Emmet County, Michigan severe weather history spans 84 recorded events between 1953 and 2022. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 67.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,939 nationally and #76 in Michigan.
84
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$639K
Property damage
The record
What the Emmet County, Michigan severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Emmet County, Michigan severe weather history averages 1.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 1990s, with 22 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 21 events fall before 1990 and 63 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $379K 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 Emmet County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 57 | 0 | $379K | 65 | 1967–2021 |
| Hail | 17 | 0 | $100K | 2.5 | 1983–2019 |
| Tornado | 5 | 0 | $53K | F1 | 1953–1996 |
| Flash Flood | 2 | 0 | $98K | 0 | 2011–2020 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $4K | 0 | 2011–2011 |
| Flood | 1 | 0 | $5K | 0 | 2022–2022 |
| Waterspout | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–1999 |
Decade by decade
Emmet County, Michigan severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
4 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957-07-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1955-06-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1953-09-20 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1987-08-18 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Emmet County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 8, 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | ALANSON | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Severe winds caused extensive tree damage and some property damage in Petoskey and Bay View. Many trees and large limbs were downed, damaging a few structures. A large sign outside of a hotel was blown down, and trees on the property were uprooted. The Pennsylvania Plaza Building in Petoskey suffered damage to roofing and exterior brickwork.
Thunderstorms moved repeatedly over the same area on the afternoon of the 18th. Rainfall amounts of 2 to 4 inches were estimated to fall from just northeast of Petoskey, on toward Indian River. Measured rainfall amounts by the next morning were as high as 5.25 inches near Afton, though this occurred over multiple rounds of thunderstorms, not just this late afternoon batch. Flash flooding was reported in the community of Oden in Emmet County, where knee-high water flooded homes along Pingree Avenue, on the east side of town.
Numerous trees and power lines were downed. Several homes and cottages were damaged by falling trees near Crooked and Pickerel Lakes, and a small aluminum boat was tossed into a tree. At a dealership in Petoskey, trailers were rolled off of a parking lot and into a ditch.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
34,125
Population (ACS)
$316K
Median home value
7
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 30, 2026 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 22, 2025 | Severe Ice Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
| Mar 27, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Sep 7, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
| Jan 27, 1978 | Snowstorm | BLIZZARDS & SNOWSTORMS | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Emmet County, Michigan?
84 events are on record between 1953 and 2022, causing 0 direct deaths and $639K in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Emmet County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 57 recorded events — 67.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Emmet County?
4 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 4 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Emmet County?
7 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Emmet County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Emmet County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Emmet County as very low risk, placing it in the 38 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Emmet 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
- Eaton County 230
- Genesee County 756
- Dickinson County 248
- Gladwin County 141
- Delta County 271
- Gogebic County 224
Cite this page
“Emmet County, Michigan.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/michigan/emmet-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.