Tornadoes · United States · Michigan

Tornadoes in Monroe County, Michigan

41 tornadoes have crossed Monroe County since 1950, 4th of the 83 counties in Michigan with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.9 years. They have killed 66 people and injured 859. 4 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.

  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
41
Deaths
66
Injuries
859
F4 and above
4
Worst on record
F4, April 11, 1965

The deadliest in Monroe County

  1. F4 Hillsdale tornado, Indiana and MichiganApril 11, 196523 killed, 294 injured
  2. F4, Branch, Hillsdale, Lenawee and Monroe counties, MichiganApril 11, 196521 killed, 293 injured
  3. F4 Toledo tornado, Ohio and MichiganApril 11, 196518 killed, 236 injured
  4. F4, Monroe County, MichiganJune 8, 19534 killed, 18 injured

The strongest

  1. F4 Hillsdale tornado, Indiana and MichiganApril 11, 1965F4, 90.3 mi (145 km)
  2. F4, Branch, Hillsdale, Lenawee and Monroe counties, MichiganApril 11, 1965F4, 80.5 mi (130 km)
  3. F4 Toledo tornado, Ohio and MichiganApril 11, 1965F4, 5.6 mi (9 km)
  4. F4, Monroe County, MichiganJune 8, 1953F4, 5.4 mi (9 km)
  5. F3, Monroe County, MichiganApril 17, 1963F3, 0.5 mi (1 km)
  6. F3, Monroe County, MichiganApril 3, 1974F3, 0.3 mi (0 km)
  7. EF2, Monroe County, MichiganJune 6, 2010EF2, 13.0 mi (21 km)
  8. F2, Monroe County, MichiganMarch 26, 1968F2, 7.7 mi (12 km)
  9. F2, Monroe County, MichiganMay 8, 1964F2, 3.3 mi (5 km)
  10. F2, Monroe County, MichiganApril 3, 1974F2, 2.0 mi (3 km)

Every year with a tornado

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

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20251EF0
20234EF1
20182EF1
20161EF0
20121EF0
20111EF0
2010311EF2
20061F0
19961F0
19921F1
19912F0
19901F1
19871F1
19831F1
19794F1
19772F1
197423F3
197342F2
19682F2
1965362823F4
196411F2
196311F3
19531418F4

Every tornado that crossed Monroe County

41 tornadoes, newest first. 2 of them touched down in a neighboring state and ran in, so the record files them under that state rather than Michigan.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
March 30, 20256:51 PM EDTEF0Monroe0.5100
August 24, 202310:39 PM EDTEF1Monroe5.4200$350,000
August 24, 202310:38 PM EDTEF1Monroe4.9200$1.0 million
June 15, 20236:09 PM EDTEF1Monroe4.8400
April 1, 202311:03 AM EDTEF0Monroe7.175$25,000
September 25, 20188:45 PM EDTEF0Monroe4.1250$300,000
September 25, 20188:23 PM EDTEF1Monroe4.3520$500,000
August 28, 201612:52 PM EDTEF0Monroe0.125
March 15, 20126:50 PM EDTEF0Monroe0.650$50,000
September 28, 20113:46 PM EDTEF0Monroe0.150$3,000
June 23, 201010:06 PM EDTEF1Monroe11.5100$100,000
June 6, 20102:33 AM EDTEF1Monroe5.2500$10 million
June 6, 20102:11 AM EDTEF2Monroe13.080011$50 million
June 27, 20063:34 PM EDTF0Monroe0.210$50,000
April 12, 19964:57 PM EDTF0Monroe0.115
September 9, 19929:00 PM EDTF1Monroe6.3440$500 to $5,000
March 27, 19918:45 PM ESTF0Monroe0.510
March 27, 19918:39 PM ESTF0Monroe0.510
August 28, 19905:50 PM EDTF1Monroe15.030$500 to $5,000
June 2, 19871:10 PM EDTF1Monroe1.030$500 to $5,000
May 1, 19831:55 AM EDTF1Monroe3.0100$500 to $5,000
August 29, 19796:56 PM EDTF1Monroe0.350$5,000 to $50,000
August 29, 19796:54 PM EDTF1Monroe0.350$5,000 to $50,000
August 29, 19796:51 PM EDTF1Monroe0.350$5,000 to $50,000
August 29, 19796:49 PM EDTF0Monroe0.350$500 to $5,000
July 4, 197711:07 PM EDTF1Monroe5.767$500 to $5,000
May 31, 19772:35 PM EDTF1Monroe2.790$5,000 to $50,000
April 3, 19749:56 PM EDTF3Monroe0.3303$50,000 to $500,000
April 3, 19748:30 PM EDTF2Monroe2.030$500 to $5,000
June 28, 197312:45 PM EDTF0Monroe0.110
June 26, 19734:45 PM EDTF2Monroe0.7672$50,000 to $500,000
June 26, 19734:30 PM EDTF2Monroe0.260$50,000 to $500,000
June 12, 19735:10 PM EDTF0Monroe0.140$5,000 to $50,000
September 9, 19687:01 PM GMT-4F2Monroe0.920$5,000 to $50,000
March 26, 19685:45 PM GMT-5F2Monroe7.720$50,000 to $500,000
April 11, 19658:30 PM GMT-6F4Toledo tornado5.620018236$5 million to $50 million
April 11, 19657:40 PM GMT-5F4Branch80.51021293
April 11, 19656:00 PM GMT-6F4Hillsdale tornado90.31,76023294$50 million to $500 million
May 8, 19645:05 PM GMT-5F2Monroe3.34001$5,000 to $50,000
April 17, 19637:20 PM GMT-5F3Monroe0.5671$50,000 to $500,000
June 8, 19536:15 PM GMT-5F4Monroe5.4200418$50,000 to $500,000

Nearby

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