Gratiot County, Michigan severe weather history spans 159 recorded events between 1954 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 58.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,664 nationally and #51 in Michigan.
159
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
8
Direct injuries
$7.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Gratiot County, Michigan severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Gratiot County, Michigan severe weather history averages 2.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 57 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 44 events fall before 1990 and 115 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Gratiot County, Michigan record is tornado, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is flood, with $3.1M 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 Gratiot County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 93 | 0 | $1.7M | 70 | 1955–2025 |
| Hail | 42 | 0 | $405K | 2.5 | 1977–2026 |
| Tornado | 15 | 2 | $1.8M | F2 | 1954–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 6 | 0 | $225K | 0 | 1997–2011 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $3.1M | 0 | 2013–2020 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2008–2008 |
Decade by decade
Gratiot County, Michigan severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
17 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 15 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968-06-11 | EF2 | 1 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1956-05-12 | EF2 | 1 | 4 | 3.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-06-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-04-11 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-04-11 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-04-11 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-04-11 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 15.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1956-06-26 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 9.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1954-10-14 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2001-05-21 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Gratiot County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 12, 1956 | Tornado | 1 | 4 | $250K | |
| Jun 11, 1968 | Tornado | 1 | 0 | $25K | |
| Jun 27, 1956 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| May 21, 2001 | Tornado | ELWELL | 0 | 1 | $150K |
| Apr 12, 1965 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Michigan State Police EMD's Damage and Injury Assessment Report indicated $610,000 in public damage costs, 2675 homes damaged, 10 homes destroyed, and 100 businesses destroyed. Private damage cost estimates were not available. The county reported significant public health and safety risks due to the widespread loss of power and telephone service. The Michigan National Guard supplied a generator and water supply tanker to the Michigan Department of Corrections to address the need for power and water at the Mid-Michigan Correctional Facility in St. Louis, in Gratiot County. Gratiot County declared a local state of emergency and was granted a Governor's declaration to activate state assistance for the county. On June 24th, President Clinton granted a Major Disaster Declaration for Gratiot County, making federal disaster assistance available.
A National Weather Service Storm Survey Team confirmed an EF-0 tornado briefly touched down on Tuesday, August 9th, 2011 in Lafayette Township in Gratiot County. This tornado was on the ground for about 250 yards in Lafeyette Township causing significant damage to a 99 year old family farm. This same storm produced a weak EF-0 tornado that touched down briefly for about 200 yards in a corn field in Lakefield Township in Saginaw County. Some very minor crop damage was found along the path between the two tornado touchdowns. Maximum wind gusts were estimated to be around 80mph in Lafayette Township.
A man was slightly injured when a shed he was in collapsed, a pickup truck was flipped over, and two building were partially unroofed by a F1 tornado that touched down in Elwell. The tornado produced maximum estimated wind speeds to 110 m.p.h. It had a path length of 3 miles and a width of 40 yards. The tornado touched down just south of Van Buren road, then moved northwest through the town of Elwell, and ended just north of M-46.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
41,385
Population (ACS)
$148K
Median home value
12
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 10, 2001 | Snowstorm | SNOW | EM |
| Jun 24, 1998 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Gratiot County, Michigan?
159 events are on record between 1954 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $7.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Gratiot County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 93 recorded events — 58.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Gratiot County?
17 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 15 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Gratiot County?
12 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Gratiot County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Gratiot County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Gratiot County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 54 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Gratiot 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
- Grand Traverse County 173
- Hillsdale County 328
- Gogebic County 224
- Houghton County 242
- Gladwin County 141
- Huron County 294
Cite this page
“Gratiot County, Michigan.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/michigan/gratiot-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.