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Barry County, Michigan severe weather history spans 251 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 62.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,101 nationally and #33 in Michigan.
251
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
8
Direct injuries
$13.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Barry County, Michigan severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Barry County, Michigan severe weather history averages 3.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 83 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 58 events fall before 1990 and 193 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flood, with $5.0M 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 Barry County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 157 | 0 | $2.0M | 70 | 1958–2026 |
| Hail | 59 | 0 | $1.9M | 2.5 | 1975–2026 |
| Tornado | 21 | 0 | $3.9M | F3 | 1955–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 11 | 0 | $1.1M | 0 | 1997–2011 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–1997 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2007 |
| Flood | 1 | 0 | $5.0M | 0 | 2013–2013 |
Decade by decade
Barry 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: 17 touched down inside it and 5 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965-04-11 | EF3 | 0 | 5 | 14.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1956-04-03 | EF3 | 0 | 12 | 60.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1986-08-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-07-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 42.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1967-04-21 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 14.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1966-06-09 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1955-08-06 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1955-05-28 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 64.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1965-04-11 | EF1 | 1 | 9 | 19.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2025-05-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 8.3 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Barry County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 12, 1965 | Tornado | 0 | 5 | $250K | |
| Sep 19, 1997 | Lightning | HASTINGS | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Apr 22, 1967 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25K | |
| Aug 6, 1955 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Numerous roads across portions of Barry county were washed out by very heavy rain. In fact a half a million dollars worth of damage resulted primarily from washed out roads. Due to the extensive flooding a presidential disaster declaration was issued.
A tornado classified as a F0 produced maximum estimated wind speeds to 65 m.p.h. It had a path length of only a tenth of a mile long, was 75 yards wide, and briefly touched down near Yankee Springs road and M-37. The tornado produces some tree damage, damaged a barn, and a porch was blown from a home.
A National Weather Service storm survey determined that the EF-1 tornado that touched down just southwest of 388 3rd Street in the southeast corner of Allegan county continued northeast into Barry county. The tornado knocked down numerous trees near Pine Lake, southwest of Prairieville.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
63,409
Population (ACS)
$264K
Median home value
14
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 30, 2026 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Mar 27, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jun 18, 2013 | Flood | FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 14, 2008 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Sep 7, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Barry County, Michigan?
251 events are on record between 1955 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $13.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Barry County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 157 recorded events — 62.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Barry County?
22 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 17 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Barry County?
14 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Barry County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Barry County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Barry County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 46 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Barry 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
- Baraga County 154
- Bay County 290
- Arenac County 121
- Benzie County 62
- Antrim County 129
- Berrien County 505
Cite this page
“Barry County, Michigan.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/michigan/barry-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.