Tornadoes · United States · Michigan

Tornadoes in Shiawassee County, Michigan

35 tornadoes have crossed Shiawassee County since 1950, 7th of the 83 counties in Michigan with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.2 years. They have killed 3 people and injured 24. 1 was 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
35
Deaths
3
Injuries
24
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
F4, April 11, 1965

The deadliest in Shiawassee County

  1. EF2, Ingham and Shiawassee counties, MichiganOctober 18, 20072 killed, 1 injured
  2. F4, Clinton and Shiawassee counties, MichiganApril 11, 19651 killed, 8 injured

The strongest

  1. F4, Clinton and Shiawassee counties, MichiganApril 11, 1965F4, 21.0 mi (34 km)
  2. F2, Clinton and Shiawassee counties, MichiganAugust 15, 1951F2, 28.5 mi (46 km)
  3. F2, Shiawassee and Saginaw counties, MichiganApril 28, 1986F2, 26.5 mi (43 km)
  4. F2, Shiawassee and Genesee counties, MichiganSeptember 21, 1957F2, 21.9 mi (35 km)
  5. EF2, Ingham and Shiawassee counties, MichiganOctober 18, 2007EF2, 19.0 mi (31 km)
  6. EF2, Shiawassee County, MichiganMarch 14, 2019EF2, 18.2 mi (29 km)
  7. F2, Shiawassee County, MichiganApril 21, 1976F2, 3.0 mi (5 km)
  8. F2, Shiawassee County, MichiganAugust 19, 1978F2, 2.0 mi (3 km)
  9. F2, Shiawassee County, MichiganAugust 29, 1975F2, 1.5 mi (2 km)
  10. F2, Shiawassee County, MichiganApril 16, 1967F2, 0.3 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 25 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Shiawassee County. Each year links to every tornado in Michigan that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20251EF1
20231EF1
20193EF2
20151EF0
20133EF1
20111EF1
2007221EF2
20042F0
20011F0
19913F1
19891F1
19861F2
19842F1
197818F2
197711F1
197621F2
19751F2
19731F0
19721F1
197113F1
196711F2
1965118F4
19571F2
195611F1
19511F2

Every tornado that crossed Shiawassee County

35 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
March 30, 20257:00 PM EDTEF1Shiawassee0.9100
August 11, 20237:51 PM EDTEF1Shiawassee3.0430$1.0 million
August 29, 20199:23 PM EDTEF0Shiawassee2.5125$50,000
March 14, 20196:47 PM EDTEF0Shiawassee6.4100$50,000
March 14, 20196:45 PM EDTEF2Shiawassee18.2700$9.8 million
June 15, 20159:04 PM EDTEF0Shiawassee0.350$10,000
May 28, 20139:09 PM EDTEF1Shiawassee9.9550$110,000
May 28, 20138:52 PM EDTEF0Shiawassee0.5100$50,000
May 28, 20138:47 PM EDTEF0Shiawassee0.760$30,000
May 29, 20115:27 PM EDTEF1Ingham3.3100$75,000
October 18, 200710:28 PM EDTEF2Ingham19.030021$15 million
August 24, 20075:23 PM EDTEF0Shiawassee0.350$50,000
May 22, 20044:35 PM EDTF0Shiawassee0.120
May 13, 20046:32 PM EDTF0Shiawassee2.020
May 21, 20013:00 PM EDTF0Shiawassee0.130
August 17, 19916:25 PM EDTF0Shiawassee1.020
August 17, 19916:15 PM EDTF1Shiawassee0.520$500 to $5,000
August 17, 19916:00 PM EDTF0Saginaw11.013
November 27, 19896:45 PM ESTF1Shiawassee2.530$5,000 to $50,000
April 28, 19864:08 PM EDTF2Shiawassee26.540$500,000 to $5 million
August 30, 19845:10 AM EDTF1Shiawassee0.550$500 to $5,000
June 10, 19843:43 PM EDTF1Shiawassee0.220under $50
August 19, 19785:40 AM EDTF2Shiawassee2.02308$50,000 to $500,000
April 2, 19773:45 PM ESTF1Shiawassee12.0501$5,000 to $50,000
April 21, 19763:30 PM ESTF1Shiawassee1.570$5,000 to $50,000
April 21, 19762:35 PM ESTF2Shiawassee3.0831$500,000 to $5 million
August 29, 19757:40 PM EDTF2Shiawassee1.583$5,000 to $50,000
June 3, 19734:30 PM EDTF0Shiawassee0.210$500 to $5,000
August 1, 19725:45 PM ESTF1Shiawassee0.110$50 to $500
June 2, 19712:12 PM ESTF1Shiawassee57.9273$50,000 to $500,000
April 16, 196711:18 PM GMT-5F2Shiawassee0.3201$50,000 to $500,000
April 11, 19658:15 PM GMT-5F4Clinton21.010018$50,000 to $500,000
September 21, 19574:00 PM GMT-5F2Shiawassee21.933$500 to $5,000
May 12, 19565:15 PM GMT-5F1Shiawassee2.0101$50,000 to $500,000
August 15, 19513:30 PM GMT-5F2Clinton28.5333$50,000 to $500,000

Nearby

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