PlainHazard

Michigan tornadoes

Every recorded tornado since 1950 · 83 counties with a record

Michigan has recorded 1,152 tornadoes from 1950 through 2025, about 14 a year since 2000, with 62 rated F3/EF3 or stronger (NOAA Storm Prediction Center). The deadliest was the June 8, 1953 Flint tornado (116 deaths in Michigan). Michigan ranks 25th of 52 states and territories by count and 32nd of 51 per square mile.

Tornadoes in Michigan, 1950 to 2025

Tornadoes per year (SPC; a tornado that crossed a state line counts in each state it touched).

  • 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
  • 1996: tornado reports rose with NEXRAD Doppler radar, mid-1990s (SPC)
Tornadoes
1,1521950 to 2025
A year since 2000
14average
Deaths
2473,399 injuries
F3/EF3 or stronger
625% of tornadoes
Busiest year
197439 tornadoes

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025 (state segments). SPC severe weather database.

Are tornadoes common in Michigan?

Michigan averages about 14 tornadoes a year since 2000, 25th of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 1974 (39). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Michigan records 203 tornadoes since 1950, 32nd of 51 states and territories by that measure.

  1. 1. Florida 701
  2. 2. Oklahoma 658
  3. 3. Mississippi 614
  4. 4. Louisiana 579
  5. 5. Illinois 567
  6. 6. Kansas 564
  7. 7. Iowa 555
  8. 8. Alabama 537
  9. 9. Indiana 492
  10. 10. Maryland 438
  11. 32. Michigan 203

Source: NOAA SPC, tornadoes 1950-2025, 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 tornadoes?

Per square mile, Wayne County leads Michigan: 35 days with a tornado record since 1950, 57.2 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Genesee County has the most tornado records (51 since 1950); 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. Wayne County 57.2 (42)
  2. Genesee County 56.5 (51)
  3. Shiawassee County 54.6 (35)
  4. Monroe County 54.6 (41)
  5. Berrien County 51.1 (32)
  6. Ingham County 48.6 (29)
  7. Livingston County 47.8 (29)
  8. Kalamazoo County 44.5 (27)
  9. Eaton County 43.5 (26)
  10. Macomb County 41.7 (22)
  11. Branch County 41.5 (24)
  12. Kent County 40.1 (45)

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1950 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.

When is tornado season in Michigan?

Michigan's tornadoes by month. The busiest month is June (252 tornadoes).

The values, month by month

Jan 1 · Feb 7 · Mar 66 · Apr 116 · May 188 · Jun 252 · Jul 200 · Aug 179 · Sep 88 · Oct 39 · Nov 15 · Dec 1 (records).

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, state segments by the month they began, 1950-2025.

What were the deadliest tornadoes in Michigan?

Michigan: the tornadoes with the most deaths in the state, 1950-2025
DateCountiesRatingPath in stateKilledInjured
1953-06-08Flint · Genesee, LapeerF518.9 mi116844
1965-04-11Tecumseh · Branch, Hillsdale, Lenawee, MonroeWhole track: IN, MI; 23 deathsF486.5 mi23294
1965-04-11Tecumseh · Branch, Hillsdale, Lenawee, MonroeF480.5 mi21293
1956-04-03Grand Rapids · Allegan, Ottawa, Kent, MontcalmF558.8 mi17292
1964-05-08New Baltimore · MacombF43.3 mi11224
1965-04-11Rockford · Ottawa, KentF420.6 mi5142
1980-05-13Kalamazoo · KalamazooF310.6 mi579
1953-06-08Luna Pier · MonroeF45.4 mi418
1953-06-08Sand Lake · IoscoF216.6 mi413
1956-05-12Flint · GeneseeF46.6 mi3116

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database (state segments: deaths and path inside Michigan), 1950-2025; counties are the first four the SPC lists for the segment. SPC severe weather database.

Where have the strongest tornadoes tracked in Michigan?

  • F2/EF2
  • F3/EF3
  • F4/EF4
  • F5/EF5
  • no end point filed
282 tornadoes rated 2 or higher drawn from start to end of the whole track (a track that crossed into Michigan from another state is drawn in full); 864 rated 0 or 1 are left off the map.

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, start and end points of each track; county lines: Census Bureau cartographic boundaries (2017), via us-atlas. SPC severe weather database. Census cartographic boundary files.

The strongest tornadoes in Michigan

Michigan: the highest-rated tornadoes, 1950-2025
DateCountiesRatingPath in stateWidthKilled
1953-06-08Flint · Genesee, LapeerF518.9 mi833 yd116
1956-04-03Grand Rapids · Allegan, Ottawa, Kent, MontcalmF558.8 mi400 yd17
1965-04-11Tecumseh · Branch, Hillsdale, Lenawee, MonroeF486.5 mi1,760 yd23
1965-04-11Tecumseh · Branch, Hillsdale, Lenawee, MonroeF480.5 mi10 yd21
1964-05-08New Baltimore · MacombF43.3 mi833 yd11
1965-04-11Rockford · Ottawa, KentF420.6 mi300 yd5
1953-06-08Luna Pier · MonroeF45.4 mi200 yd4
1956-05-12Flint · GeneseeF46.6 mi100 yd3
1953-05-21Port Huron · St. ClairF410 mi1,760 yd2
1965-04-11Toledo · MonroeF40.1 mi200 yd2

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database; F scale before February 1, 2007, EF scale after.

The longest tornado paths in Michigan

Michigan: the longest paths inside the state, 1950-2025
DateTornado and countiesRatingPath in stateWidthKilled
1965-04-11Tecumseh · Branch, Hillsdale, Lenawee, MonroeF486.5 mi1,760 yd23
1965-04-11Tecumseh · Branch, Hillsdale, Lenawee, MonroeF480.5 mi10 yd21
1987-07-11Norway to Gladstone · Dickinson, Menominee, Delta, SchoolcraftF371 mi150 yd0
1955-05-28Portage · Kalamazoo, Calhoun, EatonF264.6 mi100 yd0
1968-04-23Big Rapids to Lakeview · Mecosta, OsceolaF360.9 mi100 yd0
1956-04-03Allegan to Lowell · Van Buren, Allegan, Barry, KentF360.6 mi200 yd0
1956-04-03Grand Rapids · Allegan, Ottawa, Kent, MontcalmF558.8 mi400 yd17
1971-06-02Shiawassee, Genesee, LapeerF157.9 mi27 yd0
1968-08-05Kentwood to Lansing · Kent, Ionia, Eaton, InghamF252.7 mi50 yd0
1956-04-03Lake Ann · Manistee, Benzie, Grand Traverse, LeelanauF450.3 mi400 yd1

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, state segments: path length and width inside the state. SPC severe weather database.

Tornadoes in every Michigan county

All 83 counties: tornadoes whose track touched each, and the strongest
Michigan: tornadoes whose track touched each county since 1950, most first
CountyTornadoesStrongest
Genesee County51F/EF5
Kent County44F/EF5
Monroe County41F/EF4
Wayne County38F/EF4
Allegan County36F/EF5
Oakland County36F/EF4
Shiawassee County35F/EF4
Berrien County33F/EF3
Lenawee County33F/EF4
Ingham County32F/EF2
Livingston County29F/EF4
Washtenaw County28F/EF3
Ionia County27F/EF2
Kalamazoo County27F/EF4
Saginaw County27F/EF3
Eaton County26F/EF4
Hillsdale County26F/EF4
Ottawa County24F/EF5
St. Clair County24F/EF4
Macomb County23F/EF4
Tuscola County23F/EF2
Branch County22F/EF4
Barry County21F/EF3
Lapeer County21F/EF5
Sanilac County21F/EF3
Cass County20F/EF3
Jackson County20F/EF3
Calhoun County19F/EF3
Clinton County19F/EF4
Van Buren County19F/EF3
Huron County18F/EF3
Ogemaw County17F/EF3
St. Joseph County17F/EF3
Bay County15F/EF3
Gratiot County15F/EF2
Alpena County14F/EF2
Antrim County14F/EF3
Newaygo County14F/EF2
Osceola County14F/EF3
Crawford County13F/EF2
Iosco County13F/EF3
Isabella County13F/EF2
Alcona County12F/EF3
Delta County12F/EF3
Mecosta County12F/EF3
Montcalm County12F/EF5
Marquette County11F/EF1
Clare County10F/EF1
Gladwin County10F/EF3
Midland County10F/EF2
Arenac County9F/EF2
Dickinson County9F/EF3
Iron County9F/EF2
Menominee County9F/EF3
Roscommon County9F/EF2
Kalkaska County8F/EF2
Missaukee County8F/EF2
Muskegon County8F/EF2
Wexford County8F/EF2
Cheboygan County7F/EF1
Chippewa County7F/EF1
Oscoda County7F/EF2
Presque Isle County7F/EF2
Alger County6F/EF2
Montmorency County6F/EF1
Otsego County6F/EF3
Emmet County5F/EF1
Gogebic County5F/EF1
Grand Traverse County5F/EF4
Mackinac County5F/EF2
Mason County5F/EF2
Oceana County5F/EF2
Benzie County4F/EF4
Charlevoix County4F/EF2
Lake County4F/EF1
Leelanau County4F/EF4
Luce County4F/EF1
Ontonagon County3F/EF1
Schoolcraft County3F/EF3
Baraga County2F/EF2
Keweenaw County2F/EF0
Manistee County2F/EF4
Houghton County1F/EF0

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database: whole tornadoes whose track touched the county (any state segment listing it). SPC severe weather database.

The costliest tornadoes in Michigan

Michigan: the most damaging tornadoes since 1993, 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
1997-07-02 TornadoHighland Park, Wayne County F2 5 mi x 2,500 yd 0 90 $165M
2023-08-24 TornadoMeridan, Ingham County The tornado moved east northeast and onto I-96 where it remained for around 1.5 miles before turning southeast. The tornado crossed M-52 South of I-96 where it remained just south of I-96 until it crossed into Livingston County after Wallace Road north of Van Orden Road. The tornado briefly continued in Livingston ... EF2 10.7 mi x 500 yd 2 4 $73M
2010-06-06 TornadoRea, Monroe County A tornado touched down at 211 am at County Line Road and Rankin Road in Monroe county. This tornado then tracked east southeast, moving through Dundee at 217 AM. Maximum sustained winds of 130 to 135 mph where estimated just west of Dundee, which is classified at a high end EF2. The width of the tornado at that time ... EF2 13.01 mi x 800 yd 0 11 $68M
2007-08-24 TornadoCharlotte, Eaton County A NWS storm survey team determined that an EF-3 (Enhanced-Fujita Tornado Scale Rating) tornado with wind speeds estimated at 140 mph produced the most severe damage along a path from M-50 just north of Kinsel Highway to just west of M-100 and Vermontville Highway near Potterville, Michigan. The storm survey indicated ... EF3 6.5 mi x 300 yd 0 5 $57M
1997-07-02 TornadoRomeo, Macomb County F0 0.7 mi x 100 yd 0 6 $55M
2022-05-20 TornadoElmira, Otsego County This tornado formed in Antrim county 4 miles east of Alba and continued into Otsego county 100 yards SE of the Alba Rd/Old Alba Rd intersection. The tornado continued to move east northeast for almost 16 additional miles before dissipating around 1.75 miles northeast of Sparr. The tornado was rated EF3 in Otsego ... EF3 15.79 mi x 200 yd 2 44 $50M
2024-05-07 TornadoTexas Corners, Kalamazoo County An EF-2 tornado touched down near the intersection of South 10th Street and West R Avenue and traveled east northeast for around 11 miles until it lifted north of East N Avenue just west of 31st street. Many homes, including two mobile home parks, were severely damaged. Over 500 homes were impacted, 305 of which were ... EF2 10.86 mi x 300 yd 0 12 $47M
2007-10-18 TornadoVantown, Ingham County A National Weather Service storm survey was conducted in Ingham county following the tornado that occurred on the night of October 18th. Based on extensive damage to buildings and trees the tornado was rated EF-2 with top winds estimated between 120 and 130 mph. The tornado began just northeast of Mason around 10:28 ... EF2 17 mi x 300 yd 2 0 $21M

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, in 2025 dollars.

Are tornadoes becoming more frequent in Michigan?

Michigan's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. The Storm Prediction Center notes that tornado reports rose especially around the installation of the NEXRAD Doppler radar network in the mid-1990s, so a rising count is partly better detection; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.

Tornadoes: Michigan and the United States by decade
DecadeMichiganUnited StatesMichigan's share
1950s924,8371.9%
1960s1096,8631.6%
1970s2318,6332.7%
1980s1878,2502.3%
1990s16512,2051.4%
2000s14312,8921.1%
2010s13512,2321.1%
2020-25908,2341.1%

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, state segments.

The most recent tornadoes in Michigan

The 12 most recent records, to June 30, 2026
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-06-30 TornadoWinters, Alger County EF0 0.48 mi x 25 yd 0 0 –
2026-06-30 TornadoOsier, Delta County EF0 0.09 mi x 25 yd 0 0 –
2026-06-11 TornadoDutton, Kent County EF0 4.24 mi x 70 yd 0 0 –
2026-06-11 TornadoIrving, Barry County EF0 2.95 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
2026-06-09 TornadoOneida Center, Eaton County EF0 3.21 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
2026-06-09 TornadoMontrose, Genesee County EFU 0.1 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
2026-06-09 TornadoFreeland, Saginaw County EF1 1.43 mi x 100 yd 0 0 –
2026-04-15 TornadoColdwater Lake, Branch County EF1 2.59 mi x 100 yd 0 0 –
2026-04-15 TornadoMelvindale, Wayne County EF0 0.54 mi x 200 yd 0 0 $125K
2026-04-15 TornadoAnn Arbor, Washtenaw County EF1 1.71 mi x 500 yd 0 0 $500K
2026-04-14 TornadoDoster, Barry County EF0 8.68 mi x 175 yd 0 0 –
2026-04-14 TornadoOtsego, Allegan County EF0 7.14 mi x 175 yd 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.

Federal disaster declarations for tornadoes in Michigan

FEMA has declared 13 disasters in Michigan for tornadoes, counting its incident type and declarations that name tornado in the title (FEMA files most storm disasters under Severe Storm); 13 were major disasters, the latest on June 30, 2026.

The 12 most recent
DeclaredNumberTitleAreas named
2026-06-30DR-4925Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding37
2024-02-08DR-4757Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding9
2021-07-15DR-4607Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes5
2008-07-14DR-1777Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding12
2004-06-30DR-1527Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding26
1997-07-11DR-1181Severe Storms, Tornadoes,and Flooding5
1980-05-16DR-621Severe Storms & Tornadoes2
1976-03-19DR-495Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Icing & Flooding29
1974-04-12DR-429Tornadoes1
1965-04-14DR-190Tornadoes & Severe Storms16
1956-04-05DR-53Tornado1
1953-06-09DR-6Tornado1

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

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