Michigan’s deadliest tornadoes since 2000

According to the National Centers for Environmental Information database on storms across the United States, at least seven tornadoes have led to 10 Michigan deaths since 2000.

“Michigan’s deadliest tornadoes since 2000 At least seven tornadoes have led to 10 Michigan deaths since 2000 before Friday's storms left four dead in southwest Michigan, according to the National Centers for Environmental Information database on storms across the United States”

The Detroit News

Those seven tornadoes accounted for 10 deaths before Friday's storms, which left four people dead in southwest Michigan.

The Detroit News

The article catalogues the deadliest Michigan tornadoes since 2000, listing dates, locations, damage assessments and human tolls recorded in NOAA and NWS records.

On May 20, 2022, an EF3 tornado moved through Gaylord (Otsego County), striking a mobile home community and a nearby commercial corridor.

The tornado destroyed homes, overturned vehicles and leveled several businesses.

The Detroit News

Two people — a 70-year-old man and a 51-year-old woman — were killed and dozens were injured.

National Weather Service surveys noted a long, continuous damage path consistent with an EF3 and winds strong enough to obliterate manufactured homes and heavily damage well-built structures.

On Aug. 24, 2023, a fast-moving EF2 tracked along and near Interstate 96 in Ingham County, catching drivers and residents with little time to react.

NOAA’s Storm Events database lists two direct fatalities in Ingham County, including a 40-year-old woman who was killed when her vehicle was thrown from the freeway.

NWS surveys documented a well-defined EF2 damage path with widespread power outages.

An Oct. 18, 2007 EF2 near Crofton in Kalkaska County is cited, and the NOAA Storm Events entry notes a fatality and a related injury occurred inside a mobile home hit directly by the tornado’s strongest winds, described as northern Lower Michigan’s first killer tornado in more than 30 years.

“Michigan’s deadliest tornadoes since 2000 At least seven tornadoes have led to 10 Michigan deaths since 2000 before Friday's storms left four dead in southwest Michigan, according to the National Centers for Environmental Information database on storms across the United States”

The Detroit News

The Needmore EF1 on June 8, 2008 (Eaton County) caused one fatality despite being on the lower end of the Enhanced Fujita scale, and neighbors described a brief but violent burst of wind.

The Thornton EF1 on June 27, 2010 (St. Clair County) killed one person after touching down in the evening.

The Plymouth EF1 on June 5, 2024 (Wayne County) formed around 2:30 p.m., cut across neighborhoods, and killed one person.

The May 31, 2013 Fenton–Holly long‑track tornado (Genesee and Oakland Counties) produced EF1 to EF2 damage, and the Storm Events file records one indirect death linked to cleanup operations — a man who suffered a fatal heart attack — underscoring that tornado‑related deaths can occur during the storm and in the physically and emotionally demanding hours that follow.