Mackinac County, Michigan severe weather history spans 59 recorded events between 1975 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 52.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #3,019 nationally and #82 in Michigan.
59
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$360K
Property damage
The record
What the Mackinac County, Michigan severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Mackinac County, Michigan severe weather history averages 1.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 25 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 11 events fall before 1990 and 48 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is lightning, with $150K 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 Mackinac County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 31 | 0 | $127K | 90 | 1975–2017 |
| Hail | 18 | 0 | $0 | 1.75 | 1979–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 5 | 0 | $58K | 0 | 1999–2010 |
| Tornado | 4 | 0 | $25K | F2 | 1984–2011 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $150K | 0 | 2000–2000 |
Decade by decade
Mackinac County, Michigan severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
3 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 1 touched down inside it and 2 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984-07-14 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 27.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1988-08-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-05-23 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 2.4 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Mackinac County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 15, 1984 | 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
Fire fighters in Saint Ignace believe a bolt of lightning caused a fire at the Father Marquette Memorial Museum in Saint Ignace. The fire destroyed the building. The Museum honored Father Marquette, the man who founded Saint Ignace 300 years previous.
Several trees were downed. One tree fell onto a century-old cottage, causing substantial damage to the roof and porch, and shattering windows. Large limbs were downed at the Grand Hotel golf course, and fencing was damaging along Huron Road.
The waterspout formed from an otherwise unimpressive rain shower on the Helmer Bay portion of Manistique Lake in Luce County. It drifted south, crossing into Mackinac County, and soon dissipated over the southeastern portion of the lake.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
10,957
Population (ACS)
$175K
Median home value
7
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| May 10, 1994 | Freezing | SEVERE DEEP FREEZE | DR |
| Jan 27, 1978 | Snowstorm | BLIZZARDS & SNOWSTORMS | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Mackinac County, Michigan?
59 events are on record between 1975 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $360K in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Mackinac County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 31 recorded events — 52.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Mackinac County?
3 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 1 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Mackinac County?
7 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Mackinac County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Mackinac County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Mackinac County as very low risk, placing it in the 9 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Mackinac 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
- Macomb County 709
- Manistee County 121
- Livingston County 456
- Marquette County 536
- Lenawee County 514
Cite this page
“Mackinac County, Michigan.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/michigan/mackinac-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.