Tornadoes · United States · Michigan

Tornadoes in Wayne County, Michigan

42 tornadoes have crossed Wayne County since 1950, 4 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 3rd of the 83 counties in Michigan with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.8 years. They have killed 2 people and injured 192. 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
42
Deaths
2
Injuries
192
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
F4, May 12, 1956

The deadliest in Wayne County

  1. F3, Wayne County, MichiganNovember 20, 19571 killed, 12 injured
  2. EF1, Wayne County, MichiganJune 5, 20241 killed, 2 injured

The strongest

  1. F4, Wayne County, MichiganMay 12, 1956F4, 6.8 mi (11 km)
  2. F3, Washtenaw and Wayne counties, MichiganJuly 4, 1969F3, 13.9 mi (22 km)
  3. F3, Wayne County, MichiganNovember 20, 1957F3, 1.5 mi (2 km)
  4. F2, Wayne County, MichiganAugust 30, 1984F2, 5.6 mi (9 km)
  5. F2, Wayne County, MichiganJuly 2, 1997F2, 5.0 mi (8 km)
  6. EF2, Wayne County, MichiganSeptember 3, 2026EF2, 3.6 mi (6 km)
  7. EF2, Wayne County, MichiganSeptember 13, 2008EF2, 2.6 mi (4 km)
  8. F2, Wayne County, MichiganApril 16, 1992F2, 2.0 mi (3 km)
  9. F2, Wayne County, MichiganJuly 14, 1974F2, 1.5 mi (2 km)
  10. F2, Wayne County, MichiganJuly 16, 1980F2, 1.3 mi (2 km)

Every year with a tornado

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

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20264EF2
2024112EF1
20234EF1
20183EF1
20151EF1
20101EF1
20081EF2
1997190F2
199214F2
19901F0
19881F0
19872F1
198623F1
198414F2
19802F2
19751F0
19742F2
19734F0
1969154F3
196811F0
19661F2
19571112F3
1956322F4
19541F1
19531F0

Every tornado that crossed Wayne County

42 tornadoes, newest first. The 4 at the top are this year's, from the surveying office rather than SPC's published database, and their ratings are marked as preliminary.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 4, 20265:46 PM EDTEF1Wayne3.3200
April 15, 20262:14 AM EDTEF1Wayne0.5200
September 3, 20264:04 PM EDTEF2Wayne3.6800
September 3, 20264:12 PM EDTEF0Wayne0.250
June 5, 20243:30 PM EDTEF1Wayne5.845012
August 24, 202310:43 PM EDTEF1Wayne1.4300$50,000
August 24, 202310:39 PM EDTEF1Monroe5.4200$350,000
August 24, 202310:23 PM EDTEF1Wayne3.0200$60,000
August 24, 202310:19 PM EDTEF0Wayne1.7200$100,000
September 25, 20188:55 PM EDTEF1Wayne3.3200$500,000
September 25, 20188:45 PM EDTEF0Monroe4.1250$300,000
July 31, 201812:44 AM EDTEF0Wayne0.8100$50,000
December 23, 20156:43 PM ESTEF1Wayne2.0100$500,000
June 27, 20102:31 PM EDTEF1Wayne1.4200$500,000
September 13, 20089:18 PM EDTEF2Wayne2.6200$250,000
July 2, 19976:00 PM EDTF2Wayne5.02,50090$90 million
April 16, 19923:03 PM EDTF2Wayne2.0504$500,000 to $5 million
September 6, 19908:35 PM EDTF0Wayne1.030
July 16, 19889:31 PM EDTF0Wayne0.313
July 20, 19878:15 PM EDTF0Wayne0.120$50 to $500
June 29, 19878:20 PM EDTF1Wayne1.950$5,000 to $50,000
September 28, 198612:45 AM EDTF0Wayne0.210$50 to $500
August 2, 19862:40 PM EDTF1Wayne0.3203
August 30, 19846:40 AM EDTF2Wayne5.61504$500,000 to $5 million
July 16, 19809:10 AM EDTF2Wayne1.310$5 million to $50 million
April 8, 19805:15 PM ESTF1Wayne0.110$50,000 to $500,000
August 21, 19754:15 PM EDTF0Wayne0.117$500 to $5,000
July 14, 19745:08 PM EDTF2Wayne1.527$50,000 to $500,000
February 28, 19746:25 PM EDTF2Wayne0.150$50 to $500
August 1, 19734:45 PM EDTF0Wayne12.510
June 28, 197310:15 PM EDTF0Wayne0.110
June 26, 19735:20 PM EDTF0Wayne0.117under $50
June 26, 19735:02 PM EDTF0Wayne0.110$50 to $500
July 4, 19695:23 PM GMT-5F3Washtenaw13.910054$500,000 to $5 million
April 23, 19682:30 PM GMT-5F0Wayne0.1201$5,000 to $50,000
June 14, 19661:15 PM GMT-5F2Wayne0.333$500 to $5,000
November 20, 19575:50 PM GMT-5F3Wayne1.5100112$50,000 to $500,000
August 4, 19569:16 AM GMT-5F1Wayne0.110$500 to $5,000
May 12, 19566:55 PM GMT-5F4Wayne6.840022$50,000 to $500,000
May 12, 19565:45 PM GMT-5F0Wayne11.7333$5,000 to $50,000
May 31, 19548:30 PM GMT-5F1Wayne1.8100$500 to $5,000
June 5, 19534:05 PM GMT-5F0Wayne1.050$50 to $500

Nearby

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