Michigan tornado risk
Oakland County has the highest tornado risk in Michigan, scoring 99.7 out of 100 — rated "Very High" by FEMA's National Risk Index. Recorded tornado events across Michigan have increased 77% over the past five years compared to the prior five-year period.
| # | County | NRI score | Rating |
NOAA events 2016–2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oakland County | 99.7 | Very High | 4 |
| 2 | Wayne County | 99.5 | Very High | 8 |
| 3 | Macomb County | 99.3 | Very High | 2 |
| 4 | Genesee County | 98.5 | Relatively High | 6 |
| 5 | Kent County | 97.8 | Relatively High | 12 |
| 6 | Washtenaw County | 96.9 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 7 | Ingham County | 96.2 | Relatively High | 3 |
| 8 | Kalamazoo County | 93.7 | Relatively High | 2 |
| 9 | Jackson County | 93.6 | Relatively High | 3 |
| 10 | Saginaw County | 93.3 | Relatively High | 2 |
| 11 | Livingston County | 91.5 | Relatively High | 3 |
| 12 | Monroe County | 89.2 | Relatively Moderate | 8 |
| 13 | Calhoun County | 88.3 | Relatively Moderate | 3 |
| 14 | Ottawa County | 87.7 | Relatively Moderate | 4 |
| 15 | St. Clair County | 87.2 | Relatively Moderate | 1 |
| 16 | Eaton County | 86.5 | Relatively Moderate | 1 |
| 17 | Shiawassee County | 86.2 | Relatively Moderate | 5 |
| 18 | Lapeer County | 84.5 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 19 | Lenawee County | 84.4 | Relatively Moderate | 1 |
| 20 | Bay County | 84 | Relatively Moderate | 1 |
| 21 | Berrien County | 83.4 | Relatively Moderate | 1 |
| 22 | Muskegon County | 80.4 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 23 | Midland County | 80.3 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 24 | Isabella County | 80.2 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 25 | Hillsdale County | 78.5 | Relatively Moderate | 2 |
| 26 | Ionia County | 77.5 | Relatively Moderate | 6 |
| 27 | Van Buren County | 77 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 28 | Clinton County | 76.9 | Relatively Moderate | 1 |
| 29 | Montcalm County | 76.5 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 30 | Allegan County | 76.3 | Relatively Moderate | 7 |
| 31 | Tuscola County | 74.4 | Relatively Moderate | 4 |
| 32 | Branch County | 74.2 | Relatively Moderate | 6 |
| 33 | Gratiot County | 73 | Relatively Moderate | 1 |
| 34 | Barry County | 72.1 | Relatively Moderate | 3 |
| 35 | Cass County | 64.5 | Relatively Low | 7 |
| 36 | St. Joseph County | 63.5 | Relatively Low | 6 |
| 37 | Sanilac County | 63 | Relatively Low | 4 |
| 38 | Mecosta County | 62.8 | Relatively Low | 2 |
| 39 | Clare County | 58 | Relatively Low | 2 |
| 40 | Huron County | 52.8 | Relatively Low | 3 |
| 41 | Gladwin County | 49 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 42 | Roscommon County | 47.1 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 43 | Newaygo County | 45.4 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 44 | Grand Traverse County | 43 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 45 | Iosco County | 36.7 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 46 | Osceola County | 36.5 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 47 | Ogemaw County | 36.2 | Relatively Low | 2 |
| 48 | Wexford County | 32.1 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 49 | Arenac County | 31.9 | Relatively Low | 2 |
| 50 | Menominee County | 31.4 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 51 | Oceana County | 30.9 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 52 | Emmet County | 28.1 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 53 | Otsego County | 27.9 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 54 | Kalkaska County | 27.7 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 55 | Antrim County | 26.8 | Relatively Low | 5 |
| 56 | Crawford County | 26.3 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 57 | Cheboygan County | 25.8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 58 | Dickinson County | 25.8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 59 | Mason County | 25.2 | Very Low | 0 |
| 60 | Missaukee County | 25.2 | Very Low | 0 |
| 61 | Alpena County | 24.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 62 | Delta County | 24.2 | Very Low | 1 |
| 63 | Lake County | 23.7 | Very Low | 2 |
| 64 | Oscoda County | 22.7 | Very Low | 0 |
| 65 | Marquette County | 21.5 | Very Low | 2 |
| 66 | Montmorency County | 21 | Very Low | 0 |
| 67 | Alcona County | 20.7 | Very Low | 0 |
| 68 | Charlevoix County | 20.7 | Very Low | 0 |
| 69 | Manistee County | 20.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 70 | Presque Isle County | 20.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 71 | Leelanau County | 19.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 72 | Gogebic County | 19 | Very Low | 2 |
| 73 | Iron County | 17.7 | Very Low | 2 |
| 74 | Benzie County | 17.3 | Very Low | 0 |
| 75 | Mackinac County | 9.3 | Very Low | 0 |
| 76 | Alger County | 9.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 77 | Schoolcraft County | 8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 78 | Ontonagon County | 7.5 | Very Low | 0 |
| 79 | Chippewa County | 7.3 | Very Low | 1 |
| 80 | Baraga County | 6.3 | Very Low | 0 |
| 81 | Houghton County | 6.2 | Very Low | 0 |
| 82 | Luce County | 3.7 | Very Low | 1 |
| 83 | Keweenaw County | 1.8 | Very Low | 0 |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0, December 2025. Scores are 0–100 percentile rankings among all US counties. See the methodology page for definitions. Download the full CSV for all counties.
Tornado risk nationally:
Other hazard risks in Michigan:
Frequently asked questions
What is the highest tornado risk county in Michigan?
Oakland County, MI has the highest tornado risk in Michigan, with a FEMA National Risk Index score of 99.7 out of 100 (rated "Very High").
How many counties in Michigan are rated Very High for tornado risk?
3 of 83 scored Michigan counties are rated "Very High" for tornado risk by FEMA's National Risk Index.
What causes tornado risk in Michigan?
Tornado risk concentrates in the central and southern plains ("Tornado Alley") and the Southeast ("Dixie Alley"), where atmospheric conditions favor supercell thunderstorm development. The highest scores often belong to counties with significant mobile home and manufactured housing stock, which carries disproportionate tornado mortality risk.