Biggest tornadoes in Michigan of the past decade
Of the that happen around the world each year, the .
A large part of the central U.S.鈥攄ubbed Tornado Alley鈥攈as become famous for its high number of annual tornadoes; however, even though it has been enshrined in films like "The Wizard of Oz" and "Twister," the storms can happen anywhere. The Southeast experiences tornadoes at a similar frequency, and even seemingly unlikely states like Hawaii have experienced them.
Meteorologists use the to classify tornadoes' severity. The storms are ranked on a scale of EF0 to EF5 based on wind speed and related damage, with EF5 storms having wind speeds above 200 mph. Most tornadoes in the U.S. have wind speeds below 110 mph鈥攎aking them primarily EF0 and EF1 storms. Still, even smaller-scale storms can cause significant damage. EF0 and EF1 storms have contributed to more than $900 million in property damage since 2012, averaging $75,000 per storm. EF1 tornadoes are associated with .
Less than 3% of tornadoes have reached EF3 status鈥攚ind speeds between 136 and 165 mph鈥攐r greater since 2012. Though they represent a small percentage of events, their impacts cause an outsized portion of property damage. Storms EF4 or stronger can flatten entire homes. Even though the U.S. has experienced only one EF5 storm in the past decade鈥攊t emerged from a series of tornadoes that struck central Oklahoma in May 2013鈥攖hat storm took 24 lives and left billions of dollars of damages.
Tornadoes result in , most of which are . The in areas of the Southeast often afflicted by tornadoes can put people at greater risk of death or serious injury. 2023 has already recorded , according to preliminary counts, a high number this early in the season. And by the end of April, recorded this year had occurred in mobile homes.
Citing data from identified the biggest tornadoes in Michigan since 2012. Storms are ranked by the Enhanced Fujita Scale, with length and width serving as tiebreakers. In an outbreak of multiple tornadoes, the storm with the highest Enhanced Fujita Scale rank was used. Storms ranked "EFU," meaning that they did not result in any property damage or deaths, are not included.
Read on to see if you remember the biggest storms that have hit Michigan over the past decade.
Editor's note: The accompanying photos capture tornadoes but not necessarily those named in each slide.
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#15. Apr. 10, 2017
- Maximum tornado scale: EF1 (86-110 mph)
- Maximum tornado length: 3.3 miles
- Maximum tornado width: 220 feet
- Estimated property damage: $210.0K
- Estimated deaths: None
#14. Oct. 28, 2020
- Maximum tornado scale: EF1 (86-110 mph)
- Maximum tornado length: 3.8 miles
- Maximum tornado width: 250 feet
- Estimated property damage: $170.0K
- Estimated deaths: None
#13. Jun. 11, 2014
- Estimated length: 5.3 miles
- Estimated width: 300 feet
- Estimated property damage: $250.0K
- Estimated deaths: 0 direct, 0 indirect
#12. Jun. 18, 2012
- Estimated length: 1.3 miles
- Estimated width: 350 feet
- Estimated property damage: $60.0K
- Estimated deaths: 0 direct, 0 indirect
#11. Sep. 14, 2014
- Maximum tornado scale: EF1 (86-110 mph)
- Maximum tornado length: 6.3 miles
- Maximum tornado width: 400 feet
- Estimated property damage: $4.9M
- Estimated deaths: None
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#10. Dec. 6, 2021
- Estimated length: 5.3 miles
- Estimated width: 450 feet
- Estimated property damage: None
- Estimated deaths: 0 direct, 0 indirect
#9. Aug. 28, 2018
- Maximum tornado scale: EF1 (86-110 mph)
- Maximum tornado length: 1.1 miles
- Maximum tornado width: 500 feet
- Estimated property damage: $200.0K
- Estimated deaths: None
#8. Sep. 25, 2018
- Maximum tornado scale: EF1 (86-110 mph)
- Maximum tornado length: 4.3 miles
- Maximum tornado width: 520 feet
- Estimated property damage: $1.3M
- Estimated deaths: None
#7. Jul. 24, 2021
- Maximum tornado scale: EF1 (86-110 mph)
- Maximum tornado length: 3.5 miles
- Maximum tornado width: 700 feet
- Estimated property damage: $14.1M
- Estimated deaths: None
#6. Jun. 22, 2015
- Maximum tornado scale: EF2 (111-135 mph)
- Maximum tornado length: 21.9 miles
- Maximum tornado width: 250 feet
- Estimated property damage: $1.4M
- Estimated deaths: None
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#5. Jun. 26, 2021
- Estimated length: 6.8 miles
- Estimated width: 400 feet
- Estimated property damage: $1.9M
- Estimated deaths: 0 direct, 0 indirect
#4. May. 28, 2013
- Maximum tornado scale: EF2 (111-135 mph)
- Maximum tornado length: 5.6 miles
- Maximum tornado width: 550 feet
- Estimated property damage: $865.0K
- Estimated deaths: None
#3. Mar. 14, 2019
- Maximum tornado scale: EF2 (111-135 mph)
- Maximum tornado length: 18.2 miles
- Maximum tornado width: 700 feet
- Estimated property damage: $10.0M
- Estimated deaths: None
#2. May. 20, 2022
- Maximum tornado scale: EF3 (136-165 mph)
- Maximum tornado length: 15.8 miles
- Maximum tornado width: 200 feet
- Estimated property damage: $50.2M
- Estimated deaths: 2 direct, 0 indirect
#1. Mar. 15, 2012
- Maximum tornado scale: EF3 (136-165 mph)
- Maximum tornado length: 7.6 miles
- Maximum tornado width: 800 feet
- Estimated property damage: $12.6M
- Estimated deaths: None
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