Alger County, Michigan severe weather history spans 160 recorded events between 1953 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 50.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,661 nationally and #50 in Michigan.
160
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
5
Direct injuries
$1.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Alger County, Michigan severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Alger County, Michigan severe weather history averages 2.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 56 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 17 events fall before 1990 and 143 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Alger County, Michigan record is lightning, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flood, with $1.0M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Alger County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 81 | 0 | $5K | 3.5 | 1968–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 52 | 0 | $297K | 80 | 1968–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 11 | 0 | $4K | 0 | 2006–2024 |
| Tornado | 6 | 0 | $255K | F2 | 1953–2005 |
| Flash Flood | 4 | 0 | $94K | 0 | 2018–2025 |
| Lightning | 3 | 1 | $20K | 0 | 1998–2019 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $1.0M | 0 | 2018–2023 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2002–2002 |
Decade by decade
Alger County, Michigan severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
6 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 6 touched down inside it and 0 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964-05-06 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1987-07-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-07-28 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-07-19 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1958-06-29 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1953-07-06 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Alger County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 29, 1998 | Lightning | SHINGLETON | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 14, 2006 | Lightning | MUNISING | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| Jul 6, 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | MUNISING | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Aug 17, 1988 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The Alger County EM reported record flooding in Au Train where around 200 homes were impacted with flooding along the Au Train River and Au Train Lake during early May. Water was overtopping the Forest Lake Dam upstream due to heavy water equivalent precipitation in the basin from the May 1-2 storm system.
Heavy rain resulted in flooding along the Anna River late Monday night into early Tuesday morning. Driveway bridges and a private road were damaged or washed out along M-94, and railroad tracks were washed out between Munising Junction and Munising. Time estimated from radar.
Over 200 residences were reported to be without power along Au Train Forest Lake Road due to thunderstorm wind damage. Power lines were also reported down near the All Seasons Tavern just south of Au Train. Time of the report was estimated from radar.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
8,762
Population (ACS)
$176K
Median home value
5
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 27, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Sep 7, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
| Jan 27, 1978 | Snowstorm | BLIZZARDS & SNOWSTORMS | EM |
| Mar 2, 1977 | Drought | DROUGHT | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Alger County, Michigan?
160 events are on record between 1953 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $1.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Alger County?
Hail, with 81 recorded events — 50.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Alger County?
6 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 6 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Alger County?
5 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Alger County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Alger County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Alger County as very low risk, placing it in the 10 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Alger County, Michigan severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Alcona County 137
- Allegan County 365
- Alpena County 157
- Antrim County 129
- Arenac County 121
- Baraga County 154
Cite this page
“Alger County, Michigan.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/michigan/alger-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.