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Oakland County, Michigan severe weather history spans 1,064 recorded events between 1953 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 67.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #121 nationally and #1 in Michigan.
1,064
Recorded events
7
Direct deaths
101
Direct injuries
$508.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Oakland County, Michigan severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Oakland County, Michigan severe weather history averages 14.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 335 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 134 events fall before 1990 and 930 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Oakland County, Michigan record is tornado, responsible for 3 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $407.2M 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 Oakland County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 716 | 2 | $16.6M | 74 | 1957–2026 |
| Hail | 238 | 0 | $25.0M | 3 | 1960–2026 |
| Lightning | 40 | 1 | $2.3M | 0 | 1996–2021 |
| Tornado | 36 | 3 | $55.2M | F4 | 1953–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 24 | 1 | $407.2M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 8 | 0 | $1.0M | 0 | 2008–2026 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $770K | 0 | 2000–2000 |
Decade by decade
Oakland County, Michigan severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
37 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 30 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976-03-20 | EF4 | 1 | 55 | 3.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-07-04 | EF4 | 0 | 6 | 29.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1990-09-14 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 24.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-08-02 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1987-06-21 | EF2 | 1 | 6 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-08-24 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 23.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1991-07-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-09-10 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 7.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1984-08-30 | EF2 | 0 | 4 | 5.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1973-06-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Oakland County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 21, 1976 | Tornado | 1 | 55 | $25.0M | |
| Jun 21, 1987 | Tornado | 1 | 6 | $2.5M | |
| Sep 6, 1990 | Thunderstorm Wind | 1 | 4 | $0 | |
| Jul 2, 1997 | Tornado | HOLLY | 1 | 0 | $2.0M |
| Jul 29, 1996 | Lightning | MILFORD TWP | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 18, 1996 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 1 | 0 | $500K |
| Jun 18, 1992 | Thunderstorm Wind | 1 | 0 | $0 | |
| May 14, 1987 | Tornado | 0 | 8 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A tornado touched down 1 mile NNE of White Lake just west of the intersection of Teggerdine Rd and Pontiac Lake Rd. The tornado began as an EF-0 in which several healthy trees were uprooted and snapped. The tornado then tracked southeast toward a neighborhood at the intersection of Pontiac Lake Rd and Howland Blvd where it produced EF-1 damage, including shingle and roof damage, garage damage with one garage door completely blown off, and numerous healthy trees uprooted and snapped. Peak winds were estimated at 100 mph. A house was damaged when multiple pine trees fell onto it, resulting in one minor injury. The tornado then tracked to the northeast and crossed Pontiac Lake Rd before tracking across Pontiac Lake as an EF-0, in which it produced shingle damage and uprooted numerous trees in neighborhoods located on the peninsula north of Pontiac Lake Rd along Buckingham St and a second peninsula off of Gale Rd near Tackles Dr. The tornado then tracked northeast of the peninsulas and lifted while over the water on Pontiac Lake prior to reaching Gale Rd.
Widespread trees reported blown down. The South Lyon DPW main building was severely damaged (roof torn off, all overhead doors blown in, walls bowing out). One South Lyon PD patrol vehicle was severely damaged on a flooded road responding to a stranded vehicle requiring rescue. Homes were also affected, with several having major damage or even destroyed. The City of South Lyon offices had no power for two days.
This is the same tornado that began in Livingston County's Cohoctah Township and eventually tore a path through the City of Fenton in southwestern Genesee County. The tornado exited Genesee County and moved into Oakland County via Grange Hall Road at 1700EST. Of the 30 homes/buildings damaged in Oakland County, two were destroyed. The most significant damage in Oakland County occurred on Holly's north-side along the Grange Hall Road corridor and was rated as EF1 with wind speeds estimated at approximately 100 MPH. The average path width in Oakland County was 150 yards. The tornado ended in Oakland County approximately 3 miles northeast of Holly at 1707EST.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively High
FEMA NRI risk rating
1,279,825
Population (ACS)
$344K
Median home value
15
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 8, 2024 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 15, 2021 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Mar 27, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Sep 25, 2014 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Sep 7, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Oakland County, Michigan?
1,064 events are on record between 1953 and 2026, causing 7 direct deaths and $508.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Oakland County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 716 recorded events — 67.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Oakland County?
37 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 30 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Oakland County?
15 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Oakland County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Oakland County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Oakland County as relatively high risk, placing it in the 98 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Oakland 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
- Newaygo County 179
- Oceana County 116
- Muskegon County 240
- Ogemaw County 167
- Montmorency County 109
- Ontonagon County 145
Cite this page
“Oakland County, Michigan.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/michigan/oakland-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.