Tornadoes · United States · Michigan

Tornadoes in Berrien County, Michigan

33 tornadoes have crossed Berrien County since 1950, 9th of the 83 counties in Michigan with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.3 years. They have killed 1 person and injured 17. 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.

  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
33
Deaths
1
Injuries
17
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F3, October 24, 2001

The deadliest in Berrien County

  1. F3, Saint Joseph, Berrien, Cass and Saint Joseph counties, Indiana and MichiganOctober 24, 20011 killed, 2 injured

The strongest

  1. F3, Saint Joseph, Berrien, Cass and Saint Joseph counties, Indiana and MichiganOctober 24, 2001F3, 47.0 mi (76 km)
  2. F2, Berrien and Van Buren counties, MichiganMarch 4, 1976F2, 44.8 mi (72 km)
  3. F2, Berrien, Cass and Elkhart counties, Michigan and IndianaAugust 25, 1998F2, 26.0 mi (42 km)
  4. F2, Berrien County, MichiganMarch 12, 1976F2, 10.1 mi (16 km)
  5. F2, Berrien County, MichiganMarch 4, 1961F2, 6.5 mi (10 km)
  6. EF2, Berrien County, MichiganJune 5, 2010EF2, 3.4 mi (5 km)
  7. F2, Berrien County, MichiganApril 12, 1979F2, 3.3 mi (5 km)
  8. F2, Berrien County, MichiganJune 20, 1981F2, 1.5 mi (2 km)
  9. F2, Berrien County, MichiganJune 14, 1972F2, 1.3 mi (2 km)
  10. F2, Berrien County, MichiganApril 21, 1967F2, 1.0 mi (2 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 23 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Berrien County. Each year links to every tornado in Michigan that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20171EF1
20103EF2
20071EF1
20041F0
2001112F3
19981F2
19881F0
19871F0
19811F2
19801F1
197926F2
19782F1
19772F1
197629F2
19751F1
19743F2
19721F2
19672F2
19611F2
19601F2
19581F0
19571F1
19562F2

Every tornado that crossed Berrien County

33 tornadoes, newest first. 1 of them touched down in a neighboring state and ran in, so the record files it under that state rather than Michigan.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
February 28, 20178:54 PM ESTEF1Berrien0.6100
October 24, 201010:50 PM EDTEF0Berrien0.135
June 5, 201011:36 PM EDTEF1Berrien1.4100$100,000
June 5, 201011:28 PM EDTEF2Berrien3.4200$150,000
April 26, 20077:12 PM EDTEF1Berrien1.250$10,000
July 21, 20047:20 PM EDTF0Berrien0.115
October 24, 20013:50 PM CDTF3Saint Joseph to MI47.01,32012$8.8 million
August 25, 19981:00 AM CDTF2Berrien to IN26.0300$2.1 million
July 16, 19884:30 PM EDTF0Berrien2.133$50,000 to $500,000
September 21, 19871:35 PM EDTF0Berrien0.210
June 20, 19818:21 PM EDTF2Berrien1.5500$50,000 to $500,000
June 6, 19804:20 AM EDTF1Berrien0.110$5,000 to $50,000
October 6, 19791:02 PM EDTF0Berrien0.260$5,000 to $50,000
April 12, 19799:21 PM ESTF2Berrien3.3606$50,000 to $500,000
June 17, 19781:02 AM EDTF1Berrien1.030$5,000 to $50,000
June 17, 197812:51 AM EDTF1Berrien1.040$500 to $5,000
September 1, 19777:10 PM EDTF0Berrien0.560under $50
June 28, 19776:40 PM EDTF1Van Buren13.860$500 to $5,000
March 12, 19763:30 PM ESTF2Berrien10.183$5,000 to $50,000
March 4, 197610:00 PM ESTF2Berrien44.81009$50,000 to $500,000
May 20, 19757:00 PM EDTF1Berrien0.510$5,000 to $50,000
September 21, 19748:50 AM EDTF1Berrien1.533$5,000 to $50,000
September 21, 19748:50 AM EDTF0Berrien0.533$5,000 to $50,000
June 20, 197410:05 PM EDTF2Berrien0.8100$5,000 to $50,000
June 14, 19725:30 PM ESTF2Berrien1.370$500 to $5,000
June 11, 19675:20 PM GMT-5F0Berrien0.110
April 21, 19677:25 PM GMT-5F2Berrien1.027$50,000 to $500,000
March 4, 19617:10 PM GMT-5F2Berrien6.5440$50,000 to $500,000
June 16, 19605:58 PM GMT-5F2Berrien0.110$500 to $5,000
May 31, 19587:45 PM GMT-5F0Berrien8.810$5,000 to $50,000
June 22, 19575:05 PM GMT-5F1Berrien10.750$5,000 to $50,000
June 26, 19561:40 PM GMT-5F2Berrien0.117$50 to $500
May 9, 195610:15 AM GMT-5F2Van Buren1.010$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Berrien CountyThe forecast for Berrien CountyThe live radar over Berrien 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.