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Cass County, Michigan severe weather history spans 306 recorded events between 1959 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 69.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,753 nationally and #24 in Michigan.
306
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
34
Direct injuries
$12.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Cass County, Michigan severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Cass County, Michigan severe weather history averages 4.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 71 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 52 events fall before 1990 and 254 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Cass County, Michigan record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $9.0M 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 Cass County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 213 | 1 | $1.4M | 75 | 1960–2025 |
| Hail | 55 | 0 | $15K | 2.75 | 1970–2026 |
| Tornado | 21 | 1 | $9.0M | F2 | 1959–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 9 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2018 |
| Flood | 6 | 0 | $1.1M | 0 | 2008–2024 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $500K | 0 | 2024–2024 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2021–2021 |
Decade by decade
Cass 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: 18 touched down inside it and 4 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001-10-24 | EF3 | 1 | 2 | 47.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1962-04-30 | EF3 | 0 | 49 | 36.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2010-06-05 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-08-25 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 26.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1992-07-13 | EF2 | 0 | 25 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-06-19 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-03-30 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-03-30 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-05-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 11.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-02-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Cass County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 6, 2026 | Tornado | EDWARDSBURG | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 3, 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | POKAGON | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 14, 1992 | Tornado | 0 | 25 | $250K | |
| Jun 28, 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | CASSOPOLIS | 0 | 4 | $0 |
| May 15, 1988 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 3 | $0 | |
| Sep 5, 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | DAILEY | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Mar 16, 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | DOWAGIAC | 0 | 1 | $10K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Local law enforcement reported a large tree limb fell onto the cab of a vehicle, spun the limb into the road way while the vehicle continued westbound, striking another tree on the side of the road. A 17 year old male was pronounced dead at the scene.
A disorganized circulation touched down northwest of the|intersection of Runkle St and Conrad Rd, destroying an attached|garage, and destroying the center part of the home (back windows failed and resulted in front of house blowing out). One fatality, a 12 year|old boy, was confirmed at the home as he was located in the attached garage at the time. A female resident was also injured. The tornado continued|northeast, causing damage to mainly trees with some minor roof|damage as it moved across Yankee St, east of Dailey Rd. The|tornado then widen and intensified with the peak damage occurring|along Harris St, between Hess Rd and M-62 where numerous trees|were snapped or uprooted. Some damage to pole barns and homes|(mainly roofs) was noted. The tornado crossed M-62 and continued|northeast, crossing portions of Oil City Rd and Monette St to|Curtis, Day and Chain Lakes before lifting just east of the|intersection of South and Walnut Rd.
Flooding occurred due to high water levels in many creeks, streams and rivers in the county. Several roads were closed for a period of time until flood waters receded. A few dozen structures were impacted by the flood waters as well as minor road damage. Damage of around 550,000 dollars was estimated.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
51,520
Population (ACS)
$218K
Median home value
9
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 |
| Jan 27, 1999 | Snowstorm | MI – SEVERE WEATHER 1/2 /99 | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Cass County, Michigan?
306 events are on record between 1959 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $12.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Cass County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 213 recorded events — 69.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Cass County?
22 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 18 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Cass County?
9 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Cass County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Cass County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Cass County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 48 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Cass 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
- Calhoun County 390
- Charlevoix County 81
- Branch County 329
- Cheboygan County 97
- Berrien County 505
- Chippewa County 119
Cite this page
“Cass County, Michigan.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/michigan/cass-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.