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Sanilac County, Michigan severe weather history spans 241 recorded events between 1957 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 59.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,170 nationally and #37 in Michigan.
241
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
3
Direct injuries
$8.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Sanilac County, Michigan severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Sanilac County, Michigan severe weather history averages 3.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 72 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 29 events fall before 1990 and 212 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Sanilac County, Michigan record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $3.8M 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 Sanilac County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 143 | 2 | $824K | 78 | 1973–2025 |
| Hail | 64 | 0 | $155K | 2.75 | 1977–2022 |
| Tornado | 21 | 0 | $3.8M | F3 | 1957–2025 |
| Lightning | 5 | 0 | $145K | 0 | 1999–2011 |
| Flash Flood | 5 | 0 | $2.1M | 0 | 1996–2006 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $1.0M | 0 | 2011–2019 |
| Waterspout | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2001–2001 |
Decade by decade
Sanilac County, Michigan severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
22 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 19 touched down inside it and 3 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984-09-02 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 15.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-07-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2015-11-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2015-06-22 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 22.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1998-04-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 7.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-06-20 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-06-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1977-07-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-05-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 9.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1972-07-12 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Sanilac County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 15, 1988 | Thunderstorm Wind | 2 | 1 | $0 | |
| Oct 1, 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | DECKERVILLE | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Sep 2, 1984 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $2.5M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A tornado touched briefly down in Tuscola county, then tracked mostly in a west to east direction parallel to and just south of Deckerville road in Sanilac County. Most damage along the path was rated EF0 intensity and below 85 mph, bringing down trees and power lines. However, a pocket of EF1 damage occurred with maximum intensity around 110 mph on the north side of Decker, extending west toward the Tuscola Border. Major damage occurred to Devor Dairy Farm. The total path length of the tornado came in close to 23 miles, with just 1 mile of the path length occurring in Tuscola County.
A tornado occurred near Marlette in western Sanilac County. This weak tornado occurred at approximatley 832 pm and produced winds to 75 mph and was rated EF0. The tornado touched down on the southeast side of Marlette on Euclid Avenue and continued for a half mile before dissipating. Four trees were snapped off and one shed was destroyed, along with downed branches and shingle loss on one home.
An NWS damage survey determined that a tornado began about 0.5 miles east of the intersection of Marlette and Loeding Roads 6.5 miles west-southwest of Applegate. Near the corner of Marlette and Ruth Roads, the tornado destroyed the roof and two walls of a manufactured single-wide home. Extensive tree damage occurred east of there. The tornado also destroyed 3 small barns before lifting in a field just northeast of the intersection of Marlette and Tubbs Roads. Peak winds were estimated to be 90 mph.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
40,462
Population (ACS)
$168K
Median home value
12
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 |
| Jun 30, 2004 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| 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 Sanilac County, Michigan?
241 events are on record between 1957 and 2025, causing 2 direct deaths and $8.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Sanilac County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 143 recorded events — 59.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Sanilac County?
22 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 19 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Sanilac County?
12 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Sanilac County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Sanilac County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Sanilac County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 70 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Sanilac 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
- St. Joseph County 363
- Schoolcraft County 94
- St. Clair County 414
- Shiawassee County 305
- Saginaw County 469
- Tuscola County 338
Cite this page
“Sanilac County, Michigan.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/michigan/sanilac-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.