Grand Traverse County, Michigan severe weather history spans 173 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 52.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,593 nationally and #45 in Michigan.
173
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
3
Direct injuries
$16.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Grand Traverse County, Michigan severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Grand Traverse County, Michigan severe weather history averages 2.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2020s, with 44 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 34 events fall before 1990 and 139 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Grand Traverse County, Michigan record is lightning, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $13.3M 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 Grand Traverse County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 91 | 0 | $13.3M | 70 | 1955–2025 |
| Hail | 52 | 0 | $6K | 2 | 1958–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 13 | 0 | $2.2M | 0 | 1999–2023 |
| Lightning | 7 | 1 | $182K | 0 | 2000–2025 |
| Tornado | 5 | 0 | $775K | F4 | 1956–2025 |
| Flood | 5 | 0 | $110K | 0 | 2014–2023 |
Decade by decade
Grand Traverse 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: 4 touched down inside it and 1 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956-04-03 | EF4 | 1 | 25 | 50.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1969-06-26 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 6.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1964-05-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 16.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1961-09-13 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 14.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-09-22 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Grand Traverse County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1, 2000 | Lightning | TRAVERSE CITY | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Oct 14, 1989 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 2 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The most concentrated damage in Grand Traverse County occurred on the Old Mission Peninsula. Many trees were down, and multiple vineyards and orchards suffered substantial damage. Vehicles and buildings were also damaged by felled trees. Across Grand Traverse County, nine buildings were considered destroyed, and nearly 400 were damaged in some way.
Considerable wind damage occurred in central Grand Traverse County, including near and just south of Traverse City. Many trees were downed, causing damage to vehicles and homes. Some roads were difficult to travel for a day or two after the storm.
A temporary dam and de-watering structure was in place alongside the Brown Bridge Dam on the Boardman River. This temporary dam was to assist in drawing down the small lake (Brown Bridge Pond) behind the dam, prior to the permanent removal of Brown Bridge Dam. This temporary dam failed on the morning of the 6th, and by late afternoon, most of the remaining water in Brown Bridge Pond had been released downstream. Within an hour, road closings occurred along Garfield and River Roads, and homes were evacuated along the river between Garfield and Keystone Roads. Eventually, 53 homes were impacted, with varying degrees of damage. Docks, small footbridges, and a number of smaller outbuildings were destroyed. Environmental damage, related to sediment deposition and fish kills, was possible but still being evaluated.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
96,166
Population (ACS)
$339K
Median home value
6
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 30, 2026 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| 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 Grand Traverse County, Michigan?
173 events are on record between 1955 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $16.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Grand Traverse County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 91 recorded events — 52.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Grand Traverse County?
5 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 4 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Grand Traverse County?
6 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Grand Traverse County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Grand Traverse County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Grand Traverse County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 66 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Grand Traverse 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
- Gogebic County 224
- Gratiot County 159
- Gladwin County 141
- Hillsdale County 328
- Genesee County 756
- Houghton County 242
Cite this page
“Grand Traverse County, Michigan.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/michigan/grand-traverse-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.