Tornado and Hail in Michigan, May 11, 1974

Name: Tornado and Hail in Michigan, May 11, 1974
Start: 1974-05-11T12:52
End: 1974-05-11T16:18
Location: Michigan

May 11, 1974 · 9 events in 6 counties and zones

6 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail, 1 tornado, 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 1
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $250,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 9

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

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

Thunderstorm Wind, Calhoun

When: May 11, 12:52 PM CST
Where: Calhoun County
Coordinates: 42.120, -85.230

Hail, Hillsdale

When: May 11, 2:30 PM CST
Where: Hillsdale County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 41.920, -84.620

Hail, Hillsdale

When: May 11, 2:40 PM CST
Where: Hillsdale County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 42.050, -84.500

Tornado, Livingston

When: May 11, 3:31 PM CST
Where: Livingston County
Rating: F3
Path length: 0.9 mi
Path width: 60 yd
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 42.420, -84.000

Thunderstorm Wind, Livingston

When: May 11, 3:45 PM CST
Where: Livingston County
Coordinates: 42.530, -83.770

Thunderstorm Wind, Monroe

When: May 11, 4:08 PM CST
Where: Monroe County
Coordinates: 42.050, -83.730

Thunderstorm Wind, Wayne

When: May 11, 4:12 PM CST
Where: Wayne County
Coordinates: 42.150, -83.550

Thunderstorm Wind, Oakland

When: May 11, 4:15 PM CST
Where: Oakland County
Coordinates: 42.580, -83.230

Thunderstorm Wind, Wayne

When: May 11, 4:18 PM CST
Where: Wayne County
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph)
Coordinates: 42.220, -83.350

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

Event	Date	Age	Sex	Where	Kind
Tornado, Livingston	1974-05-11				Direct

What these are

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.
Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
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.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Michigan in 1974 Every state in 1974 This day in weather history The 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: 10038615, 10038616, 10038617, 10038618, 10038619, 10038620, 10038621, 10038622, 10038623.