Baraga County, Michigan severe weather history spans 154 recorded events between 1960 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 49.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,684 nationally and #53 in Michigan.
154
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$20.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Baraga County, Michigan severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Baraga County, Michigan severe weather history averages 2.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 50 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 14 events fall before 1990 and 140 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is hail, with $10.0M 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 Baraga County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 76 | 0 | $573K | 83 | 1960–2022 |
| Hail | 56 | 0 | $10.0M | 2.75 | 1961–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 12 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2006–2017 |
| Flood | 5 | 0 | $503K | 0 | 2010–2023 |
| Tornado | 2 | 0 | $0 | F2 | 1968–1980 |
| Flash Flood | 2 | 0 | $9.3M | 0 | 2019–2025 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $2K | 0 | 2021–2021 |
Decade by decade
Baraga County, Michigan severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
2 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 2 touched down inside it and 0 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968-08-22 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1980-09-08 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A localized area of up to 4.2 inches of rainfall fell (per a public source in Pequaming) in a few hours between about 12:30 AM through about 5 AM, with the Baraga and L'Anse CWOP stations recording rain rates of a quarter to half inch of rain per 15 minutes and various stations recorded 1-2+ inch per hour rates. This sudden rainfall caused road overtopping and washouts in the communities of Keweenaw Bay, Baraga, L'Anse, and Pequaming as well as rural surrounding areas. Bus routes were rerouted and beaches were closed due to wastewater backups causing E. Coli and Fecal Coliform contamination. Many basements and private drives were flooded as well. Local rivers such as the Silver River reported up to a 5 foot increase in only a few hours.
Runoff of liquid water equivalent of up to four inches in the higher terrain of Baraga County resulted in mostly minor snowmelt flooding of rural areas along rivers and small streams through much of the first half of May. Minor flooding occurred along the Sturgeon River during this time.
Storms caused sporadic straight-line wind damage over a path roughly one mile long and about one-half mile wide. The estimated 65 mph peak winds uprooted trees and broke off large limbs. One tree fell on a mobile home while the owner was sitting nearby and caused a fire to break out in the kitchen when it landed on a stove. Fallen trees caused damage to other houses and totaled at least one vehicle. In addition a portion of the roof of the county road commission garage was tore off.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
8,191
Population (ACS)
$138K
Median home value
7
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 27, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jun 18, 2013 | Flood | FLOODING | DR |
| Sep 7, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
| May 6, 2002 | Flood | FLOODING | DR |
| Jan 27, 1978 | Snowstorm | BLIZZARDS & SNOWSTORMS | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Baraga County, Michigan?
154 events are on record between 1960 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $20.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Baraga County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 76 recorded events — 49.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Baraga County?
2 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 2 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Baraga County?
7 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Baraga County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Baraga County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Baraga County as very low risk, placing it in the 11 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Baraga 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
- Arenac County 121
- Barry County 251
- Antrim County 129
- Bay County 290
- Alpena County 157
- Benzie County 62
Cite this page
“Baraga County, Michigan.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/michigan/baraga-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.