Chippewa County, Michigan severe weather history spans 119 recorded events between 1961 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 45.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,817 nationally and #65 in Michigan.
119
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$796K
Property damage
The record
What the Chippewa County, Michigan severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Chippewa County, Michigan severe weather history averages 1.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 27 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 30 events fall before 1990 and 89 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $278K in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Chippewa County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 54 | 0 | $0 | 2.5 | 1961–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 49 | 0 | $166K | 70 | 1961–2023 |
| Tornado | 7 | 0 | $278K | F1 | 1972–2021 |
| Flash Flood | 4 | 0 | $130K | 0 | 1999–2025 |
| Flood | 3 | 0 | $20K | 0 | 2008–2020 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $3K | 0 | 2008–2008 |
| Waterspout | 1 | 0 | $200K | 0 | 1999–1999 |
Decade by decade
Chippewa 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987-07-12 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1978-08-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1977-08-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-08-11 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1987-07-11 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-07-12 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Chippewa County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 11, 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | COTTAGE PARK | 0 | 1 | $20K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Radar estimated that 3 to 5 inches of rain fell in a few hours beginning late in the evening of the 9th, resulting in flash flood in the pre-dawn hours of the 10th. A number of roads were washed out and/or otherwise rendered impassable, in some cases for several days. West Shore Drive, and 1 1/2 Mile Road, were among the roads that suffered considerable damage.
Lightning struck a large pine tree just outside the administration building of Tahquamenon Falls State Park. The tree was blasted into pieces, and most of the electronic equipment in the admin building was destroyed. Some electrical damage also occurred in a staff building, not quite an eighth of a mile away.
One-inch diameter hail fell from 1300 EST to 1310 EST near Pickford. Canadian radio news reported crop damage on St. Joseph Island 25 miles East of Pickford, south of Neebish Island. No reports of crop damage in Chippewa County, where only hay is grown.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
36,295
Population (ACS)
$162K
Median home value
7
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 |
| May 10, 1994 | Freezing | SEVERE DEEP FREEZE | DR |
| 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 Chippewa County, Michigan?
119 events are on record between 1961 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $796K in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Chippewa County?
Hail, with 54 recorded events — 45.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Chippewa 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 Chippewa County?
7 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Chippewa County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Chippewa County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Chippewa County as very low risk, placing it in the 26 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Chippewa 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
- Cheboygan County 97
- Clare County 125
- Charlevoix County 81
- Clinton County 255
- Cass County 306
- Crawford County 122
Cite this page
“Chippewa County, Michigan.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/michigan/chippewa-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.