Arenac County, Michigan severe weather history spans 121 recorded events between 1957 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 45.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,811 nationally and #63 in Michigan.
121
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
10
Direct injuries
$5.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Arenac County, Michigan severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Arenac County, Michigan severe weather history averages 1.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 35 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 8 events fall before 1990 and 113 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flood, with $4.4M 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 Arenac County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 55 | 0 | $491K | 60 | 1957–2025 |
| Hail | 45 | 0 | $10K | 3.5 | 1977–2024 |
| Tornado | 9 | 0 | $455K | F2 | 1977–2018 |
| Flood | 8 | 0 | $4.4M | 0 | 2006–2020 |
| Flash Flood | 2 | 0 | $22K | 0 | 2004–2005 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $500 | 0 | 2010–2010 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2008–2008 |
Decade by decade
Arenac County, Michigan severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
9 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 7 touched down inside it and 2 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995-07-13 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-04-24 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 7.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1977-07-04 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-08-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-07-02 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 3.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1977-07-08 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-08-28 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-07-09 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2000-05-12 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Arenac County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 27, 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | OMER | 0 | 4 | $27K |
| Apr 24, 1993 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $50K | |
| Jul 2, 1997 | Tornado | AU GRES | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 8, 1977 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25K | |
| Jul 5, 1977 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Widespread areal flooding developed on the 18th, and persisted for several days. Most creeks and rivers in Arenac County rose out of their banks. Many roads across the county were closed at various times, including M-13 south of Standish. The Rifle River near Sterling reached a new record flood stage of 15.65 feet on the afternoon of the 19th. Some structures along the River River and Parmalee Creek were partially submerged. The Forest Lake area was evacuated due to rising water. Hundreds of homes were flooded in the Standish area. Flooding along the Lake Huron coastline was worsened by lakeshore flooding thanks to onshore winds.
A tornado with estimated maximum winds of 100 mph briefly touched down a couple of miles south of Au Gres, and just west of the Point Au Gres Campground. The tornado lifted near near the Lake Huron shoreline. Dozens of mature hardwood trees were snapped and uprooted. An RV at the campground was destroyed by fallen trees. One person was briefly trapped, but was not injured.
A tornado with estimated maximum winds of 85 mph briefly touched down along the Rifle River, about 4 miles northeast of Sterling. A number of hardwood and softwood trees were knocked over or snapped, damaging a few structures in the process.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
15,077
Population (ACS)
$151K
Median home value
11
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 9, 2020 | Dam/Levee Break | SEVERE STORMS 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 |
| Jun 30, 2004 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jan 27, 1999 | Snowstorm | MI – SEVERE WEATHER 1/2 /99 | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Arenac County, Michigan?
121 events are on record between 1957 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $5.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Arenac County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 55 recorded events — 45.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Arenac County?
9 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 Arenac County?
11 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Arenac County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Arenac County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Arenac County as very low risk, placing it in the 20 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Arenac 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
- Antrim County 129
- Baraga County 154
- Alpena County 157
- Barry County 251
- Allegan County 365
- Bay County 290
Cite this page
“Arenac County, Michigan.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/michigan/arenac-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.