Lightning in Michigan

Events

327

Deaths

19

Injuries

127

Damage

$19 million

• Hail and Damaging Winds in Michigan, July 21, 19982 deaths · 5 injured · $40 million · 1.75 in hail · 34 eventsJuly 21st was one of the hottest days of the summer in southeast Michigan, as temperatures soared into the middle to upper 90s. An extremely humid airmass was also in place, with dew points in the upper 70s.
• Tornado and Hail in Michigan, May 31, 19982 deaths · 2 injured · $5.6 million · F0 · 82 eventsOn the evening of the 30th, a strong low pressure system was located over the upper Mississippi Valley. The low moved rapidly east that night, reaching northern lower Michigan by daybreak on the 31st.
• Lightning Strike in Michigan, July 23, 20112 deaths · 1 injured · 1 eventThunderstorms developed over North Central and Northeast Lower Michigan, thanks to a humid and unstable airmass.
• Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Michigan, August 24, 20071 injured · $26 million · EF2 · 48 eventsFour tornadoes moved through portions of Southeast Michigan on August 24th, leading to an estimated $25M in total damages. One long-track tornado cut a path of EF0 to EF2 damage across Livingston, Geneseee, and Oakland Counties.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Michigan, July 27, 2014$55 million · 3 in hail · 115 eventsA powerful upper-level low pressure system dropped southward into the Great Lakes on Sunday July 27, sparking a good deal of severe thunderstorms in the warm, moist, and unstable air in advance of the system. Between 2 p.m.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Michigan, July 17, 20061 death · 1 injured · $579,000 · 1.75 in hail · 42 eventsThe July 17th severe weather event would eventually go down as the largest and most destructive of the 2006 severe weather season.
• Flash Flooding and Hail in Michigan, May 18 to 19, 20001 death · 9 injured · $92,000 · 1.25 in hail · 15 eventsA cold front moved slowly south across southeast Michigan on the morning and afternoon of the 18th. Thunderstorms developed along and ahead of the front. A number of these became severe, producing marginally severe hail.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Michigan, July 23, 19991 death · 1 injured · $564,000 · 65 kt wind · 29 eventsThis was a hot and extremely humid day in southeast Michigan. Temperatures approached 90 degrees during the afternoon, with dew points as high as 80. This resulted in a very unstable airmass across the area.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Michigan, September 19, 20021 death · 2 injured · $127,000 · 55 kt wind · 15 eventsAn upper air disturbance move across Lower Michigan during the late afternoon and evening hours on the 19th. This disturbance combined with unseasonably warm and humid air across Lower Michigan to trigger widespread thunderstorms.
• Tornado and Hail in Michigan, April 26, 20119 injured · $24 million · EF0 · 9 eventsSevere thunderstorms developed during the late afternoon and evening hours of April 26 as an upper level trough and cold front approached our region. Several low topped supercells developed and produced numerous reports of large hail up to around two inches in diameter.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Michigan, August 2, 20152 injured · $72 million · 4.5 in hail · 35 eventsAn historic severe weather outbreak in northern Michigan, as multiple waves of severe thunderstorms crossed the region. A passing cold front would finally end the activity during the evening hours.
• Damaging Winds and Lightning Strike in Michigan, June 18, 20101 death · $98,000 · 61 kt wind · 26 eventsA long lived line of severe thunderstorms tracked east, impacting areas generally along and south of M-59.
• Damaging Wind and Lightning Strikes in Michigan, June 16, 19981 death · 2 injured · $107,000 · 52 kt wind · 5 eventsA broad but weak area of low pressure was located over the Great Lakes. A trough dropped slowly southeast across southeast Michigan during the late afternoon hours. Interactions between this trough and a number of lake breeze boundaries ignited thunderstorms.
• Flash Flooding and Hail in Michigan, September 1, 20001 death · 1 injured · $70,000 · 1 in hail · 16 eventsThunderstorms formed along a warm front that stretched across northern Lower Michigan. The first thunderstorms began in Leelanau County around 400 pm and intensified quickly over the next hour.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Michigan, June 17, 20061 death · $99,000 · 2 in hail · 12 eventsA cold frontal passage triggered severe thunderstorms over portions of the west half of Upper Michigan on the afternoon of the 17th.
• Flash Flooding and Flood in Michigan, June 20 to 23, 19977 injured · $9.2 million · 1 in hail · 20 eventsDuring Friday, June 20th, very warm, moist and unstable air was in place across much of Michigan's Lower Peninsula, ahead of a strong, slow-moving cold front across the western Great Lakes region.
• Flash Flooding and Hail in Michigan, June 27, 20071 death · $35,000 · 1 in hail · 23 eventsNumerous waves of thunderstorms affected southeast Michigan during the afternoon and evening of June 27, 2007. Severe storms developed along and ahead of a cold front, which dropped south through a very warm and humid airmass. There were numerous reports of wind damage and hail.
• Lightning Strike in Michigan, July 18, 19961 death · 6 injured · 1 eventNo rain fell in Gladwin on this date; however a single bolt of lightning from a distant thunderstorm, struck and killed the pitcher in a mens league softball game. Several in the infield were knocked to the ground by the lightning and three were taken to the hospital that day.
• Tornadoes and Hail in Michigan, May 7, 20241 injured · $627,000 · EF2 · 15 eventsThunderstorms produced severe tornadoes, large hail, and damaging wind gusts on the afternoon and evening of May 7. The largest hail stone reported was 4 inches in diameter.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Michigan, June 18, 20141 death · $22,000 · 1 in hail · 28 eventsSoutheast Michigan saw active weather in both the morning and afternoon on Wednesday, June 18th, with the afternoon convection turning severe.
• Lightning Strike in Michigan, July 18, 20131 death · $70,000 · 1 eventA house fire started from a lightning strike resulted in the death of a 79-year-old man near McMillan on the early morning of the 18th.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Michigan, August 1, 20031 death · 2 injured · 1 in hail · 24 eventsA large upper low over the area caused numerous slow moving thunderstorms to develop during the afternoon of August 1st. The severe thunderstorms produced hail and wind damage.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Michigan, May 15, 20071 injured · $1.7 million · 2.75 in hail · 83 eventsThe first major severe weather event of the season resulted in widespread reports of wind damage and large hail. This event can be best described as having two parts. The first round of severe storms occurred well in advance of the actual cold front.
• Damaging Winds and Lightning Strike in Michigan, September 6, 20161 death · $30,000 · 54 kt wind · 6 eventsA line of strong to severe thunderstorms crossed northern lower Michigan during the afternoon.
• Flash Flooding and Damaging Wind in Michigan, September 11 to 12, 20002 injured · $20 million · 50 kt wind · 7 eventsA warm and muggy airmass persisted over southeast Michigan. A complex of thunderstorms moved east across northern Michigan in the early morning hours.

Lightning everywhereEvery kind of event in Michigan

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.