Ontonagon County, Michigan severe weather history spans 145 recorded events between 1953 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 47.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,725 nationally and #55 in Michigan.
145
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$10.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Ontonagon County, Michigan severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Ontonagon County, Michigan severe weather history averages 2.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 52 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 7 events fall before 1990 and 138 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flood, with $8.6M 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 Ontonagon County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 69 | 0 | $180K | 65 | 1964–2025 |
| Hail | 54 | 0 | $0 | 1.75 | 1980–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 11 | 0 | $2K | 0 | 2009–2022 |
| Flash Flood | 5 | 0 | $1.7M | 0 | 2010–2025 |
| Tornado | 3 | 0 | $270K | F1 | 1953–2011 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $8.6M | 0 | 2013–2023 |
| Wildfire | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2000 |
Decade by decade
Ontonagon 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953-06-30 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 10.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-08-19 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1988-05-12 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Michigan DOT closed Highway M-28 at Ewen due to snowmelt flooding over the bridge along the South Branch of the Ontonagon River from the 13th until the 18th. Traffic was detoured via US-2 and US-45. Ontonagon County was added to the state emergency declaration by Governor Whitmer on the 21st to assist in flood recovery efforts.
Several roads were washed out in the Misery Bay area, including Misery Bay Road, Lots Road, Kemppa Road, and Wolf Creek Road. Some residents were stranded for hours due to the washouts. Newer culverts were blown out due to the flooding.
Rapid melting of significant late season snow pack caused moderate flooding of roads in the Bergland, Bruce Crossing and Rockland areas from the 28th into the 30th. Minor flooding continued into early May. Some flooding of basements was also reported. A portion of Highway M-28 was closed from Bergland to Bruce Crossing due to flooding. Governor Rick Snyder declared a state of disaster in Ontonagon County where nearly $ 550,000 in property damage occurred due to the flooding mainly to roadway infrastructure.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
5,850
Population (ACS)
$112K
Median home value
8
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 27, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jun 18, 2013 | Flood | FLOODING | DR |
| Sep 7, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
| May 6, 2002 | Flood | FLOODING | DR |
| May 10, 1994 | Freezing | SEVERE DEEP FREEZE | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Ontonagon County, Michigan?
145 events are on record between 1953 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $10.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Ontonagon County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 69 recorded events — 47.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Ontonagon 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 Ontonagon County?
8 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Ontonagon County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Ontonagon County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Ontonagon County as very low risk, placing it in the 4 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Ontonagon 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
- Ogemaw County 167
- Osceola County 101
- Oceana County 116
- Oscoda County 113
- Oakland County 1,064
- Otsego County 151
Cite this page
“Ontonagon County, Michigan.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/michigan/ontonagon-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.