Saginaw County, Michigan severe weather history spans 469 recorded events between 1953 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 62.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #983 nationally and #11 in Michigan.
469
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
9
Direct injuries
$28.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Saginaw County, Michigan severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Saginaw County, Michigan severe weather history averages 6.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 150 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 52 events fall before 1990 and 417 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $12.8M 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 Saginaw County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 293 | 0 | $2.8M | 75 | 1957–2025 |
| Hail | 123 | 0 | $300 | 3.5 | 1963–2023 |
| Tornado | 29 | 0 | $12.8M | F3 | 1953–2026 |
| Flood | 10 | 0 | $11.9M | 0 | 2006–2020 |
| Lightning | 7 | 0 | $203K | 0 | 1998–2007 |
| Flash Flood | 7 | 0 | $1.1M | 0 | 1996–2014 |
Decade by decade
Saginaw County, Michigan severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
28 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 26 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-06-21 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2015-06-22 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 11.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-04-28 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 26.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1982-06-15 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 19.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1956-05-12 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1953-06-05 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2014-06-11 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-05-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-07-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-07-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Saginaw County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 15, 1982 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $2.5M | |
| Jun 23, 2015 | Tornado | BIRCH RUN | 0 | 2 | $50K |
| Jun 6, 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | CARROLLTON | 0 | 2 | $200K |
| Nov 6, 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | SAGINAW | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 18, 1992 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The Saginaw River experienced moderate flooding due to the heavy rainfall across the Tri-cities, with the river cresting at 22.32 feet during the evening of May 22nd. In Saginaw County, there were numerous structures that suffered flood damage. A total of 148 buildings suffered major damage, with 13 homes or buildings destroyed, while another 287 buildings were affected or suffered minor damage from a combination of areal flooding and river flooding.
Widespread flooding closed over 100 roads across Bay, Midland, and Saginaw Counties. In Saginaw County, there were numerous structures that suffered flood damage. A total of 148 buildings suffered major damage, with 13 homes or buildings destroyed, while another 287 buildings were affected or suffered minor damage from a combination of areal flooding and river flooding.
U.S. National Weather Service meteorologists surveyed a tornado damage path near St. Charles Michigan. The damage was consistent with EF-1 tornado damage. Estimated peak wind values were 90-100 mph. Initial EF-0 damage was observed near the intersections of Marion and Raucholz roads, approximately 6 miles southwest of St. Charles. The Damage consisted of mainly tree limbs. Damage intensity increased to EF-1 along Fordney road between Brant and Fergus roads and continued to the vicinity of Ring and Oakley roads. Several large trees were uprooted and many more were damaged severely, some of which fell on adjacent dwellings. Some minor to moderate structural damage was also observed, consisting mainly of partially lost roofs, blown out garage doors and destruction of out buildings. Additional EF-0 damage was observed across M-52 north of Ring road and continued to near Sharon road on the far south side of St Charles.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
188,665
Population (ACS)
$153K
Median home value
18
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 30, 2026 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 9, 2020 | Dam/Levee Break | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Mar 27, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jun 18, 2013 | Flood | FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 14, 2008 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Saginaw County, Michigan?
469 events are on record between 1953 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $28.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Saginaw County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 293 recorded events — 62.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Saginaw County?
28 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 26 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Saginaw County?
18 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Saginaw County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Saginaw County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Saginaw County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 89 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Saginaw 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
- Roscommon County 172
- St. Clair County 414
- Presque Isle County 95
- St. Joseph County 363
- Ottawa County 340
- Sanilac County 241
Cite this page
“Saginaw County, Michigan.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/michigan/saginaw-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.