Iron County, Michigan severe weather history spans 173 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 48.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,593 nationally and #45 in Michigan.
173
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
2
Direct injuries
$9.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Iron County, Michigan severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Iron County, Michigan severe weather history averages 2.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 69 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 14 events fall before 1990 and 159 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is hail, with $4.1M 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 Iron County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 83 | 0 | $343K | 80 | 1958–2025 |
| Hail | 60 | 0 | $4.1M | 1.75 | 1955–2025 |
| Tornado | 9 | 0 | $217K | F2 | 1958–2020 |
| Heavy Rain | 9 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2005–2022 |
| Flood | 6 | 0 | $3.5M | 0 | 2017–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 4 | 0 | $1.3M | 0 | 1999–2020 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $51K | 0 | 1998–2019 |
Decade by decade
Iron County, Michigan severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
10 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981-06-14 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-08-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2020-08-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1978-08-15 | EF1 | 0 | 2 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1958-08-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-06-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 7.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2014-07-06 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 5.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-04-30 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1995-07-14 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1979-06-20 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Iron County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 15, 1978 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Secondary roads were impacted by flooding along the Paint River, Iron River and other tributaries across the county. Iron County was included in a state of emergency declaration by Governor Whitmer on 4/21 to aid in flood recovery efforts.
Spotters reported that following roads were washed out across the county due to flash flooding: Idlewild Road southwest of Bewabic State Park, Hunter Street in Iron River between River Avenue and Highway US-2 and Smoky Lake Road between Homan Lake and Forest Highway 16. Moderate to severe shoulder washouts and downed trees were also reported across the county as rainfall amounts exceeded five inches at some locations.
County emergency management reported that the M-69 bridge was closed on the 21st and advised residents to evacuate if they resided near flooded waters. On the 18th, social media reports showed inundation for low lying areas in the town of Amasa including damage to local parks and residential septic systems. Deer Lake became inaccessible due to road washouts on the 18th. Flooding in Sagola resulted in railroad washouts. Due to the severity of the flooding, a Disaster Declaration Request was approved by the president on June 30th.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
11,667
Population (ACS)
$109K
Median home value
7
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 |
| May 6, 2002 | Flood | FLOODING | DR |
| Jan 27, 1978 | Snowstorm | BLIZZARDS & SNOWSTORMS | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Iron County, Michigan?
173 events are on record between 1955 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $9.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Iron County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 83 recorded events — 48.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Iron County?
10 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 8 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Iron County?
7 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Iron County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Iron County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Iron County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 55 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Iron 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
- Iosco County 164
- Isabella County 180
- Ionia County 216
- Jackson County 306
- Ingham County 311
- Kalamazoo County 367
Cite this page
“Iron County, Michigan.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/michigan/iron-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.