Tornadoes · United States · Michigan

Tornadoes in Allegan County, Michigan

38 tornadoes have crossed Allegan County since 1950, 2 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 5th of the 83 counties in Michigan with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.0 years. They have killed 19 people and injured 325. 1 was rated F4 or EF4 and above, 1 at the top of the scale.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The United States rated tornadoes on Ted Fujita’s F scale until 31 January 2007 and on the Enhanced Fujita scale after it. Both run from 0 to 5, and both rate the damage rather than measure the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. F0 / EF040 to 72 mph on the F scale, 65 to 85 mph on the EF scale

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. F1 / EF173 to 112 mph on the F scale, 86 to 110 mph on the EF scale

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. F2 / EF2113 to 157 mph on the F scale, 111 to 135 mph on the EF scale

    Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

  4. F3 / EF3158 to 206 mph on the F scale, 136 to 165 mph on the EF scale

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. F4 / EF4207 to 260 mph on the F scale, 166 to 200 mph on the EF scale

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. F5 / EF5261 to 318 mph on the F scale, over 200 mph on the EF scale

    Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.

  7. Unrated

    The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

Now

Tornadoes
38
Deaths
19
Injuries
325
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
F5, April 3, 1956

The deadliest in Allegan County

  1. F5 Hudsonville–Grand Rapids tornado, MichiganApril 3, 195617 killed, 292 injured
  2. F1, Allegan and Barry counties, MichiganApril 11, 19651 killed, 9 injured
  3. F2, Allegan County, MichiganJuly 21, 19831 killed, 1 injured

The strongest

  1. F5 Hudsonville–Grand Rapids tornado, MichiganApril 3, 1956F5, 58.8 mi (95 km)
  2. F3, Van Buren, Allegan, Barry and Kent counties, MichiganApril 3, 1956F3, 60.6 mi (98 km)
  3. F2, Allegan County, MichiganApril 21, 1967F2, 18.6 mi (30 km)
  4. F2, Allegan County, MichiganJuly 21, 1983F2, 13.6 mi (22 km)
  5. F2, Van Buren and Allegan counties, MichiganMay 30, 1989F2, 10.2 mi (16 km)
  6. EF2, Allegan County, MichiganJune 19, 2009EF2, 5.9 mi (9 km)
  7. F2, Allegan County, MichiganJune 20, 1974F2, 5.7 mi (9 km)
  8. F2, Allegan County, MichiganJune 9, 1963F2, 2.0 mi (3 km)
  9. F2, Allegan County, MichiganMay 31, 1954F2, 0.3 mi (0 km)
  10. F2, Allegan County, MichiganOctober 24, 1967F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 28 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Allegan County. Each year links to every tornado in Michigan that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20262EF1
20252EF1
20211EF0
20171EF0
20163EF1
20111EF0
20102EF0
20091EF2
20081EF1
20011F0
19981F0
19931F1
19911F0
19894F2
19861F0
1983111F2
198013F1
19791F0
19781F1
19761F1
19751F1
19741F2
196728F2
1965119F1
19631F2
19571F0
1956217304F5
19541F2

Every tornado that crossed Allegan County

38 tornadoes, newest first. The 2 at the top are this year's, from the surveying office rather than SPC's published database, and their ratings are marked as preliminary.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 14, 202611:38 PM EDTEF0Allegan6.8100
April 14, 202611:52 PM EDTEF1Allegan15.8175
May 15, 202510:41 PM EDTEF1Allegan8.3200
May 15, 202510:28 PM EDTEF1Allegan5.4175
August 11, 20219:01 PM EDTEF0Allegan2.8100$300,000
June 30, 20178:31 PM EDTEF0Allegan0.225
August 20, 20161:42 PM EDTEF1Allegan12.8100$1.5 million
August 20, 20161:13 PM EDTEF1Allegan10.6150$2.0 million
August 12, 20162:10 PM EDTEF0Allegan1.150$75,000
April 26, 20115:44 PM EDTEF0Allegan3.350$1.0 million
July 22, 201010:23 PM EDTEF0Allegan0.250
July 18, 20104:08 PM EDTEF0Allegan0.375$150,000
June 19, 20099:38 PM EDTEF2Allegan5.9400$250,000
April 8, 20081:39 AM EDTEF1Barry4.7100$250,000
May 21, 20012:52 PM EDTF0Allegan1.550$50,000
August 6, 19987:45 PM EDTF0Allegan0.130$2,000
July 8, 199311:05 PM EDTF1Allegan0.5150$50,000 to $500,000
July 7, 19916:30 PM EDTF0Allegan0.210
September 6, 19892:15 PM EDTF1Allegan2.030$500 to $5,000
May 30, 19897:04 PM EDTF1Allegan10.360$50 to $500
May 30, 19896:04 PM EDTF1Allegan8.060$500 to $5,000
May 30, 19895:30 PM EDTF2Van Buren10.2100$50,000 to $500,000
May 17, 19868:45 PM EDTF0Allegan0.220
July 21, 19839:05 PM EDTF2Allegan13.620011$50,000 to $500,000
May 30, 19802:15 PM EDTF1Allegan1.0203$5,000 to $50,000
July 24, 19796:36 PM EDTF0Allegan0.210under $50
May 20, 19781:00 PM EDTF1Allegan1.9100$5,000 to $50,000
June 15, 19764:45 PM EDTF1Allegan23.367$50,000 to $500,000
November 10, 19753:30 AM ESTF1Allegan0.133$5,000 to $50,000
June 20, 19749:30 PM EDTF2Allegan5.720$50,000 to $500,000
October 24, 19679:15 PM GMT-4F2Allegan0.1104$5,000 to $50,000
April 21, 19676:55 PM GMT-5F2Allegan18.6504$50,000 to $500,000
April 11, 19657:05 PM GMT-5F1Allegan19.520019$50,000 to $500,000
June 9, 19638:05 PM GMT-5F2Allegan2.010$5,000 to $50,000
June 22, 19575:10 PM GMT-5F0Allegan1.010under $50
April 3, 19567:15 PM GMT-5F3Van Buren60.620012$500,000 to $5 million
April 3, 19565:40 PM GMT-5F5Hudsonville–Grand Rapids tornado58.840017292$50,000 to $500,000
May 31, 19545:10 PM GMT-5F2Allegan0.3110$500 to $5,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Allegan CountyThe forecast for Allegan CountyThe live radar over Allegan CountyEvery county in Michigan

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.