Michigan, 1978

Tornadoes and Damaging Wind in Michigan, August 16, 1978

August 16, 1978 · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

3 tornado, 1 thunderstorm wind, 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
1
Property damage
$525,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
4

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 tornado, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Cheboygan

When
August 16, 12:03 AM CST
Where
Cheboygan County
Path length
1.5 mi
Path width
60 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
45.570, -84.400

Tornado, Chippewa

When
August 16, 12:06 AM CST
Where
Chippewa County
Path length
0.5 mi
Path width
27 yd
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
46.380, -85.180

Tornado, Kalamazoo

When
August 16, 12:30 AM CST
Where
Kalamazoo County
Path length
1.5 mi
Path width
350 yd
Injuries
1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
42.280, -85.570

Thunderstorm Wind, Kent

When
August 16, 2:30 AM CST
Where
Kent County
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates
42.970, -85.680

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.
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 1978Every state in 1978This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Michigan, 1978

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: 10038749, 10038750, 10038751, 10038752.