Tornadoes · United States · Michigan

Tornadoes in Kent County, Michigan

45 tornadoes have crossed Kent County since 1950, 1 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 2nd of the 83 counties in Michigan with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.7 years. They have killed 22 people and injured 491. 2 were 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
45
Deaths
22
Injuries
491
F4 and above
2
Worst on record
F5, April 3, 1956

The deadliest in Kent County

  1. F5 Hudsonville–Grand Rapids tornado, MichiganApril 3, 195617 killed, 292 injured
  2. F4, Ottawa and Kent counties, MichiganApril 11, 19655 killed, 142 injured

The strongest

  1. F5 Hudsonville–Grand Rapids tornado, MichiganApril 3, 1956F5, 58.8 mi (95 km)
  2. F4, Ottawa and Kent counties, MichiganApril 11, 1965F4, 20.6 mi (33 km)
  3. F3, Van Buren, Allegan, Barry and Kent counties, MichiganApril 3, 1956F3, 60.6 mi (98 km)
  4. F3, Kent County, MichiganApril 21, 1967F3, 13.6 mi (22 km)
  5. F2, Kent, Ionia, Eaton and Ingham counties, MichiganAugust 5, 1968F2, 52.7 mi (85 km)
  6. F2, Kent and Ottawa counties, MichiganSeptember 22, 1961F2, 2.7 mi (4 km)
  7. F2, Kent County, MichiganMay 20, 1975F2, 2.3 mi (4 km)
  8. F2, Kent County, MichiganSeptember 9, 1968F2, 1.0 mi (2 km)
  9. F2, Kent County, MichiganApril 21, 1967F2, 0.3 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 29 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Kent County. Each year links to every tornado in Michigan that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20261EF0
20255EF1
20231EF1
20212EF0
20191EF0
20171EF1
20162EF0
20151EF0
201416EF1
20061F0
20021F0
20014F1
19961F1
19921F1
19911F0
19902F1
198921F1
198712F1
19791F0
197621F1
197511F2
19691F1
196821F2
1967232F3
19661F1
196515142F4
196111F2
19601F1
1956317304F5

Every tornado that crossed Kent County

45 tornadoes, newest first. The 1 at the top is this year's, from the surveying office rather than SPC's published database, and its rating is marked as preliminary.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 11, 20269:31 PM EDTEF0Kent4.270
May 15, 202510:51 PM EDTEF1Kent14.9100
March 30, 20256:00 PM EDTEF0Kent2.4300
March 30, 20256:00 PM EDTEF0Kent5.0150
March 30, 20255:58 PM EDTEF1Kent1.7250
March 30, 20255:42 PM EDTEF0Kent4.2150
August 24, 20238:15 PM EDTEF1Kent8.7100$10 million
June 26, 20214:23 PM EDTEF0Kent0.650$50,000
April 10, 20214:18 PM EDTEF0Kent0.665$75,000
September 11, 20197:43 PM EDTEF0Kent0.125
April 10, 20178:36 PM EDTEF1Ionia5.3220$210,000
August 20, 20162:50 PM EDTEF0Kent0.950$25,000
August 20, 20162:34 PM EDTEF0Kent4.375$500,000
July 13, 20151:15 AM EDTEF0Kent0.850$50,000
July 6, 201410:20 PM EDTEF1Kent6.34006$4.5 million
September 23, 20065:45 PM EDTF0Kent0.566$100,000
August 13, 20029:30 PM EDTF0Kent1.0100$40,000
May 21, 20013:50 PM EDTF0Kent0.150$70,000
May 21, 20013:40 PM EDTF0Kent0.150$50,000
May 21, 20013:29 PM EDTF1Kent0.350$200,000
May 21, 20012:35 PM EDTF0Kent0.650$100,000
August 19, 19965:40 PM EDTF1Kent0.110$10,000
June 17, 19924:00 PM EDTF1Kent0.350
July 7, 19916:45 PM EDTF0Kent0.550$500 to $5,000
September 14, 19909:27 AM EDTF1Montcalm5.030$500 to $5,000
September 14, 19909:05 AM EDTF1Newaygo7.030$5,000 to $50,000
September 6, 19892:45 PM EDTF1Kent0.5231$5,000 to $50,000
September 6, 19892:15 PM EDTF1Allegan2.030$500 to $5,000
July 9, 198711:35 AM EDTF1Kent0.1202$500 to $5,000
July 24, 19797:30 PM EDTF0Kent0.210$5,000 to $50,000
July 28, 19766:00 PM EDTF1Kent2.0401$50,000 to $500,000
June 15, 19765:30 PM EDTF1Kent0.550$5,000 to $50,000
May 20, 19758:14 PM EDTF2Kent2.3101$50,000 to $500,000
June 25, 196910:05 PM GMT-5F1Kent6.1200$5,000 to $50,000
September 9, 19682:24 PM GMT-4F2Kent1.0331$5,000 to $50,000
August 5, 19687:40 PM GMT-4F2Kent52.750$50,000 to $500,000
April 21, 19678:30 PM GMT-5F2Kent0.327$5,000 to $50,000
April 21, 19676:58 PM GMT-5F3Kent13.640032$5 million to $50 million
April 20, 19668:45 PM GMT-5F1Kent0.110$5,000 to $50,000
April 11, 19655:54 PM GMT-5F4Ottawa20.63005142$500,000 to $5 million
September 22, 19615:20 PM GMT-5F2Kent2.72,0001$5,000 to $50,000
April 16, 196012:40 AM GMT-5F1Kent1.5300$5,000 to $50,000
July 1, 19563:00 PM GMT-5F1Kent0.110$500 to $5,000
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

Nearby

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