Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Michigan, May 18, 1984

Name: Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Michigan, May 18, 1984
Start: 1984-05-18T17:45
End: 1984-05-18T19:30
Location: Michigan

May 18, 1984 · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

3 tornado, 2 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 1
Injuries: 2
Property damage: $750
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 5

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, 2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Van Buren

When: May 18, 5:45 PM CST
Where: Van Buren County
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates: 42.120, -85.970

Thunderstorm Wind, Jackson

When: May 18, 6:30 PM CST
Where: Jackson County
Coordinates: 42.230, -84.480

Tornado, Eaton

When: May 18, 6:50 PM CST
Where: Eaton County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.2 mi
Path width: 17 yd
Property damage: $250
Coordinates: 42.530, -84.900

Tornado, Calhoun

When: May 18, 7:05 PM CST
Where: Calhoun County
Rating: F0
Path length: 13 mi
Path width: 17 yd
Property damage: $250
Coordinates: 42.320, -85.100

Tornado, Ingham

When: May 18, 7:30 PM CST
Where: Ingham County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.5 mi
Path width: 17 yd
Property damage: $250
Coordinates: 42.430, -84.500

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
Thunderstorm Wind, Van Buren	1984-05-18				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.
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 1984 Every state in 1984 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Michigan, 1984

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: 10041163, 10041164, 10041165, 10041166, 10041167.