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Van Buren County, Michigan severe weather history spans 281 recorded events between 1954 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 63.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,889 nationally and #29 in Michigan.
281
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
34
Direct injuries
$69.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Van Buren County, Michigan severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Van Buren County, Michigan severe weather history averages 4.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 84 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 78 events fall before 1990 and 203 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Van Buren County, Michigan record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is hail, with $50.4M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Van Buren County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 178 | 1 | $6.2M | 87 | 1958–2025 |
| Hail | 69 | 0 | $50.4M | 3 | 1970–2024 |
| Tornado | 19 | 0 | $8.7M | F3 | 1954–2010 |
| Flash Flood | 7 | 0 | $483K | 0 | 1996–2011 |
| Funnel Cloud | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2023 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $200K | 0 | 1997–2011 |
| Flood | 1 | 0 | $3.0M | 0 | 2013–2013 |
| Waterspout | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–1998 |
Decade by decade
Van Buren County, Michigan severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
20 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 18 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980-05-13 | EF3 | 0 | 15 | 21.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1956-04-03 | EF3 | 0 | 12 | 60.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1989-05-30 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1989-05-30 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-09-29 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 3.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1979-06-07 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1976-03-04 | EF2 | 0 | 9 | 44.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 1956-05-09 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1954-05-31 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2016-08-20 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 10.6 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Van Buren County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 18, 1984 | Thunderstorm Wind | 1 | 2 | $0 | |
| May 13, 1980 | Tornado | 0 | 15 | $2.5M | |
| Apr 4, 1956 | Tornado | 0 | 9 | $2.5M | |
| Aug 5, 1989 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 4 | $0 | |
| Jul 27, 2011 | Lightning | LACOTA | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Sep 29, 1986 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $250K | |
| Jun 7, 1979 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Trained spotters across the far southeastern portion of Van Buren county reported hail up to one and a quarter inches in diameter and wind damage. Several trees were blown down and the large wind driven hail resulted in siding damage to homes across that area.
Trained spotters reported numerous trees and tree limbs and power lines down across mainly southern Van Buren county. Hail up to one inch in diameter was also reported. Two miles west of Lawrence there was a higher concentration of several dozen large healthy tree trunks snapped, uprooted, or large limbs snapped. Damage occurred to at least 3 residences due to fallen trees, one probably a total loss, another with significant roof damage. Cleanup was still ongoing 12 days after the storms struck. Just east of Hartford, hundreds of trees were scattered within approximately a 6 square-mile area with large limbs snapped, trunks snapped, or uprooted. Damage was centered in and near the Van Buren County Youth Fair. The Van Buren Historical Society Museum had damage to the back of the building due to fallen tree limbs.
An NWS storm survey indicated that microburst straight line wind damage with maximum winds of 75 mph caused part of the roof of Mattawan high school to be torn off. Several trees were blown down and awning and roof damage was also incurred at an apartment.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
75,795
Population (ACS)
$207K
Median home value
13
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 |
| Jan 10, 2001 | Snowstorm | SNOW | EM |
| Jan 27, 1999 | Snowstorm | MI – SEVERE WEATHER 1/2 /99 | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Van Buren County, Michigan?
281 events are on record between 1954 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $69.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Van Buren County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 178 recorded events — 63.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Van Buren County?
20 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 18 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Van Buren County?
13 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Van Buren County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Van Buren County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Van Buren County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 60 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Van Buren 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
- Tuscola County 338
- Washtenaw County 828
- Shiawassee County 305
- Wayne County 920
- Schoolcraft County 94
- Wexford County 126
Cite this page
“Van Buren County, Michigan.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/michigan/van-buren-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.