Tornadoes · United States · Michigan
Tornadoes in Hillsdale County, Michigan
26 tornadoes have crossed Hillsdale County since 1950, 17th of the 83 counties in Michigan with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.9 years. They have killed 46 people and injured 632. 2 were rated F4 or EF4 and 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
- 26
- Deaths
- 46
- Injuries
- 632
- F4 and above
- 2
- Worst on record
- F4, April 11, 1965
The deadliest in Hillsdale County
The strongest
- F4 Hillsdale tornado, Indiana and MichiganApril 11, 1965
- F4, Branch, Hillsdale, Lenawee and Monroe counties, MichiganApril 11, 1965
- F3, Hillsdale County, MichiganMarch 27, 1991
- F2, Hillsdale and Jackson counties, MichiganApril 3, 1974
- F2, Hillsdale County, MichiganJuly 4, 1969
- F2, Hillsdale County, MichiganAugust 22, 1964
- F2, Hillsdale and Lenawee counties, MichiganApril 3, 1974
- F2, Hillsdale and Lenawee counties, MichiganApril 3, 1974
- F2, Hillsdale County, MichiganJuly 18, 1977
- F2, Hillsdale and Jackson counties, MichiganMarch 12, 1976
Every year with a tornado
The 19 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Hillsdale County. Each year links to every tornado in Michigan that year.
Every tornado that crossed Hillsdale County
26 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.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 24, 2024 | 6:22 PM EDT | EF0 | Hillsdale | 0.1 | 50 | $100,000 | ||
| September 7, 2021 | 7:45 PM EDT | EF1 | Hillsdale | 5.3 | 450 | |||
| April 9, 2015 | 6:22 PM EDT | EF0 | Hillsdale | 0.6 | 70 | |||
| August 1, 2003 | 4:40 PM EDT | F0 | Hillsdale | 0.1 | 10 | |||
| July 10, 2003 | 9:24 PM EDT | F0 | Hillsdale | 0.1 | 50 | $1,000 | ||
| October 24, 2001 | 7:00 PM EDT | F1 | Hillsdale | 2.0 | 60 | $350,000 | ||
| March 27, 1991 | 7:37 PM EST | F3 | Hillsdale | 5.0 | 400 | $5 million to $50 million | ||
| May 15, 1988 | 6:06 PM EDT | F0 | Hillsdale | 0.2 | 10 | |||
| May 15, 1988 | 6:04 PM EDT | F0 | Hillsdale | 0.2 | 10 | |||
| September 25, 1984 | 5:20 PM EDT | F2 | Hillsdale | 2.1 | 90 | 2 | $50,000 to $500,000 | |
| June 7, 1979 | 6:25 PM EDT | F0 | Hillsdale | 0.5 | 20 | |||
| July 18, 1977 | 1:00 PM EDT | F2 | Hillsdale | 4.7 | 33 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| March 12, 1976 | 5:40 PM EST | F2 | Hillsdale | 3.6 | 133 | $50,000 to $500,000 | ||
| March 12, 1976 | 5:05 PM EST | F2 | Hillsdale | 0.1 | 83 | $50,000 to $500,000 | ||
| May 21, 1975 | 6:30 PM EDT | F0 | Hillsdale | 7.2 | 10 | $500 to $5,000 | ||
| April 3, 1974 | 9:15 PM EDT | F2 | Hillsdale | 9.9 | 10 | 5 | ||
| April 3, 1974 | 9:15 PM EDT | F2 | Hillsdale | 5.4 | 167 | 5 | $5,000 to $50,000 | |
| April 3, 1974 | 8:44 PM EDT | F2 | Hillsdale | 19.3 | 440 | 2 | 31 | $500,000 to $5 million |
| June 12, 1973 | 6:30 PM EDT | F0 | Hillsdale | 0.1 | 10 | under $50 | ||
| July 4, 1969 | 5:00 PM GMT-5 | F2 | Hillsdale | 18.7 | 100 | $50,000 to $500,000 | ||
| July 23, 1968 | 8:30 PM GMT-4 | F1 | Hillsdale | 6.4 | 67 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| April 23, 1968 | 12:50 PM GMT-5 | F1 | Hillsdale | 9.3 | 200 | 1 | $50,000 to $500,000 | |
| April 11, 1965 | 7:40 PM GMT-5 | F4 | Branch | 80.5 | 10 | 21 | 293 | |
| April 11, 1965 | 6:00 PM GMT-6 | F4 | Hillsdale tornado | 90.3 | 1,760 | 23 | 294 | $50 million to $500 million |
| August 22, 1964 | 2:25 PM GMT-5 | F2 | Hillsdale | 10.3 | 100 | 1 | $5,000 to $50,000 | |
| June 24, 1958 | 8:00 PM GMT-5 | F1 | Hillsdale | 3.6 | 30 | $500 to $5,000 |
Nearby
Warnings in force in Hillsdale CountyThe forecast for Hillsdale CountyThe live radar over Hillsdale 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.