Michigan, 1975

Tornadoes and Hail in Michigan, May 21, 1975

May 21, 1975 · 29 events in 18 counties and zones

19 thunderstorm wind, 6 hail, 4 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
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$55,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
29

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

19 thunderstorm wind, 6 hail, 4 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Kent

When
May 21, 10:40 AM CST
Where
Kent County
Coordinates
42.970, -85.680

Thunderstorm Wind, Kalamazoo

When
May 21, 10:40 AM CST
Where
Kalamazoo County
Coordinates
42.280, -85.570

Hail, Kent

When
May 21, 10:45 AM CST
Where
Kent County
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
43.120, -85.550

Hail, Kent

When
May 21, 10:55 AM CST
Where
Kent County
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
42.880, -85.520

Hail, Calhoun

When
May 21, 10:55 AM CST
Where
Calhoun County
Measured
1.27 in hail
Coordinates
42.270, -84.950

Thunderstorm Wind, Berrien

When
May 21, 11:30 AM CST
Where
Berrien County
Coordinates
41.950, -86.330

Thunderstorm Wind, Montcalm

When
May 21, 11:35 AM CST
Where
Montcalm County
Coordinates
43.300, -85.080

Hail, Ionia

When
May 21, 11:45 AM CST
Where
Ionia County
Measured
1.25 in hail
Coordinates
42.780, -85.130

Thunderstorm Wind, Ionia

When
May 21, 11:45 AM CST
Where
Ionia County
Coordinates
42.780, -85.130

Hail, Barry

When
May 21, 12:15 PM CST
Where
Barry County
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
42.720, -85.470

Hail, Van Buren

When
May 21, 12:15 PM CST
Where
Van Buren County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
42.220, -86.050

Thunderstorm Wind, Van Buren

When
May 21, 12:15 PM CST
Where
Van Buren County
Coordinates
42.220, -86.050

Thunderstorm Wind, Barry

When
May 21, 12:15 PM CST
Where
Barry County
Coordinates
42.720, -85.470

Thunderstorm Wind, Van Buren

When
May 21, 12:20 PM CST
Where
Van Buren County
Coordinates
42.350, -85.870

Thunderstorm Wind, Barry

When
May 21, 12:30 PM CST
Where
Barry County
Coordinates
42.620, -85.520

Thunderstorm Wind, Van Buren

When
May 21, 12:30 PM CST
Where
Van Buren County
Coordinates
42.300, -85.950

Thunderstorm Wind, Grand Traverse

When
May 21, 12:42 PM CST
Where
Grand Traverse County
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates
44.750, -85.580

Thunderstorm Wind, Allegan

When
May 21, 12:45 PM CST
Where
Allegan County
Coordinates
42.470, -85.680

Thunderstorm Wind, Allegan

When
May 21, 12:45 PM CST
Where
Allegan County
Coordinates
42.450, -85.630

Thunderstorm Wind, Allegan

When
May 21, 12:45 PM CST
Where
Allegan County
Coordinates
42.530, -85.600

Tornado, Gladwin

When
May 21, 1:00 PM CST
Where
Gladwin County
Rating
F2
Path length
1.6 mi
Path width
33 yd
Property damage
$3,000
Coordinates
44.020, -84.520

Thunderstorm Wind, Saginaw

When
May 21, 1:24 PM CST
Where
Saginaw County
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates
43.530, -84.080

Tornado, St. Clair

When
May 21, 1:45 PM CST
Where
St. Clair County
Rating
F2
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
20 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
43.050, -82.950

Thunderstorm Wind, Genesee

When
May 21, 2:38 PM CST
Where
Genesee County
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates
42.970, -83.750

Thunderstorm Wind, Hillsdale

When
May 21, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Hillsdale County
Coordinates
41.920, -84.620

Thunderstorm Wind, St. Joseph

When
May 21, 4:10 PM CST
Where
St. Joseph County
Measured
61 kt (70 mph)
Coordinates
41.800, -85.420

Tornado, Hillsdale

When
May 21, 4:30 PM CST
Where
Hillsdale County
Rating
F0
Path length
7.2 mi
Path width
33 yd
Property damage
$3,000
Coordinates
41.980, -84.800

Tornado, Branch

When
May 21, 4:30 PM CST
Where
Branch County
Rating
F2
Path length
0.8 mi
Path width
33 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
41.920, -85.000

Thunderstorm Wind, Clinton

When
May 21, 5:15 PM CST
Where
Clinton County
Coordinates
42.780, -84.580

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

More

Every storm in Michigan in 1975Every state in 1975This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Michigan, 1975

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: 10041953, 10041954, 10041955, 10041956, 10041957, 10041958, 10041959, 10041960, 10041961, 10041962, 10041963, 10041964, 10041965, 10041966, 10041967, 10041968, 10041969, 10041970, 10041971, 10041972, 10041973, 10041974, 10041975, 10041976, 10041977, 10041978, 10041979, 10041980, 10041981.