Tornadoes · United States · Michigan

Tornadoes in Alpena County, Michigan

14 tornadoes have crossed Alpena County since 1950, 40th of the 83 counties in Michigan with a tornado on record, an average of one every 5.4 years. They have killed 0 people and injured 0. None was rated F4 or above.

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.

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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: 14
Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
F4 and above: 0
Worst on record: EF2, October 18, 2007

The strongest

Every year with a tornado

The 10 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Alpena County. Each year links to every tornado in Michigan that year.

Year	Tornadoes	Strongest
2007	2	EF2
2004	1	F1
2001	1	F0
1992	2	F1
1988	3	F1
1982	1	F0
1980	1	F0
1971	1	F1
1964	1	F1
1961	1	F0

Every tornado that crossed Alpena County

14 tornadoes, newest first.

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Damage
October 18, 2007	9:00 PM EDT	EF2	Alpena	0.3	230	$245,000
October 18, 2007	6:25 PM EDT	EF2	Alpena	4.1	430	$240,000
June 13, 2004	6:30 PM EDT	F1	Montmorency	7.2	50	$160,000
June 9, 2001	6:26 PM EDT	F0	Alpena	0.3	10
June 17, 1992	5:05 PM EDT	F1	Alpena	1.0	50	$5,000 to $50,000
June 17, 1992	5:05 PM EDT	F1	Alpena	0.2	50	$5,000 to $50,000
September 3, 1988	4:15 PM EDT	F0	Alpena	0.1	10
August 16, 1988	9:45 AM EDT	F0	Alpena	0.2	10	$50 to $500
August 12, 1988	2:50 PM EDT	F1	Alpena	3.3	70	$5,000 to $50,000
June 21, 1982	7:30 PM EDT	F0	Alpena	1.0	30	$50 to $500
April 19, 1980	6:00 PM EST	F0	Alpena	0.1	10	$50 to $500
June 7, 1971	2:35 PM EST	F1	Alpena	0.1	50
July 20, 1964	7:15 PM GMT-5	F1	Alpena	1.0	10	$5,000 to $50,000
August 5, 1961	11:39 AM GMT-5	F0	Alpena	0.1	10

Nearby

Warnings in force in Alpena County The forecast for Alpena County The live radar over Alpena County Every 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.