne County · forecast zone Wayne One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. A mid July heat wave helped cap off the warmest month on record at Detroit. Three direct deaths were reported due to the heat wave, as heat indices were above 100 degrees. Here are the high temperatures recorded for Detroit and Flint during the period of July 17th-22nd: Flint, 95, 94, 94, 95, 99, 84. Detroit, 92, 96, ... 3 0 –
2010-07-04 HeatWayne County · forecast zone Wayne One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. A five day heat wave occured from July 4th-July 8th. High temperatures climbed into the lower 90s across most areas, producing heat indices in the mid 90s to around 100 degrees. Little relief occured during the overnight hours as lows hovered at or above 70 degrees. Two heat related fatalities were reported. Here are ... 2 0 –
2002-06-28 HeatOakland County · forecast zone Oakland A 10 month old girl and her 3-year old brother died after being left along in a closed car in Southfield. Temperatures that day were in the 90s while the children were left in the car. They were in the car approximately 3 hours and died from the extreme heat. 2 0 –
2001-08-06 HeatOakland County · forecast zone Oakland One storm episode: 7 records in 7 places; the totals are the episode's. A large high pressure ridge settled across the Great Lakes region during the first week of August. With this ridge in place, high temperatures soared well into the 90s across southeast Michigan. During this period, Flint broke 3 record highs, including a high of 98 on the 8th. Detroit also broke a record on the 8th ... 1 200 –
2013-07-23 HeatWayne County · forecast zone Wayne A 5 year old boy died of hyperthermia, after he climbed into an unlocked car. The outside temperatures was only in the lower 70s. 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 heat 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.

Heat: Michigan and the United States by decade (2020s to June 30, 2026)
DecadeMichiganUnited StatesMichigan's share
1996-99354,3550.8%
2000s1259,1631.4%
2010s13616,4450.8%
2020-267226,7960.3%

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

The most recent heat records in Michigan

The 12 most recent records, to June 30, 2026
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-06-30 Excessive HeatMidland County · forecast zone Midland 0 0 –
2026-06-30 Excessive HeatSaginaw County · forecast zone Saginaw 0 0 –
2026-06-30 Excessive HeatTuscola County · forecast zone Tuscola 0 0 –
2026-06-30 Excessive HeatHuron County · forecast zone Huron 0 0 –
2026-06-30 Excessive HeatShiawassee County · forecast zone Shiawassee 0 0 –
2026-06-30 Excessive HeatGenesee County · forecast zone Genesee 0 0 –
2026-06-30 Excessive HeatLapeer County · forecast zone Lapeer 0 0 –
2026-06-30 Excessive HeatOakland County · forecast zone Oakland 0 0 –
2026-06-30 Excessive HeatMacomb County · forecast zone Macomb 0 0 –
2026-06-30 Excessive HeatWashtenaw County · forecast zone Washtenaw 0 0 –
2026-06-30 Excessive HeatWayne County · forecast zone Wayne 0 0 –
2026-06-30 Excessive HeatLenawee County · forecast zone Lenawee 0 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.

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