St. Clair County, Michigan severe weather history spans 414 recorded events between 1953 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 66.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,199 nationally and #13 in Michigan.
414
Recorded events
5
Direct deaths
103
Direct injuries
$49.5M
Property damage
The record
What the St. Clair County, Michigan severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, St. Clair County, Michigan severe weather history averages 5.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 143 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 35 events fall before 1990 and 379 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the St. Clair County, Michigan record is tornado, responsible for 3 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $31.4M 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 St. Clair County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 277 | 2 | $2.3M | 78 | 1956–2025 |
| Hail | 91 | 0 | $125K | 2.75 | 1970–2026 |
| Tornado | 23 | 3 | $31.4M | F4 | 1953–2021 |
| Flood | 13 | 0 | $13.2M | 0 | 2008–2022 |
| Lightning | 7 | 0 | $28K | 0 | 1998–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 3 | 0 | $2.5M | 0 | 1996–2011 |
Decade by decade
St. Clair County, Michigan severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
25 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 21 touched down inside it and 4 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953-05-21 | EF4 | 2 | 68 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1953-06-08 | EF4 | 0 | 23 | 33.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 1976-03-20 | EF3 | 1 | 3 | 17.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1984-09-02 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 15.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1983-05-02 | EF3 | 0 | 3 | 23.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1996-06-21 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-05-21 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-06-27 | EF1 | 1 | 4 | 2.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-05-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-05-31 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in St. Clair County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 21, 1953 | Tornado | 2 | 68 | $2.5M | |
| Jun 27, 2010 | Tornado | THORNTON | 1 | 4 | $700K |
| Mar 28, 1991 | Thunderstorm Wind | 1 | 0 | $0 | |
| Mar 28, 1991 | Thunderstorm Wind | 1 | 0 | $0 | |
| Jun 9, 1953 | Tornado | 0 | 23 | $250K | |
| May 2, 1983 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $25.0M | |
| Mar 28, 1991 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 2 | $0 | |
| Jul 23, 2023 | Lightning | YALE | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A tornado occurred at 706 pm in Clyde Township in St. Clair County. |One fatality and 4 injuries resulted from this tornado as it hit a campground just north of I-69 and west of Wadhams. The tornado touched down north of Lapeer Rd along Rabidue Rd and continued eastward for 2.9 miles before lifting between Lapeer Rd and the Black River just east of Abbottsford Rd. This tornado was rated EF1 with maximum winds around 95 mph, which occurred at and just east of the Fort Trodd Campground.|About 10 campers were damaged or destroyed.
The media and trained spotters reported numerous large trees blown down in Algonac and on Harsens Island. One tree fell onto the roof of a home. A pickup truck was destroyed by a fallen tree. Two tool sheds were also destroyed by fallen trees.
Central dispatch reported numerous roads closed and washed out. There was a substantial amount of flooding in Burtchville, Fort Gratiot, and the northeastern townships. Up to 100 homes received some form of flood damage, as the rain overwhelmed the drainage system.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
160,221
Population (ACS)
$225K
Median home value
12
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 27, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Sep 7, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
| Jun 30, 2004 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Sep 23, 2003 | Other | POWER OUTAGE | EM |
| Jan 10, 2001 | Snowstorm | SNOW | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in St. Clair County, Michigan?
414 events are on record between 1953 and 2026, causing 5 direct deaths and $49.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in St. Clair County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 277 recorded events — 66.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed St. Clair County?
25 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 21 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover St. Clair County?
12 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include St. Clair County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is St. Clair County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates St. Clair County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 82 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the St. Clair 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
- Saginaw County 469
- St. Joseph County 363
- Roscommon County 172
- Sanilac County 241
- Presque Isle County 95
- Schoolcraft County 94
Cite this page
“St. Clair County, Michigan.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/michigan/st-clair-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.