Ogemaw County, Michigan severe weather history spans 167 recorded events between 1956 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 56.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,621 nationally and #48 in Michigan.
167
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
29
Direct injuries
$40.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Ogemaw County, Michigan severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Ogemaw County, Michigan severe weather history averages 2.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 66 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 25 events fall before 1990 and 142 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Ogemaw County, Michigan record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is hail, with $32.6M 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 Ogemaw County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 94 | 1 | $601K | 65 | 1956–2025 |
| Hail | 51 | 0 | $32.6M | 4.5 | 1976–2025 |
| Tornado | 16 | 1 | $7.0M | F3 | 1974–2018 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–2014 |
| Flash Flood | 2 | 0 | $150K | 0 | 2004–2010 |
| Dust Devil | 1 | 0 | $30 | 0 | 2008–2008 |
| Flood | 1 | 0 | $450K | 0 | 2020–2020 |
Decade by decade
Ogemaw County, Michigan severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
19 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 16 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976-03-30 | EF3 | 1 | 7 | 6.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-03-27 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 35.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-03-27 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 21.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1976-03-30 | EF3 | 0 | 10 | 11.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1995-07-13 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1993-04-24 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 7.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1991-03-27 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-12 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-08-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2015-09-08 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 8.9 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Ogemaw County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 30, 1976 | Tornado | 1 | 7 | $250K | |
| May 27, 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | PRESCOTT | 1 | 1 | $15K |
| Mar 30, 1976 | Tornado | 0 | 10 | $250K | |
| Jun 28, 2014 | Lightning | LUPTON | 0 | 6 | $0 |
| Jul 13, 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | West Branch | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jul 28, 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | WEST BRANCH | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 13, 1995 | Tornado | West Branch to | 0 | 1 | $500K |
| Jun 20, 1982 | 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
These were the largest known hailstones in northern lower Michigan history. Hail reached just slightly larger than softballs, a few miles north of West Branch. Immense property destruction resulted, with many, many vehicles considered to be total losses, and roofs and siding dented and damaged. Around 350 structures were damaged in some way, shape, or form.
A small tornado, occurring almost simultaneously with damaging thunderstorm straight-line winds, touched down at the Ogemaw County Fairgrounds (nine miles east of West Branch), where several thousand motorcycle enthusiasts were camped for a rally. One man was injured by a falling tree. The tornado, occasionally lifting to the tree top level, continued southeast and dissipated shortly after crossing the southeast shore of Lake Ogemaw. Several hundred trees, many of which up to 30 inches in diameter, were brought down, with secondary damage done to homes, cottages, and vehicles where trees fell on them. Several docks were destroyed and boats damaged around Lake Ogemaw.
Widespread areal flooding developed in central and southern Ogemaw County on the 18th. Many creeks and rivers rose out of their banks, including the Rifle River system. Many roads across the county were closed. The Prescott area was especially hard hit, with some property damage due to flooding.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
20,885
Population (ACS)
$155K
Median home value
7
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 |
| Jan 27, 1978 | Snowstorm | BLIZZARDS & SNOWSTORMS | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Ogemaw County, Michigan?
167 events are on record between 1956 and 2025, causing 2 direct deaths and $40.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Ogemaw County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 94 recorded events — 56.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Ogemaw County?
19 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 16 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Ogemaw County?
7 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Ogemaw County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Ogemaw County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Ogemaw County as very low risk, placing it in the 37 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Ogemaw 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
- Oceana County 116
- Ontonagon County 145
- Oakland County 1,064
- Osceola County 101
- Newaygo County 179
- Oscoda County 113
Cite this page
“Ogemaw County, Michigan.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/michigan/ogemaw-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.