Clinton County, Michigan severe weather history spans 255 recorded events between 1951 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 69.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,079 nationally and #32 in Michigan.
255
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
27
Direct injuries
$19.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Clinton County, Michigan severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Clinton County, Michigan severe weather history averages 3.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 75 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 76 events fall before 1990 and 179 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Clinton County, Michigan record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $7.1M in reported property damage. In total, 6 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Clinton County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 178 | 2 | $7.1M | 71 | 1955–2026 |
| Hail | 47 | 0 | $220K | 2.75 | 1961–2023 |
| Tornado | 19 | 1 | $6.8M | F4 | 1951–2018 |
| Flash Flood | 8 | 0 | $325K | 0 | 1996–2009 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $5.0M | 0 | 2013–2020 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–1997 |
Decade by decade
Clinton County, Michigan severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
20 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 16 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965-04-11 | EF4 | 1 | 8 | 21.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1967-04-21 | EF4 | 0 | 8 | 12.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1984-08-30 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1977-03-28 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1977-04-02 | EF2 | 0 | 6 | 3.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1968-08-05 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 52.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1956-05-12 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 10.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1951-08-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 28.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2001-05-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1980-04-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Clinton County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 12, 1965 | Tornado | 1 | 8 | $250K | |
| Oct 24, 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | MAPLE RAPIDS | 1 | 0 | $20K |
| May 31, 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | HUBBARDSTON | 1 | 0 | $503K |
| Apr 22, 1967 | Tornado | 0 | 8 | $2.5M | |
| Apr 2, 1977 | Tornado | 0 | 6 | $250K | |
| May 12, 1956 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $2.5M | |
| Aug 27, 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | (LAN)CAPITOL CTY ARP | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 10, 1987 | 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
Michigan State Police EMD's Damage and Injury Assessment Report indicated $502,700 in public damage costs, 910 homes damaged, 2 homes destroyed, and 131 businesses damaged. Private property damage estimates were not available. Damage was widespread across the county, with the cities of St. Johns, Elsie, Ovid, and De Witt especially hard-hit. Law enforcement officials reported a 62-year old man was killed in Victor Township on Tuesday, June 2nd, while attempting to clear debris. He was cutting a tree into pieces with a chainsaw when a large limb sprang up and killed him. Clinton County declared a local state of emergency and was granted a Governor's disaster declaration to activate state assistance for the county. On June 24th, President Clinton granted a Major Disaster Declaration for Clinton County, making federal disaster assistance available.
A F1 tornado produced maximum estimated wind speeds of 90 m.p.h. in Riley. The tornado began just south of Pratt road and moved north northwest, parallel to Forest Hill road, and ended just south of Parks road. Two sheds were destroyed and a barn was damaged. A shop at an archery range was destroyed and insulation from the shop was carried 3 miles north by the tornado. The tornado had a path length of 4.5 miles and was 50 yards wide.
Storm became severe west of Eagle where winds of 60 to 75 mph occurred before weakening temporarily east of Eagle. The damage swath was 3 miles long and up to 1 mile wide. The wind gusts caused the partial collapse of an approximately 70 year-old pole barn. The winds also downed numerous limbs, some large, and uprooted about 40 trees.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
79,626
Population (ACS)
$260K
Median home value
10
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 |
| Jan 10, 2001 | Snowstorm | SNOW | EM |
| Jun 24, 1998 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS | DR |
| Sep 18, 1986 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Clinton County, Michigan?
255 events are on record between 1951 and 2026, causing 3 direct deaths and $19.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Clinton County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 178 recorded events — 69.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Clinton County?
20 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 16 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Clinton County?
10 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Clinton County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Clinton County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Clinton County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 47 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Clinton 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
- Clare County 125
- Crawford County 122
- Chippewa County 119
- Delta County 271
- Cheboygan County 97
- Dickinson County 248
Cite this page
“Clinton County, Michigan.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/michigan/clinton-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.