Tornadoes · United States · Michigan

Tornadoes in Saint Joseph County, Michigan

18 tornadoes have crossed Saint Joseph County since 1950, 1 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 31st of the 83 counties in Michigan with a tornado on record, an average of one every 4.2 years. They have killed 1 person and injured 22. 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
18
Deaths
1
Injuries
22
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F3, October 24, 2001

The deadliest in Saint Joseph 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. EF2, Saint Joseph and Branch counties, MichiganMay 7, 2024EF2, 19.5 mi (31 km)
  3. F2, LaGrange, Saint Joseph and Branch counties, Indiana and MichiganMarch 12, 1976F2, 13.4 mi (22 km)
  4. EF2, Saint Joseph County, MichiganMarch 6, 2026EF2, 12.4 mi (20 km)
  5. EF2, Saint Joseph County, MichiganJune 5, 2010EF2, 10.7 mi (17 km)
  6. EF2, Saint Joseph County, MichiganAugust 6, 2024EF2, 8.5 mi (14 km)
  7. F2, Saint Joseph County, MichiganMay 17, 1953F2, 6.4 mi (10 km)
  8. F2, Saint Joseph County, MichiganJuly 9, 1966F2, 0.5 mi (1 km)
  9. F2, Saint Joseph County, MichiganJuly 6, 1955F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 14 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Saint Joseph County. Each year links to every tornado in Michigan that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
2026110EF2
20251EF0
202421EF2
20231EF1
20171EF1
20111EF1
20101EF2
2001413F3
19881F1
197618F2
19731F1
19661F2
19551F2
19531F2

Every tornado that crossed Saint Joseph County

18 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. 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
March 6, 20263:47 PM ESTEF2Saint Joseph12.445010
March 30, 20255:17 PM EDTEF0Saint Joseph3.6300$60,000
August 6, 20248:19 AM EDTEF2Saint Joseph8.5700
May 7, 20245:41 PM EDTEF2Saint Joseph19.59501
July 12, 202311:09 PM EDTEF1Saint Joseph2.950$50,000
February 28, 20179:38 PM ESTEF1Saint Joseph2.050
May 29, 20114:10 PM EDTEF1Saint Joseph2.9100
June 5, 201012:32 AM EDTEF2Saint Joseph10.7200$300,000
October 24, 20015:10 PM ESTF1Saint Joseph5.0400$100,000
October 24, 20014:40 PM ESTF1Saint Joseph4.04001$320,000
October 24, 20013:50 PM CDTF3Saint Joseph to MI47.01,32012$8.8 million
May 25, 200110:23 AM ESTF0Saint Joseph0.110
July 15, 19885:25 PM ESTF1Saint Joseph0.450$500 to $5,000
March 12, 19763:30 PM CSTF2LaGrange to MI13.41278$5,000 to $50,000
August 19, 197312:30 AM ESTF1Saint Joseph0.110$500 to $5,000
July 9, 19663:00 PM GMT-5F2Saint Joseph0.510$5,000 to $50,000
July 6, 19554:30 PM GMT-5F2Saint Joseph0.127$500 to $5,000
May 17, 19534:00 PM GMT-5F2Saint Joseph6.410$500 to $5,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Saint Joseph CountyThe forecast for Saint Joseph CountyThe live radar over Saint Joseph 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.