Michigan, 1974

Tornadoes and Hail in Michigan, April 3, 1974

April 3, 1974 · 11 events in 6 counties and zones

8 tornado, 2 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
2
Injuries
44
Property damage
$2.8 million
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
11

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

Event by event

8 tornado, 2 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Monroe

When
April 3, 6:30 PM CST
Where
Monroe County
Rating
F2
Path length
2 mi
Path width
30 yd
Property damage
$3,000
Coordinates
42.030, -83.250

Hail, Wayne

When
April 3, 6:30 PM CST
Where
Wayne County
Measured
1.25 in hail
Coordinates
42.170, -83.330

Thunderstorm Wind, Hillsdale

When
April 3, 6:40 PM CST
Where
Hillsdale County
Coordinates
41.780, -84.800

Tornado, Hillsdale

When
April 3, 6:44 PM CST
Where
Hillsdale County
Rating
F2
Path length
17 mi
Path width
440 yd
Deaths
2 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries
31 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$2.5 million
Coordinates
41.920, -84.650

Tornado, Jackson

When
April 3, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Jackson County
Rating
F2
Path length
1.3 mi
Path width
440 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
42.080, -84.400

Tornado, Hillsdale

When
April 3, 7:15 PM CST
Where
Hillsdale County
Rating
F2
Path length
5.6 mi
Path width
33 yd
Injuries
5 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates
41.720, -84.420

Tornado, Hillsdale

When
April 3, 7:15 PM CST
Where
Hillsdale County
Rating
F2
Path length
5.4 mi
Path width
167 yd
Injuries
2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
41.750, -84.420

Tornado, Lenawee

When
April 3, 7:25 PM CST
Where
Lenawee County
Rating
F2
Path width
167 yd
Injuries
3 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
41.830, -84.380

Tornado, Lenawee

When
April 3, 7:30 PM CST
Where
Lenawee County
Rating
F2
Path length
4.3 mi
Path width
33 yd
Coordinates
41.780, -84.330

Tornado, Monroe

When
April 3, 7:56 PM CST
Where
Monroe County
Rating
F3
Path length
0.3 mi
Path width
30 yd
Injuries
3 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
41.800, -83.520

Thunderstorm Wind,

When
April 3, 8:00 PM CST
Where
County
Coordinates
42.980, -82.420

What these are

Tornado
A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.
Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Thunderstorm Wind
Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Michigan in 1974Every state in 1974This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Michigan, 1974

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 10038595, 10038596, 10038597, 10038598, 10038599, 10038600, 10038601, 10038602, 10038603, 10038604, 10038605.