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Monroe County, Michigan severe weather history spans 489 recorded events between 1953 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 64.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #912 nationally and #10 in Michigan.
489
Recorded events
17
Direct deaths
93
Direct injuries
$78.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Monroe County, Michigan severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Monroe County, Michigan severe weather history averages 6.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 139 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 70 events fall before 1990 and 419 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Monroe County, Michigan record is tornado, responsible for 17 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $68.9M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Monroe County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 313 | 0 | $1.6M | 83 | 1964–2026 |
| Hail | 112 | 0 | $0 | 4 | 1963–2026 |
| Tornado | 41 | 17 | $68.9M | F4 | 1953–2025 |
| Lightning | 11 | 0 | $180K | 0 | 1999–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 5 | 0 | $130K | 0 | 2000–2023 |
| Flood | 5 | 0 | $8.0M | 0 | 2008–2023 |
| Waterspout | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–1998 |
Decade by decade
Monroe County, Michigan severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
40 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 38 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965-04-11 | EF4 | 23 | 294 | 90.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1965-04-11 | EF4 | 21 | 293 | 80.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1953-06-08 | EF4 | 4 | 18 | 5.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-03 | EF3 | 0 | 3 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1963-04-17 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-06-06 | EF2 | 0 | 11 | 13.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-03 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-06-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-06-26 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 0.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1968-03-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 7.7 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Monroe County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 12, 1965 | Tornado | 6 | 5 | $2.5M | |
| Apr 12, 1965 | Tornado | 5 | 5 | $0 | |
| Jun 8, 1953 | Tornado | 4 | 18 | $250K | |
| Apr 12, 1965 | Tornado | 2 | 29 | $2.5M | |
| Jun 6, 2010 | Tornado | REA | 0 | 11 | $50.0M |
| Jun 30, 2024 | Lightning | AZALIA | 0 | 4 | $0 |
| Apr 4, 1974 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $250K | |
| Jun 6, 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | MONROE | 0 | 2 | $10K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A tornado touched down at 211 am at County Line Road and Rankin Road in Monroe county. This tornado then tracked east southeast, moving through Dundee at 217 AM. Maximum sustained winds of 130 to 135 mph where estimated just west of Dundee, which is classified at a high end EF2. The width of the tornado at that time was 800 yards. As it passed through Dundee. The tornado was still classified a low end EF2 with maximum winds of 115 mph. The tornado then tracked another 7 miles along highway 50 before lifting at 227 am at the Dixon Road intersection, causing generally EF0 damage to the east of Dundee. The total path of this tornado reached 13 miles.
A tornado touched down at 233 am just southwest of Woodland Beach. The tornado tracked 5 miles to the northeast, reaching Estral Beach at 239 am before moving into Lake Erie. The path width was 500 yards with estimated maximum winds of 90 mph, which is classified at an EF1. This tornado impacted the Fermi nuclear power facility, peeling off a section of the roof and some siding on storage buildings. Over 125 homes and 23 vehicles were damaged, with many trees downed.
The weak tornado touched down in a farm field in Ash Township north of Newport Road and half a mile west of North Telegraph Road. The tornado tracked southeast and hit Frenchtown Villa Mobile Home Park where the bulk of the damage occurred on the north side of the park. Roofs were torn off and a manufactured home was flipped over. Other damage included shingle and roof damage on the northeast side of the park. Maximum winds were estimated to be 100 mph. The tornado continued to track southeast and crossed over I-75 by the Meijer Distribution Center where large tree limbs were downed to the east of the center. As the tornado continued southeast, several large tree limbs were downed with leaning power poles noted. The tornado dissipated in a farm field about half a mile east of North Dixie Highway and south of Post Road in Frenchtown Township in Monroe County.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
155,505
Population (ACS)
$229K
Median home value
11
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 |
| Sep 23, 2003 | Other | POWER OUTAGE | EM |
| Jan 27, 1999 | Snowstorm | MI – SEVERE WEATHER 1/2 /99 | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Monroe County, Michigan?
489 events are on record between 1953 and 2026, causing 17 direct deaths and $78.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Monroe County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 313 recorded events — 64.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Monroe County?
40 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 38 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Monroe County?
11 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Monroe County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Monroe County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Monroe County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 82 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Monroe 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
- Missaukee County 89
- Montcalm County 212
- Midland County 281
- Montmorency County 109
- Menominee County 245
- Muskegon County 240
Cite this page
“Monroe County, Michigan.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/michigan/monroe-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.