41
Recorded events
17
Direct deaths
75
Direct injuries
$68.9M
Property damage
Tornado in Monroe County, Michigan: 41 recorded events between 1953 and 2025. The strongest on record measured F4. That places the county #598 nationally and #4 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Monroe County, Michigan: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Monroe County is the 1970s, when 12 of the county's 41 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Monroe County archive, tornado makes up 8.4% of all recorded severe weather across 7 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #598 for this hazard and #4 within Michigan, putting it in the 79.7 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for tornado in Monroe County with 11 recorded events, while Jan is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
| Date | Scale | Path length | Max width | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965-04-11 | EF4 | 90.3 mi | 1,760 yd | Crossed in |
| 1965-04-11 | EF4 | 80.5 mi | 10 yd | Crossed in |
| 1953-06-08 | EF4 | 5.4 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-03 | EF3 | 0.3 mi | 30 yd | Touched down here |
| 1963-04-17 | EF3 | 0.5 mi | 67 yd | Touched down here |
| 2010-06-06 | EF2 | 13.0 mi | 800 yd | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-03 | EF2 | 2.0 mi | 30 yd | Touched down here |
| 1973-06-26 | EF2 | 0.2 mi | 60 yd | Touched down here |
| 1973-06-26 | EF2 | 0.7 mi | 67 yd | Touched down here |
| 1968-03-26 | EF2 | 7.7 mi | 20 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 12, 1965 | F4 | 6 | 5 | $2.5M | |
| Apr 12, 1965 | F4 | 5 | 5 | $0 | |
| Jun 8, 1953 | F4 | 4 | 18 | $250K | |
| Apr 12, 1965 | F4 | 2 | 29 | $2.5M | |
| Jun 6, 2010 | REA | EF2 | 0 | 11 | $50.0M |
| Apr 4, 1974 | F3 | 0 | 3 | $250K | |
| Jun 26, 1973 | F2 | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| May 8, 1964 | F2 | 0 | 1 | $25K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 30, 2025 | MILAN | EF0 | $0 |
| Aug 25, 2023 | SOUTH ROCKWOOD | EF1 | $300K |
| Aug 25, 2023 | GRAFTON | EF1 | $1.0M |
| Jun 15, 2023 | DETROIT BEACH | EF1 | $0 |
| Apr 1, 2023 | REA | EF0 | $25K |
| Sep 26, 2018 | SOUTH ROCKWOOD ARPT | EF0 | $150K |
| Sep 26, 2018 | MONROE CUSTER ARPT | EF1 | $500K |
| Aug 28, 2016 | AZALIA | EF0 | $0 |
| Mar 15, 2012 | YARGERVILLE | EF0 | $50K |
| Sep 28, 2011 | TEMPERANCE | EF0 | $3K |
Other hazards here
More from Monroe County
- Thunderstorm Wind 313
- Hail 112
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 at 211 am at County Line Road and Rankin Road in Monroe county. This tornado then tracked east southeast, moving through Dundee at 217 AM. Maximum sustained winds of 130 to 135 mph where estimated just west of Dundee, which is classified at a high end EF2. The width of the tornado at that time was 800 yards. As it passed through Dundee. The tornado was still classified a low end EF2 with maximum winds of 115 mph. The tornado then tracked another 7 miles along highway 50 before lifting at 227 am at the Dixon Road intersection, causing generally EF0 damage to the east of Dundee. The total path of this tornado reached 13 miles.
A tornado touched down at 233 am just southwest of Woodland Beach. The tornado tracked 5 miles to the northeast, reaching Estral Beach at 239 am before moving into Lake Erie. The path width was 500 yards with estimated maximum winds of 90 mph, which is classified at an EF1. This tornado impacted the Fermi nuclear power facility, peeling off a section of the roof and some siding on storage buildings. Over 125 homes and 23 vehicles were damaged, with many trees downed.
The weak tornado touched down in a farm field in Ash Township north of Newport Road and half a mile west of North Telegraph Road. The tornado tracked southeast and hit Frenchtown Villa Mobile Home Park where the bulk of the damage occurred on the north side of the park. Roofs were torn off and a manufactured home was flipped over. Other damage included shingle and roof damage on the northeast side of the park. Maximum winds were estimated to be 100 mph. The tornado continued to track southeast and crossed over I-75 by the Meijer Distribution Center where large tree limbs were downed to the east of the center. As the tornado continued southeast, several large tree limbs were downed with leaning power poles noted. The tornado dissipated in a farm field about half a mile east of North Dixie Highway and south of Post Road in Frenchtown Township in Monroe County.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Monroe County, Michigan?
41 tornado events are recorded in Monroe County between 1953 and 2025, causing 17 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Monroe County?
The strongest tornado on record in Monroe County measured F4.
Where does the tornado data for Monroe County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Tornado in Monroe County, Michigan.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/michigan/monroe-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.