Gogebic County, Michigan severe weather history spans 224 recorded events between 1965 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 56.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,291 nationally and #40 in Michigan.
224
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
2
Direct injuries
$28.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Gogebic County, Michigan severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Gogebic County, Michigan severe weather history averages 3.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 78 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 23 events fall before 1990 and 201 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Gogebic County, Michigan record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flood, with $21.4M 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 Gogebic County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 126 | 1 | $1.4M | 78 | 1971–2025 |
| Hail | 68 | 0 | $750K | 4 | 1965–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 11 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2005–2018 |
| Flash Flood | 6 | 0 | $5.0M | 0 | 2002–2020 |
| Flood | 6 | 0 | $21.4M | 0 | 2010–2023 |
| Tornado | 5 | 0 | $200K | F1 | 1984–2016 |
| Lightning | 2 | 1 | $0 | 0 | 2005–2006 |
Decade by decade
Gogebic County, Michigan severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
5 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 3 touched down inside it and 2 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969-06-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 28.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2016-07-11 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 2016-07-11 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-06-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1988-08-03 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Gogebic County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 17, 2006 | Lightning | WAKEFIELD | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 23, 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | WATERSMEET | 1 | 0 | $5K |
| Jul 19, 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | WHITE CITY | 0 | 1 | $10K |
| Jun 11, 2005 | Lightning | WAKEFIELD | 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 Gogebic County Road Commission reported numerous secondary roads and a few county roads impassable from the 13th into the 17th. Highway M-28 east of Sunday Lake in Wakefield was closed from the 16th into the 21st due to high water. Estimated countywide damages to highway infrastructure were in the millions of dollars. Governor Whitmer declared a state of emergency in Gogebic County on April 14th due to severe and widespread flooding.
Radar estimated rainfall amounts of 3 to 6 inches caused major flash flooding over portions of far western Gogebic County and left many sections of road washed out and impassible. Many people became stranded from near Ironwood to Little Girls Point. The Gogebic County Sheriff reported the Montreal River flooded on Lake Road at the Michigan-Wisconsin border with a washout of the guardrail at the Flint Creek ravine. A Gogebic County patrol car was swept up in the Montreal River flood waters and the deputy driving the car needed to be rescued.The Gogebic County Road Commission closed Lake Road from near Saxon Harbor, WI to Lower Powers Road.
The NWS storm survey concluded that damage in and immediately surrounding Wakefield was caused by straight-line thunderstorm winds up to 90 mph. Wind damage included an overturned camper trailer, a roof ripped off an old skating rink, a few damaged or destroyed outbuildings, hundreds of large uprooted or snapped trees (some 30 to 40 inches in diameter), downed power lines, and several trees downed on houses or vehicles. The survey team could not access all areas around Wakefield due to the number of downed trees. The time of the report was based on radar, observations and interviews of individuals in the area.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
14,319
Population (ACS)
$107K
Median home value
9
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 27, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Aug 2, 2018 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Jun 18, 2013 | Flood | FLOODING | DR |
| Sep 7, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
| May 6, 2002 | Flood | FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Gogebic County, Michigan?
224 events are on record between 1965 and 2025, causing 2 direct deaths and $28.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Gogebic County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 126 recorded events — 56.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Gogebic County?
5 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 3 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Gogebic County?
9 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Gogebic County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Gogebic County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Gogebic County as very low risk, placing it in the 26 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Gogebic 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
- Gladwin County 141
- Grand Traverse County 173
- Genesee County 756
- Gratiot County 159
- Emmet County 84
- Hillsdale County 328
Cite this page
“Gogebic County, Michigan.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/michigan/gogebic-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.