Tornadoes · United States · Michigan
Tornadoes in Saint Clair County, Michigan
25 tornadoes have crossed Saint Clair County since 1950, 1 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 18th of the 83 counties in Michigan with a tornado on record, an average of one every 3.0 years. They have killed 3 people and injured 100. 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
- 25
- Deaths
- 3
- Injuries
- 100
- F4 and above
- 2
- Worst on record
- F4, May 21, 1953
The deadliest in Saint Clair County
The strongest
- F4, Lapeer and Saint Clair counties, MichiganJune 8, 1953
- F4, Saint Clair County, MichiganMay 21, 1953
- F3, Macomb and Saint Clair counties, MichiganMay 2, 1983
- F3, Sanilac and Saint Clair counties, MichiganSeptember 2, 1984
- F2, Saint Clair County, MichiganJune 21, 1996
- F2, Saint Clair County, MichiganMay 21, 1975
Every year with a tornado
The 16 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Saint Clair County. Each year links to every tornado in Michigan that year.
Every tornado that crossed Saint Clair County
25 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.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2, 2026 | 7:19 PM EDT | EF0 | Saint Clair | 0.3 | 175 | |||
| October 14, 2021 | 6:12 PM EDT | EF0 | Saint Clair | 0.4 | 120 | $40,000 | ||
| November 6, 2015 | 7:20 AM EST | EF0 | Saint Clair | 1.2 | 75 | $25,000 | ||
| June 22, 2015 | 11:55 PM EDT | EF0 | Saint Clair | 0.6 | 50 | $10,000 | ||
| June 27, 2010 | 7:06 PM EDT | EF1 | Saint Clair | 2.9 | 250 | 1 | 4 | $700,000 |
| May 31, 2004 | 5:20 PM EDT | F1 | Saint Clair | 1.5 | 80 | $50,000 | ||
| May 23, 2004 | 8:30 PM EDT | F1 | Saint Clair | 1.0 | 75 | $10,000 | ||
| May 14, 2004 | 6:11 PM EDT | F0 | Saint Clair | 0.5 | 30 | $10,000 | ||
| July 28, 1999 | 8:05 PM EDT | F1 | Saint Clair | 0.3 | 100 | $60,000 | ||
| June 21, 1996 | 1:00 AM EDT | F2 | Saint Clair | 0.2 | 30 | $30,000 | ||
| June 21, 1996 | 12:50 AM EDT | F1 | Saint Clair | 0.1 | 20 | $40,000 | ||
| May 28, 1995 | 6:14 PM EDT | F1 | Saint Clair | 0.6 | 100 | $500 to $5,000 | ||
| March 27, 1991 | 8:53 PM EST | F1 | Saint Clair | 10.0 | 150 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| September 14, 1990 | 1:55 PM EDT | F1 | Saint Clair | 2.0 | 33 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| September 6, 1990 | 4:20 PM EDT | F1 | Saint Clair | 2.0 | 40 | $500 to $5,000 | ||
| September 2, 1984 | 5:40 PM EDT | F3 | Sanilac | 15.6 | 400 | 1 | $500,000 to $5 million | |
| July 10, 1984 | 12:25 AM EDT | F1 | Saint Clair | 0.3 | 30 | $50 to $500 | ||
| May 22, 1984 | 9:20 PM EDT | F1 | Saint Clair | 0.2 | 20 | 1 | $5,000 to $50,000 | |
| May 2, 1983 | 12:05 PM EDT | F3 | Macomb | 23.0 | 200 | 3 | $5 million to $50 million | |
| August 19, 1978 | 3:15 PM EDT | F1 | Saint Clair | 0.5 | 100 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| September 17, 1977 | 1:25 AM EDT | F1 | Saint Clair | 5.2 | 117 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| June 4, 1975 | 7:50 PM EDT | F1 | Saint Clair | 0.1 | 10 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| May 21, 1975 | 3:45 PM EDT | F2 | Saint Clair | 0.1 | 20 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| June 8, 1953 | 10:30 PM GMT-5 | F4 | Lapeer | 33.8 | 833 | 23 | $50,000 to $500,000 | |
| May 21, 1953 | 4:21 PM GMT-5 | F4 | Saint Clair | 10.0 | 1,760 | 2 | 68 | $500,000 to $5 million |
Nearby
Warnings in force in Saint Clair CountyThe forecast for Saint Clair CountyThe live radar over Saint Clair 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.