Does Michigan Get a Lot of Tornados?

How big is a tornado risk here in Michigan? Let's jump into the numbers and compare state to state.

After seeing videos of the recent devastation in Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Iowa which were hit hard by tornados, it's hard not to wonder how bad the tornado risk is for Michigan this summer. On average Michigan experiences 16 tornados a year. To put that in perspective, Oklahoma averages 66 a year. Below you'll find that Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois are among the 20 worst states for tornados. I'm shocked that Indiana ranked so high on this index.

20 Worst Tornado States According to the U.S. Tornado Index State Rank

1. Oklahoma
2. Mississippi
3. Arkansas
4. Indiana
5. Alabama
6. Kansas
7. Iowa
8. Louisiana
9. Illinois
10. Missouri
11. Texas
12. Nebraska
13. Florida
14. Georgia
15. Tennessee
16. District of Columbia
17. Ohio
18. Wisconsin
19. Michigan
20. South Carolina

You can check out the full list from USA.com by clicking here. The same website also did a tornado index for cities in Michigan. We'll share the 10 worst below.

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Michigan Tornado Index City Rank

1. Milford
2. New Hudson
3. Wixom
4. South Lyon
5. Brighton
6. Gregory
7. Hartland
8. Walled Lake
9. Flint
10. Wolverine Lake

Nearly 1,000 Michigan towns can be found on the Michigan Tornado Index list by clicking here.

Tornado season in Michigan goes from April to August and usually reaches its peak in June. Michigan's tornado alley according to Michigan.gov stretches East to West from Grand Rapids to Flint.

FEMA broke down Michigan's tornado risk by county below.

2024 Michigan County By County Tornado Risk Projections

Roof Gnome, using FEMA data and analyzing nearly 950 counties throughout the United States at moderate to high risk for tornados, was able to rank 34 Michigan counties for storm risks in 2024 and projected financial impact. Here's a county-by-county look at Michigan's Tornano Vulnerability.

Gallery Credit: Scott Clow

Tornados in 2023: States With the Most Property Damage

While states in 'Tornado Alley' may see a higher number of twisters, the number has little to do with total property damage. ConsumerAffairs recently looked at data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Statista to determine how many states tornadoes touched down in each state and compared that to the total estimated property damage in the same time period. Here's a look at Tornadoes in 2023: Ranking the States For Most Property Damage.

Gallery Credit: Scott Clow

Source: Does Michigan Get a Lot of Tornados?

Filed Under: ohio, Indiana, Illinois, & tornado

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