Montcalm County, Michigan severe weather history spans 212 recorded events between 1956 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 64.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,373 nationally and #42 in Michigan.
212
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
34
Direct injuries
$21.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Montcalm County, Michigan severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Montcalm County, Michigan severe weather history averages 3.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 66 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 52 events fall before 1990 and 160 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $15.7M 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 Montcalm County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 136 | 0 | $15.7M | 70 | 1956–2025 |
| Hail | 54 | 0 | $1.2M | 1.75 | 1968–2024 |
| Tornado | 11 | 0 | $1.2M | F5 | 1956–2007 |
| Flash Flood | 6 | 0 | $225K | 0 | 1996–2001 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2010 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $3.3M | 0 | 2013–2020 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2010 |
Decade by decade
Montcalm County, Michigan severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
14 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 7 touched down inside it and 7 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956-04-03 | EF5 | 17 | 292 | 58.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 1968-04-23 | EF3 | 0 | 11 | 60.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1965-04-11 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 15.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1956-05-12 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2016-08-20 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 7.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2007-08-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-09-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1977-07-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 11.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1973-08-08 | EF1 | 0 | 6 | 1.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1960-06-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 7.9 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Montcalm County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | HOWARD CITY | 0 | 23 | $14.0M |
| Aug 9, 1973 | Tornado | 0 | 6 | $25K | |
| Jul 15, 2010 | Lightning | VESTABURG | 0 | 4 | $0 |
| Jul 13, 2003 | Hail | GREENVILLE | 0 | 1 | $20K |
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 $453,000 in public damage costs, 23 injuries, 6 individuals being sheltered, 400 homes damaged, 30 homes destroyed, 40 businesses damaged, and 50 vacation residences either damaged or destroyed. Private property damage was estimated around $13.5 Million. Most severe damage was reported in Pierson and Maple Valley Townships in the western panhandle of the county, with several cottages destroyed and damaged near and around Cody Lake and other area lakes. Significant damage was also reported in and around the city of Stanton. A team from the Michigan National Guard was deployed to the city of Stanton to assist in debris removal and cleanup operations. Montcalm County declared a local state of emergency and was granted a Governor's disaster declaration to activate state assistance for the county. On June 24th, President Clinton granted a Major Disaster Declaration for Montcalm County, making federal disaster assistance available.
Trained spotters reported hail up to 1.5 inches in diameter south of Stanton and just north of Sheridan. The swath was up to one mile wide and was part of the swath that began in extreme northeast Ottawa County based on correlation with multiple spotter reports and radar hail products.
A brick, ranch style home in Fairplain Township was totally destroyed by an apparent tornado. No one actually saw a tornado, but the debris pattern and localization of the damage strongly suggested a tornado rather than straight-line thunderstorm winds. Seven people were in the home at the time, but no one was injured. A small shed was also torn up. The path length and width were estimated from the debris pattern. Trees up to 10 inches in diameter were broken off at the ground in a counter-clockwise pattern.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
67,816
Population (ACS)
$186K
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 Montcalm County, Michigan?
212 events are on record between 1956 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $21.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Montcalm County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 136 recorded events — 64.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Montcalm County?
14 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 7 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Montcalm County?
12 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Montcalm County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Montcalm County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Montcalm County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 57 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Montcalm 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
- Monroe County 489
- Montmorency County 109
- Missaukee County 89
- Muskegon County 240
- Midland County 281
- Newaygo County 179
Cite this page
“Montcalm County, Michigan.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/michigan/montcalm-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.