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Wayne County, Michigan severe weather history spans 920 recorded events between 1953 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 62.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #192 nationally and #2 in Michigan.
920
Recorded events
14
Direct deaths
244
Direct injuries
$1.5B
Property damage
The record
What the Wayne County, Michigan severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Wayne County, Michigan severe weather history averages 12.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 254 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 171 events fall before 1990 and 749 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Wayne County, Michigan record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 9 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $1.3B 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 Wayne County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 578 | 9 | $49.1M | 90 | 1955–2026 |
| Hail | 219 | 0 | $7K | 4 | 1955–2023 |
| Tornado | 42 | 2 | $126.0M | F4 | 1953–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 35 | 0 | $1.3B | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 24 | 0 | $6.0M | 0 | 2000–2025 |
| Lightning | 21 | 3 | $857K | 0 | 1997–2015 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2011 |
Decade by decade
Wayne County, Michigan severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
35 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 32 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956-05-12 | EF4 | 0 | 22 | 6.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-11-20 | EF3 | 1 | 12 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1983-05-02 | EF3 | 0 | 3 | 23.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1969-07-04 | EF3 | 0 | 54 | 13.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2008-09-13 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-07-02 | EF2 | 0 | 90 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-04-16 | EF2 | 0 | 4 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1984-08-30 | EF2 | 0 | 4 | 5.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1980-07-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-07-14 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Wayne County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 2, 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | GROSSE PT FARMS | 5 | 8 | $10.0M |
| Jul 21, 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | FLAT ROCK | 2 | 2 | $825K |
| Nov 20, 1957 | Tornado | 1 | 12 | $250K | |
| Jun 5, 2024 | Tornado | PLYMOUTH | 1 | 2 | $0 |
| Jul 18, 2006 | Lightning | HIGHLAND PARK | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 18, 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | HIGHLAND PARK | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 27, 2007 | Lightning | DETROIT | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 16, 1998 | Lightning | DETROIT | 1 | 0 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A couple was struck by lightning after taking shelter from the rain under a tree at 2301 EST in Krainz Park near East Hildale and Justine on Detroit's east side. The pair was taken to Detroit Receiving Hospital, where the 44 year old woman was later pronounced dead. The 2nd person, a 46 year old male, survived but was initially in temporary serious condition at the hospital.
The tornado touched down just east of the intersection of Schoolcraft Rd and Eckles Rd and traveled northeast into Mason Rd, just north of I-96. The tornado continued into the intersection of Nola Rd and Lyndon Rd, uprooting large trees, snapping off large tree limbs, and producing some damage to residential housing. The tornado then traveled across Newburgh Rd into Levan Rd near the 5-mile intersection, close to the intersection of Ellen Dr. and 5-mile, where mainly tree damage was found. The tornado continued to travel northeast into Farmington and 6-mile, uprooting trees around this location. The tornado continued through Rotary Park where large trees and tree limbs were sheared off, and then moved into Beverly Park, where the damage was mainly sporadic downed tree limbs. The tornado lifted just southwest of 7 mile and Middlebelt Rd. Maximum wind speeds with this tornado were estimated to be up to 95 mph.
Numerous roads and highways became impassable due to flooding. Four to eight inches of rainfall was reported in and around downtown Detroit, with Grosse Pointe Park reporting the highest total of 8.19 inches. Almost 15,000 homes suffered major flood damage, with close to 6000 homes experiencing minor flood damage across the northern part of county.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively High
FEMA NRI risk rating
1,772,259
Population (ACS)
$179K
Median home value
17
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 8, 2024 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 15, 2021 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Mar 27, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Sep 25, 2014 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Sep 7, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Wayne County, Michigan?
920 events are on record between 1953 and 2026, causing 14 direct deaths and $1.5B in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Wayne County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 578 recorded events — 62.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Wayne County?
35 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 32 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Wayne County?
17 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Wayne County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Wayne County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Wayne County as relatively high risk, placing it in the 99 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Wayne 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
- Washtenaw County 828
- Wexford County 126
- Van Buren County 281
- Tuscola County 338
- Shiawassee County 305
- Schoolcraft County 94
Cite this page
“Wayne County, Michigan.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/michigan/wayne-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.