Live
Active alerts for this county
Heat Advisory
Livingston; Oakland; Macomb; Washtenaw; Wayne; Lenawee; Monroe
Livingston County, Michigan severe weather history spans 456 recorded events between 1951 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 69.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,041 nationally and #12 in Michigan.
456
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
34
Direct injuries
$23.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Livingston County, Michigan severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Livingston County, Michigan severe weather history averages 6.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 147 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 50 events fall before 1990 and 406 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Livingston County, Michigan record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $17.2M 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 Livingston County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 317 | 2 | $1.4M | 78 | 1963–2025 |
| Hail | 88 | 0 | $1.5M | 4.5 | 1974–2026 |
| Tornado | 29 | 1 | $17.2M | F4 | 1951–2025 |
| Lightning | 13 | 0 | $1.8M | 0 | 1998–2021 |
| Flood | 7 | 0 | $1.3M | 0 | 2007–2020 |
| Flash Flood | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2021 |
Decade by decade
Livingston County, Michigan severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
26 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 21 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957-07-04 | EF4 | 0 | 6 | 29.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1953-06-08 | EF3 | 0 | 11 | 9.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-08-24 | EF2 | 2 | 4 | 12.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1988-08-14 | EF2 | 1 | 0 | 26.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2007-08-24 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 23.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-08-21 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 4.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2001-05-21 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 10.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-06-15 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 3.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1977-04-02 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 5.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-08-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 7.4 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Livingston County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 16, 1988 | Thunderstorm Wind | 2 | 0 | $0 | |
| May 11, 1974 | Tornado | 1 | 0 | $250K | |
| Jun 9, 1953 | Tornado | 0 | 7 | $2.5M | |
| May 12, 1956 | Tornado | 0 | 5 | $250K | |
| May 12, 1956 | Tornado | 0 | 5 | $250K | |
| Jul 8, 2021 | Lightning | ANDERSON | 0 | 4 | $0 |
| Jul 4, 1957 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $250K | |
| May 21, 2001 | Tornado | HARTLAND | 0 | 3 | $3.0M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Local newspaper reports confirmed a couple dozen homes sustained flood damage. Five and a half inches of rain in only a few hours caused about a dozen basements to flood around the Gregory area on the evening of June 3rd. Additional basement flooding occurred later in the week around Lake Patterson, which finally peaked on Thursday June 7th. Flood waters finally began to recede that night. Total property damages were estimated at roughly $400K.
A local newspaper included a picture of a home that caught fire after being struck by lightning. The blaze resulted in extensive damages, destroying two second-story rooms and the roof. Property damages were estimated at $150K. No one was injured.
The strong tornado over northeast Ingham county weakened and moved into Livingston county south of North Cedar Road and close to the West Branch Red Cedar River by Wallace Road. Trees and tree limbs were uprooted and blown down with estimated winds up to 90 mph as the tornado tracked east. The tornado weakened further and dissipated along Van Buren Road and west of North Nicholson Road.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
195,833
Population (ACS)
$357K
Median home value
9
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 8, 2024 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| 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 |
| Sep 23, 2003 | Other | POWER OUTAGE | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Livingston County, Michigan?
456 events are on record between 1951 and 2026, causing 3 direct deaths and $23.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Livingston County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 317 recorded events — 69.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Livingston County?
26 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 21 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Livingston County?
9 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Livingston County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Livingston County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Livingston County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 73 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Livingston 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
- Luce County 84
- Lenawee County 514
- Mackinac County 59
- Leelanau County 99
- Macomb County 709
- Lapeer County 390
Cite this page
“Livingston County, Michigan.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/michigan/livingston-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.