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]
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]
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 trees.[23]
