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Eaton County, Michigan severe weather history spans 230 recorded events between 1951 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 54.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,253 nationally and #39 in Michigan.
230
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
53
Direct injuries
$69.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Eaton County, Michigan severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Eaton County, Michigan severe weather history averages 3.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 90 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 47 events fall before 1990 and 183 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Eaton County, Michigan record is tornado, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $54.3M in reported property damage. In total, 6 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Eaton County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 125 | 0 | $9.9M | 90 | 1966–2025 |
| Hail | 67 | 0 | $510K | 1.75 | 1957–2026 |
| Tornado | 25 | 2 | $54.3M | F4 | 1951–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 8 | 0 | $1.9M | 0 | 1996–2013 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2007 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $3.1M | 0 | 2013–2020 |
Decade by decade
Eaton County, Michigan severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
26 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 23 touched down inside it and 3 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977-04-02 | EF4 | 1 | 44 | 16.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-08-24 | EF3 | 0 | 5 | 6.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-04-11 | EF3 | 0 | 5 | 14.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1986-08-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1968-08-05 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 52.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1967-04-21 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1962-04-30 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1955-05-28 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 64.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2008-06-08 | EF1 | 1 | 0 | 9.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-05-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 15.7 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Eaton County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 2, 1977 | Tornado | 1 | 44 | $2.5M | |
| Jun 8, 2008 | Tornado | NEEDMORE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 24, 2007 | Tornado | CHARLOTTE | 0 | 5 | $40.0M |
| Sep 9, 2001 | Tornado | POTTERVILLE | 0 | 1 | $10.0M |
| Jul 4, 1974 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $250K | |
| May 28, 1955 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $250K | |
| Jun 2, 1951 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $3K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
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 a tornado path which was 200 to 300 yards wide and 6.5 miles long.||Fifteen homes were either destroyed or severely damaged. A roof was blown off a single story home and windward facing walls were blown in. The majority of the roof and garage from this home were not found. A roof was blown off of a two story home and the upper story front walls were blown in. Additional damage included the partial collapse of the upper story of a home, and another house was blown off of the foundation. Two barns were destroyed and another incurred heavy damage just west of Potterville.
Severe thunderstorm winds blew down numerous trees and tree limbs and power lines across portions of Eaton county. Some houses were damaged from falling trees and some power poles were damaged. Numerous trees were also snapped or uprooted in and near Grand Ledge along with damaged utility lines and buildings.
Six to eight inches of rain fell across much of Eaton county from the late evening hours of July 27 through the early morning hours of July 29. This caused flash flooding and numerous road closures and washouts. A co-op observer measured 7.15 inches of rain in Diamondale. Three to four feet of ponding water in a field in Diamondale damaged several pieces of farm equipment that were part of a farm implement show.||Interstate 69 was closed in Eaton County between Vermontville Highway and Windsor Road due to rapidly flowing water over the road.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
109,130
Population (ACS)
$217K
Median home value
14
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 30, 2026 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Feb 8, 2024 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Mar 27, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jul 14, 2008 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Sep 7, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Eaton County, Michigan?
230 events are on record between 1951 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $69.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Eaton County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 125 recorded events — 54.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Eaton County?
26 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 23 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Eaton County?
14 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Eaton County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Eaton County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Eaton County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 68 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Eaton 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
- Dickinson County 248
- Emmet County 84
- Delta County 271
- Genesee County 756
- Crawford County 122
- Gladwin County 141
Cite this page
“Eaton County, Michigan.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/michigan/eaton-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.