Tornadoes in the
U.S. state of
Michigan are uncommon, with an estimated 17 tornadoes touching down every year since 1880. Although Michigan is not in the traditional tornado alley, it has had several destructive tornadoes since records began.
The state averages 17
tornadoes per year, which are more common in the state's extreme southern section. Portions of the southern border have been almost as vulnerable historically as states further west and in
Tornado Alley. For this reason, many communities in the very southern portions of the state have tornado sirens to warn residents of approaching tornadoes. Farther north, in Central Michigan, Northern Michigan, and the Upper Peninsula, tornadoes are rare.[1]
Events
FU
F0
F1
F2
F3
F4
F5
2+
1+
2+
3
2
0
1
Pre-1950
An F4 tornado that struck the Detroit River on June 17, 1946
April 18, 1880 – A strong F2 tornado hit areas near
Chester, downing large amounts of trees and destroying several barns.[2]
May 25, 1896 – A long-tracked F2 tornado moved through
Genesee and
Lapeer counties, destroying multiple poorly-built structures and injuring 4 people.[3] A strong F3 tornado moved through
Bay and
Tuscola counties, destroying an estimated 7 homes and a school.[3] One observer was killed when debris went through their window.[3] A long-tracked and deadly F3 tornado moved through
Macomb and
St. Clair counties at high speeds, destroying 30 homes. The tornado moved into
Ontario briefly before lifting, causing 2 deaths and $60,000 (1896
USD) in damages.[3] An extremely violent F5 tornado touched down near
Holly, destroying hundreds of homes and killing 47 people.[4] It is the second-deadliest tornado in Michigan history.[5] A brief F2 tornado hit
Amadore, destroying the entire village and injuring 3 people.[3]
November 11, 1911 – A rare
cold snap spawned 2 F2 tornadoes in Michigan. The first tracked through
Shiawassee County, damaging multiple structures, uprooting trees, and killing 2 people.[6] The second was a brief tornado that touched down near
Battle Creek, damaging several homes and destroying 5 barns.[6]
March 28, 1920 – A weak F2 tornado tracked through
Berrien County, damaging barns and destroying a small home.[7] Another F2 tornado that began as a
waterspout in
Oceana County moved onshore, killing one person and destroying a home.[8] A strong tornado tracked through
Elkhart County in
Indiana, before crossing the Indiana-Michigan state line into
Cass County, destroying four farm buildings at F3 intensity and injuring 8 people.[8] 2 F2 tornadoes touched down near
Kalamazoo, briefly causing damage to homes and other small structures. A violent F4 tornado initially touched down in
Steuben County in Indiana before crossing into
Branch County. 2 people were killed, and 5 others were injured.[8] A deadly F3 tornado caused extensive damage in
Eaton,
Clinton,
Gratiot and
Saginaw counties, damaging hundreds of structures and killing 1 person.[9] 1 other was injured, and the tornado caused an estimated $250,000 (1920 USD) in damages.[9] A violent F4 tornado hit
Barry and
Eaton counties, killing 4 people in
Maple Grove and injuring 25 others.[8] An intense F3 tornado touched down near
Orangeville, causing extensive damage to homes and killing 1 person.[8] An F4 tornado tracked through areas around
Fenton, causing damage to homes and trees, and killing 4 people.[10] A brief F2 tornado hit
Shiawassee County, destroying multiple barns and killing livestock.[9] Another brief and weak F2 tornado touched down directly west of
Saginaw, damaging 4 barns and damaging farmsteads.[8] A weak F2 tornado touched down on the outskirts of
Lansing, destroying a home and injuring one person.[7] An F2 tornado briefly damaged a barn and home in
Free Soil, before lifting.[7]
May 9, 1927 – A brief F2 tornado touched down near
Walker, destroying various barns. Another F2 tornado tracked through
Isabella,
Clare and
Gladwin counties, destroying multiple homes but causing no injuries.
June 17, 1946 – A violent and extremely powerful F4 tornado hit
River Rouge and the
Detroit River before crossing into
Windsor, Ontario. 17 were killed, and the tornado caused an estimated $9.663 million (1946 USD) in damages.[11]
FU
F0
F1
F2
F3
F4
F5
4
6+
1
4
3
4
2
1950–1959
June 26, 1951 – A brief F1 tornado touched down near
Midland, damaging multiple structures and snapping trees.[12]
September 26, 1951 – A brief but deadly F2 tornado hit
Lilley, destroying multiple industrial structures and killing one person.[13]
May 21, 1953 – A violent F4 tornado tracked through
Port Huron, causing extensive damage and killing 7 people before crossing into
Sarnia, Ontario. The tornado injured an estimated 117 people and inflicted $17.6 million (1953 USD) on both of the towns.
June 8, 1953 – A violent F4 tornado hit
Temperance, killing 4 people and destroying 14 houses. The tornado caused an estimated $250,000 (1953 USD) in damages, and was one of multiple deadly tornadoes in Michigan on June 8. A strong F3 tornado touched down near
Manchester, before tracking through
Washtenaw County, causing extensive damage to structures and killing one person. Another intense F3 tornado moved through
Livingston and
Oakland counties, injuring 11 people and damaging multiple structures, including a post office. A strong F2 tornado tracked through
Iosco County, damaging multiple houses and killing 4 people. A brief but strong F3 tornado hit
Spruce, destroying multiiple large barns and damaging crops.
An extremely powerful and violent multi-vortex F5 tornado hit
Beecher and
Flint, killing 116 people and injuring another 844. A brief F0 tornado caused minor damage in
Caseville before lifting.
April 3, 1956 – A violent F4 tornado hit
Allegan County, causing extensive damage and injuring 7 people.[14] A deadly and extremely powerful F5 tornado tracked through
Ottawa,
Kent and
Montcalm counties, killing 18 people and causing extreme damage in
Standale.[14] An extremely strong and violent F4 tornado hit
Portage Point, killing 1 person and destroying up to 50 houses.[14][15] A relatively strong and long-tracked F3 tornado moved through
Van Buren,
Allegan,
Barry and
Kent, destroying several structures in its path and injuring 23 people.
June 22, 1957 – A brief but strong F2 tornado hit
Hudsonville, causing extensive damage to the downtown area.[16] A relatively long-tracked F1 tornado tracked through
Ottawa and
Cass counties, causing minor damage to trees and other structures. A weak F0 tornado briefly touched down in
Allegan County, causing no damage.[17] A strong F2 tornado caused extensive damage to the southern portions of
Bay City, it was estimated to have caused $25,000 (1957 USD) in damages.[18]
April 1, 1974 – A strong F1 tornado moved through
Branch County, causing extensive damage to multiple structures in its path.
April 3, 1974 – A brief F2 tornado tracked through areas south of
Rockwood, causing minor damage to trees. A deadly F2 tornado moved through
Hillsdale and
Jackson counties, killing 2 people and destroying over 160 structures. A strong F3 tornado moved through
Wayne County, causing minor damage before rapidly strengthening and crossing into
Essex County in Ontario. 9 people were killed, and all 9 deaths occurred on the Canadian side, where mainly F3 damage was inflicted. 2 brief twin F2 torndoes moved through
Hillsdale and
Lenawee counties, causing minor damage to trees and small structures. 3 people were injured, but no fatalities occurred. A weak F3 tornado touched down near
Temperance, heavily damaging a well-built home.[20]
March 20, 1976 – An extremely violent F4 tornado hit
West Bloomfield and
Farmington Hills, destroying hundreds of structures and killing 1 person. 55 were injured, and the tornado caused an estimated $50 million (1976 USD) in damages.
September 23, 2006 – A brief but relatively strong F0 tornado touched down in
Kent County, inflicting minor damage to buildings and shifting mobile homes.[22] A weak F0 tornado touched down in
Ionia County, causing minor damage to tress.[23]
2010–2019
June 5, 2010 – 2 EF1 and EF2 tornadoes touched down in
Berrien County, damaging trees and other structures.
2020–present
April 1, 2023 – A weak EF0 tornado tracked through
Monroe County, hitting the downtown area of
Dundee and damaging several roofs.
June 15, 2023 – An EF1 tornado tracked through Monroe County, damaging homes and vehicles.[24]
References
^"Tornadoes". geo.msu.edu.
Archived from the original on July 6, 2015. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
^Grazulis 1993, p. 607. sfn error: no target: CITEREFGrazulis1993 (
help)