Oceana County, Michigan severe weather history spans 116 recorded events between 1960 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 54.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,830 nationally and #67 in Michigan.
116
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
41
Direct injuries
$9.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Oceana County, Michigan severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Oceana County, Michigan severe weather history averages 1.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 44 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 22 events fall before 1990 and 94 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $5.1M 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 Oceana County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 63 | 0 | $5.1M | 70 | 1960–2024 |
| Hail | 41 | 0 | $260K | 1.75 | 1968–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 6 | 0 | $650K | 0 | 1997–2001 |
| Tornado | 5 | 0 | $575K | F2 | 1967–1991 |
| Flood | 1 | 0 | $3.0M | 0 | 2013–2013 |
Decade by decade
Oceana County, Michigan severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
5 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991-05-28 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-09-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1977-03-30 | EF1 | 0 | 3 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-04-12 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1967-07-11 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Oceana County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | PENTWATER | 0 | 37 | $4.0M |
| Mar 30, 1977 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $25K | |
| Aug 16, 1978 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Michigan State Police EMD Damage and Injury Assessment Report indicated $4,018,760 in public damage costs, 37 injuries, 26 homes destroyed, 1415 homes damaged, 6 businesses destroyed, and 109 businesses damaged. Private damage cost estimates were not available. Oceana 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 Oceana County, making available federal disaster assistance.
Amateur radio operators reported wind gusts estimated at 70 to 80 mph near Silver Lake in Golden Township in Oceana County. Several reports came in between 10:40 and 10:48 pm EDT. Trees and power lines were downed and pea-sized hail was also reported. No injuries were reported and damage estimates were not available.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
26,915
Population (ACS)
$190K
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 |
| Jan 27, 1999 | Snowstorm | MI – SEVERE WEATHER 1/2 /99 | EM |
| Jun 24, 1998 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Oceana County, Michigan?
116 events are on record between 1960 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $9.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Oceana County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 63 recorded events — 54.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Oceana County?
5 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 5 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Oceana County?
13 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Oceana County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Oceana County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Oceana County as very low risk, placing it in the 34 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Oceana 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
- Oakland County 1,064
- Ogemaw County 167
- Newaygo County 179
- Ontonagon County 145
- Muskegon County 240
- Osceola County 101
Cite this page
“Oceana County, Michigan.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/michigan/oceana-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.