Lapeer County, Michigan severe weather history spans 390 recorded events between 1951 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 66.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,294 nationally and #14 in Michigan.
390
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
66
Direct injuries
$41.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Lapeer County, Michigan severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Lapeer County, Michigan severe weather history averages 5.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 143 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 36 events fall before 1990 and 354 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Lapeer County, Michigan record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $27.7M 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 Lapeer County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 261 | 1 | $2.4M | 87 | 1956–2025 |
| Hail | 84 | 0 | $0 | 2.5 | 1956–2024 |
| Tornado | 20 | 0 | $27.7M | F5 | 1951–2012 |
| Lightning | 10 | 0 | $1.4M | 0 | 2000–2017 |
| Flash Flood | 8 | 0 | $6.3M | 0 | 1996–2017 |
| Flood | 7 | 0 | $3.3M | 0 | 2000–2020 |
Decade by decade
Lapeer County, Michigan severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
21 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 16 touched down inside it and 5 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953-06-08 | EF5 | 116 | 844 | 18.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1953-06-08 | EF4 | 0 | 23 | 33.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2012-03-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1984-08-30 | EF2 | 0 | 4 | 5.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2007-08-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-05-22 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-05-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-07-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-07-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1983-06-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 20.0 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Lapeer County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 3, 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | ATTICA | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 9, 1953 | Tornado | 0 | 59 | $25.0M | |
| Jul 22, 2002 | Lightning | LAPEER | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| May 15, 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | ALMONT | 0 | 1 | $10K |
| Aug 27, 2006 | Lightning | NORTH BRANCH | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 8, 1991 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 | |
| Mar 28, 1991 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Numerous roads were flooded and closed. The most significant road damage was M-53 south of Imlay City which was washed out and had to be closed for about 10 days. Over two dozen homes were also damaged due to the flooding. A local state of emergency was declared.
This tornado tracked for several miles through Hadley Township, narrowly missing the town of Hadley. The initial tornado damage was observed one-half mile southwest of the Gregory and Brigham road intersection in Hadley Township. Significant damage to homes, outbuildings, and garages was observed at the intersection of Gregory and Brigham roads, and farther east along Brigham road. Damage to homes in this area was consistent with EF1 scale damage and maximum winds of roughly 110 mph. In addition, hundreds of trees were uprooted and/or snapped along Gregory Road and along Brigham road to near Hadley road. Lighter tree damage consistent with EF0 scale damage and winds around 70 mph occurred from the Hadley and Brigham road intersection northeastward to Pratt road (just west of Herd road). The average path width was 150 yards.
A National Weather Service Storm Damage Survey confirmed the occurrence of a tornado in western Lapeer County, approximately 3 miles south of Columbiaville or 5 miles northwest of Lapeer. The tornado produced damage consistent with a rating of EF2, with maximum wind speeds of around 125 mph. The tornado damage path was roughly 4.6 miles long with a maximum width of 400 yards. The damage extended from near the intersection of Mt. Morris Road and German Road with a touchdown of approximately 649 PM EDT to near the intersection of Flint River Road and Millville Road by approximately 704 PM EDT. Damage along much of the path was primarily uprooted trees and minor structural damage. The most intense damage occurred along Carpentar Road, roughly one quarter mile south of Stanley Road, at 700 PM EDT. A house was shifted off the foundation and an attached garage was destroyed at this location.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
88,837
Population (ACS)
$239K
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 |
| Sep 7, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
| Sep 23, 2003 | Other | POWER OUTAGE | EM |
| Jan 10, 2001 | Snowstorm | SNOW | EM |
| Jul 23, 1996 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Lapeer County, Michigan?
390 events are on record between 1951 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $41.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Lapeer County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 261 recorded events — 66.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Lapeer County?
21 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 16 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Lapeer County?
11 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Lapeer County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Lapeer County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Lapeer County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 66 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Lapeer 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
- Lake County 79
- Leelanau County 99
- Keweenaw County 41
- Lenawee County 514
- Kent County 497
- Livingston County 456
Cite this page
“Lapeer County, Michigan.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/michigan/lapeer-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.