Isabella County, Michigan severe weather history spans 180 recorded events between 1959 and 2024. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 55.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,549 nationally and #43 in Michigan.
180
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
7
Direct injuries
$80.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Isabella County, Michigan severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Isabella County, Michigan severe weather history averages 2.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 52 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 38 events fall before 1990 and 142 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flood, with $73.3M 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 Isabella County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 100 | 0 | $2.0M | 70 | 1961–2024 |
| Hail | 50 | 0 | $206K | 2 | 1959–2020 |
| Tornado | 12 | 0 | $845K | F2 | 1965–2004 |
| Flash Flood | 8 | 0 | $4.2M | 0 | 1996–2011 |
| Flood | 5 | 0 | $73.3M | 0 | 2013–2022 |
| Funnel Cloud | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2022 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $10K | 0 | 2012–2012 |
Decade by decade
Isabella County, Michigan severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
13 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 12 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965-10-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1956-05-12 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2001-05-21 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1996-06-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1988-04-03 | EF1 | 0 | 6 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1977-07-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 11.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-07-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-05-25 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1969-04-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-08-27 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Isabella County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1988 | Tornado | 0 | 6 | $25K | |
| May 21, 2001 | Tornado | SHEPHERD | 0 | 1 | $150K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The Isabella County Road Commission reported that at one point over 100 roads across portions of Isabella county in and around Mount Pleasant were closed due to flooding. A mesonet station near Mt. Pleasant reported that 6.88 inches of rain fell from June 22nd into the early morning hours of June 23rd. The flooding resulted in over 90 million dollars worth of property damage. Numerous homes sustained flooding damage and the United States Department of Agriculture estimated that 21 million dollars worth of crop damage was incurred. A state of emergency was declared for Isabella county.
Isabella county emergency management and law enforcement reported that several roads were flooded and washed out and that the Central Michigan Community Hospital also was partially flooded due to over 4 inches of rain that fell in just two and a half hours during the evening hours of August 11th. Extensive flooding damage occurred at Central Michigan University in Mt. Pleasant, where 39 campus buildings incurred extensive damage. The flash flood damage required repairing or replacing ceilings, floors, walls, insulation, equipment, electrical and mechanical systems and storm sewers at a cost of 3.5 million dollars.
Michigan State Police EMD's Damage and Injury Assessment Report indicated wind damage to homes, businesses, barns and other outbuildings, and some public buildings. Local roads and streets were temporarily blocked in many areas. The Michigan Department of Community Health reported $89,500 in damages to the Mount Pleasant Center in Isabella County (which included damage to both structural and mechanical systems). Damage estimates were reported to be $250,000. No injuries were reported and specific counts for home and business damage were not available. Isabella County declared a local state of emergency.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
64,565
Population (ACS)
$170K
Median home value
11
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 27, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Aug 2, 2017 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Sep 7, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
| Jan 10, 2001 | Snowstorm | SNOW | EM |
| Sep 18, 1986 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Isabella County, Michigan?
180 events are on record between 1959 and 2024, causing 0 direct deaths and $80.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Isabella County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 100 recorded events — 55.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Isabella County?
13 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 12 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Isabella County?
11 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Isabella County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Isabella County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Isabella County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 66 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Isabella 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
- Iron County 173
- Jackson County 306
- Iosco County 164
- Kalamazoo County 367
- Ionia County 216
- Kalkaska County 77
Cite this page
“Isabella County, Michigan.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/michigan/isabella-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.