Mecosta County, Michigan severe weather history spans 132 recorded events between 1963 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 52.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,772 nationally and #58 in Michigan.
132
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
26
Direct injuries
$18.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Mecosta County, Michigan severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Mecosta County, Michigan severe weather history averages 2.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 38 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 24 events fall before 1990 and 108 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flood, with $10.2M 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 Mecosta County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 69 | 0 | $1.7M | 78 | 1964–2025 |
| Hail | 39 | 0 | $575K | 2.75 | 1963–2025 |
| Tornado | 11 | 0 | $4.5M | F3 | 1966–2021 |
| Flash Flood | 7 | 0 | $1.4M | 0 | 1997–2011 |
| Flood | 4 | 0 | $10.2M | 0 | 2013–2022 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $50K | 0 | 1996–2009 |
Decade by decade
Mecosta County, Michigan severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
14 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 11 touched down inside it and 3 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968-04-23 | EF3 | 0 | 11 | 60.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1985-06-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 24.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1974-06-09 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1966-04-20 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-06-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-10-06 | EF1 | 0 | 12 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-03-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1984-07-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1979-04-12 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 18.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1974-07-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Mecosta County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 6, 1998 | Tornado | BIG RAPIDS | 0 | 12 | $1.2M |
| Apr 23, 1968 | Tornado | 0 | 8 | $2.5M | |
| Jul 22, 2009 | Lightning | BIG RAPIDS | 0 | 4 | $0 |
| Jun 10, 1974 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A significant ice jam on the Muskegon River resulted in evacuations of over a dozen homes along the Muskegon River near Rogers Heights, all of which were flooded. Riverside Drive and 183rd Avenue (12th Mile Road) in particular were local areas of particularly significant flooding.
A local State of Emergency was declared for Mecosta County as a result of extensive heavy rainfall and melting snow during the early morning hours of April 4, 2011, causing widespread flood damage to public and individual property. Numerous roads were washed out and/or covered with water. A significant thoroughfare, M-20, was temporarily closed when overflow from Schrader Creek resulted in 6 inches of moving water over the road. Over a dozen homes along Harding Road and 17 Mile were surrounded by water, with several homes with water up to their foundations.
Cars floated in flood waters on State street in Big Rapids as reported by emergency management. County emergency management also reported that numerous other roads in and near Big Rapids experienced some flooding. ||One of the washed out roads stranded over 800 Boy Scouts at a local camp in Mecosta County. Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan reported 25 buildings on campus with water damage.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
41,242
Population (ACS)
$179K
Median home value
13
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 30, 2026 | 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 |
| Jan 10, 2001 | Snowstorm | SNOW | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Mecosta County, Michigan?
132 events are on record between 1963 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $18.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Mecosta County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 69 recorded events — 52.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Mecosta County?
14 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 11 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Mecosta County?
13 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Mecosta County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Mecosta County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Mecosta County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 70 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Mecosta 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
- Mason County 117
- Menominee County 245
- Marquette County 536
- Midland County 281
- Manistee County 121
- Missaukee County 89
Cite this page
“Mecosta County, Michigan.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/michigan/mecosta-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.