Mason County, Michigan severe weather history spans 117 recorded events between 1960 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 66.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,824 nationally and #66 in Michigan.
117
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
13
Direct injuries
$12.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Mason County, Michigan severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Mason County, Michigan severe weather history averages 1.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 43 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 13 events fall before 1990 and 104 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flood, with $3.5M 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 Mason County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 78 | 0 | $2.9M | 70 | 1976–2024 |
| Hail | 23 | 0 | $195K | 2.5 | 1960–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 9 | 0 | $3.3M | 0 | 1997–2012 |
| Tornado | 5 | 0 | $2.5M | F2 | 1966–2008 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $3.5M | 0 | 2013–2019 |
Decade by decade
Mason 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: 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972-04-12 | EF2 | 0 | 8 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-04-12 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1966-08-15 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Mason County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 12, 1972 | Tornado | 0 | 8 | $2.5M | |
| May 31, 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | LUDINGTON | 0 | 5 | $1.0M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The Michigan Department of Transportation shut down U.S. 31 from Manistee to Scottville when the road washed out. There were four washouts on M-116 on the drive to Ludington State Park. One of those washouts was eight feet deep. The Department of Natural Resources evacuated and then closed Ludington State Park due to flooding and concerns about the Hamlin Lake Dam. Mason county officials shut down 47 roads due to flooding and washouts. ||Damage to public infrastructure (mostly road and bridge washouts) was estimated to have reached close to three million dollars for this event. A presidential disaster declaration for flooding was issued for Mason county. The hardest hit areas received up to eleven inches of rain in only six to eight hours.
Michigan Department of State Police – Emergency Management Division's (EMD's) Damage and Injury Assessment Report indicated $398,000 in public damage costs, 66 homes damaged, 3 homes destroyed, and 4 businesses damaged. Five injuries were reported, one of which required hospitilization. In addition, 12 vacation/secondary residences incurred major damage and 9 had minor damage. Newspaper and media reports indicated public and private damage costs combined exceeded $1.0 Million. Mason 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 Mason County, making federal disaster assistance available.
Wind gusts of up to near 80 mph brought down several trees across portions of Mason county. Extensive tree damage was found along a twenty mile swath starting at Tamarack Park and ending near Lake Emerson. Power poles were also destroyed along Maple road.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
29,207
Population (ACS)
$220K
Median home value
9
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 |
| 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 Mason County, Michigan?
117 events are on record between 1960 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $12.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Mason County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 78 recorded events — 66.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Mason County?
3 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 3 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Mason County?
9 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Mason County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Mason County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Mason County as very low risk, placing it in the 25 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Mason 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
- Marquette County 536
- Mecosta County 132
- Manistee County 121
- Menominee County 245
- Macomb County 709
- Midland County 281
Cite this page
“Mason County, Michigan.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/michigan/mason-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.