Michigan, 1978

Tornadoes in Michigan, May 13, 1978

May 13, 1978 · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

2 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
$280
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

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

2 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Ottawa

When
May 13, 12:48 PM CST
Where
Ottawa County
Rating
F0
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
20 yd
Property damage
$30
Coordinates
42.820, -86.130

Tornado, Washtenaw

When
May 13, 2:25 PM CST
Where
Washtenaw County
Rating
F0
Path length
0.7 mi
Path width
50 yd
Property damage
$250
Coordinates
42.200, -83.880

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.

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: 10038704, 10038705.