Lake County, Michigan severe weather history spans 79 recorded events between 1961 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 58.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,967 nationally and #79 in Michigan.
79
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$8.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Lake County, Michigan severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Lake County, Michigan severe weather history averages 1.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 24 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 7 events fall before 1990 and 72 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flood, with $3.8M in reported property damage. In total, 5 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Lake County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 46 | 0 | $2.2M | 61 | 1976–2025 |
| Hail | 21 | 0 | $135K | 2.5 | 1961–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 6 | 0 | $2.2M | 0 | 1997–2012 |
| Tornado | 4 | 0 | $350K | F1 | 1985–2018 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $3.8M | 0 | 2013–2019 |
Decade by decade
Lake 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-08-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-07-25 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1985-06-08 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-08-28 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.1 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
Damage resulting from flash flooding included a 30 foot wide by 10 foot deep sinkhole which developed near the 18 Mile bridge five miles west of Irons. Numerous roads were washed out and several mudslides were also reported. ||Rainfall totals across the areas hardest hit ranged from five to eleven inches, all of which fell in only a six to eight hour time period. Damage to public infrastructure was estimated at about two million dollars, mainly due to all of the road and bridge washouts. A presidential disaster declaration for flooding was also issued for Lake county.
Michigan State Police EMD's Damage and Injury Assessment Report indicated $89,176 in public damage costs and the Lake County Star newspaper reported $514,850 in private property damage and $502,500 in clean-up costs. No injuries were reported. Hardest hit townships included Lake, Peacock, and Yates. The newspaper reported an entanglement of trees, limbs, and power lines were left throughout the county, with the area from just south of Big Star Lake in Lake Township northeast through Idlewild having been especially hard-hit. Public buildings in Baldwin incurred minor damage and Michigan Highway 37, 4 miles south of Baldwin, was closed for a period on May 31st for tree and debris removal. Lake County declared a local state of emergency, which was lifted late in the day on Monday, June 1st.
The storms that moved through Lake County produced reports of tree damage and subsevere hail. The hardest hit location appeared to be near the Wolf Lake area, where trees and power lines were downed and a report of hail estimated at 0.88 inch diameter fell.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
12,563
Population (ACS)
$134K
Median home value
8
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 27, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jul 14, 2008 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Sep 7, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
| Sep 18, 1986 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR |
| Sep 18, 1985 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Lake County, Michigan?
79 events are on record between 1961 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $8.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Lake County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 46 recorded events — 58.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Lake 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 Lake County?
8 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Lake County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Lake County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Lake County as very low risk, placing it in the 22 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Lake 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
- Keweenaw County 41
- Lapeer County 390
- Kent County 497
- Leelanau County 99
- Kalkaska County 77
- Lenawee County 514
Cite this page
“Lake County, Michigan.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/michigan/lake-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.