Tornado and Hail in Michigan, May 16, 1974

Name: Tornado and Hail in Michigan, May 16, 1974
Start: 1974-05-16T17:05
End: 1974-05-16T23:30
Location: Michigan

May 16, 1974 · 6 events in 6 counties and zones

3 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

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $3,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 6

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

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

Hail, Mecosta

When: May 16, 5:05 PM CST
Where: Mecosta County
Measured: 1.25 in hail
Coordinates: 43.750, -85.150

Hail, Isabella

When: May 16, 5:45 PM CST
Where: Isabella County
Measured: 1.25 in hail
Coordinates: 43.520, -84.680

Thunderstorm Wind,

When: May 16, 8:25 PM CST
Where: County
Coordinates: 43.650, -83.370

Tornado, Sanilac

When: May 16, 8:30 PM CST
Where: Sanilac County
Rating: F1
Path length: 9 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 43.650, -83.120

Thunderstorm Wind, Cass

When: May 16, 11:15 PM CST
Where: Cass County
Coordinates: 41.980, -86.100

Thunderstorm Wind, Genesee

When: May 16, 11:30 PM CST
Where: Genesee County
Coordinates: 42.980, -83.920

What these are

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.
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: 10039472, 10039473, 10039474, 10039475, 10039689, 10039690.