Midland County, Michigan severe weather history spans 281 recorded events between 1951 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 52.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,889 nationally and #29 in Michigan.
281
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
13
Direct injuries
$341.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Midland County, Michigan severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Midland County, Michigan severe weather history averages 3.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 86 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 24 events fall before 1990 and 257 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flash flood, with $317.4M 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 Midland County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 148 | 0 | $1.7M | 71 | 1967–2025 |
| Hail | 103 | 0 | $10.1M | 3 | 1970–2022 |
| Tornado | 10 | 0 | $328K | F2 | 1951–2012 |
| Flood | 9 | 0 | $11.7M | 0 | 2006–2020 |
| Lightning | 6 | 0 | $70K | 0 | 1997–2006 |
| Flash Flood | 5 | 0 | $317.4M | 0 | 1996–2020 |
Decade by decade
Midland 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: 10 touched down inside it and 0 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999-05-31 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-14 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2012-03-12 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1976-04-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-09-12 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1951-06-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-07-24 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-06-17 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1985-05-26 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-06-03 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Midland County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 11, 1986 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 12 | $0 | |
| Apr 14, 1974 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The Sanford Dam failed due to the failure of the Edenville Dam upstream in response to widespread heavy rain. This lead to historic flooding along the Tittabawassee River as the river stage at Midland reached 35.05 feet on May 20th. Approximately 1000 buildings or homes were severely damaged or destroyed, with about 1500 homes or buildings being affected or suffering minor flood damage in total across Midland County.
The failure of Edenville Dam lead to the failure of the Sanford Dam downstream and historic flooding along the Tittabawassee River as the river stage at Midland reached 35.05 feet on May 20th. Widespread homes and businesses suffered damage. Two bridges were washed away and the highway U.S. 10 bridge was also damaged.
An EF1 tornado with winds estimated at 90 mph started near Weinert and Lewis Roads where a Garage was destroyed. The tornado moved northeast damaging 3 or more pole barns and uprooting trees, especially around Alamando and Mando Roads and near the end of the Tornado path at M-18 and Shaffer Road. The tornado path was 5.1 miles with a maximum width of 125 yards. The tornado ended at 648 PM EDT.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
83,757
Population (ACS)
$195K
Median home value
14
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 9, 2020 | Dam/Levee Break | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| May 21, 2020 | Dam/Levee Break | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | EM |
| 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 |
| Jun 18, 2013 | Flood | FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Midland County, Michigan?
281 events are on record between 1951 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $341.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Midland County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 148 recorded events — 52.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Midland County?
10 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 10 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Midland County?
14 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Midland County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Midland County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Midland County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 72 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Midland 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
- Menominee County 245
- Missaukee County 89
- Mecosta County 132
- Monroe County 489
- Mason County 117
- Montcalm County 212
Cite this page
“Midland County, Michigan.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/michigan/midland-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.