Owosso

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond this area.
2. Weak tornadoes were under-recorded before Doppler radar coverage became national in the early 1990s, so earlier decades read low. Ratings use the Fujita scale before February 2007 and the Enhanced Fujita scale after.

Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, 1950 to 2025.

Every storm within 100 miles

1. Tropical storms and hurricanes (34 kt or more, still tropical) at closest approach. Post-tropical remnants with gale-force winds are listed but not counted. Direct: track within 50 miles; near: within 100 miles. Distance is measured to the county boundary for counties and to the city centre for cities, using positions interpolated hourly between HURDAT2 fixes.

National Hurricane Center HURDAT2, 1851 to 2025.

Smoke overhead

1. A smoke day is a date on which a smoke plume traced by NOAA Hazard Mapping System analysts from satellite imagery covered this place's point (the county's population centre or the city centre). Counts here are of medium or heavy smoke. Since 2018 analysts have often drawn light smoke as one area over most of the continent, so light-smoke counts are not comparable from year to year. The plumes show smoke anywhere in the air above, not air quality at the ground, and smoke hidden by cloud is missed.

NOAA Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, 2011 to 2026, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Flood insurance figures are for Shiawassee County, the county that contains Owosso.

Claims by ZIP code

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026. NOAA Storm Events through 2026.

River crests

River gauges in Shiawassee County, the county that contains Owosso.

River gauges

1. Crests are the highest and the recent crests the National Weather Service lists for each river gauge in the county that has a flood stage, not every flood. Flood categories use each gauge's current flood stages; crests from before levees, dams or channel changes may not be comparable. Crests measured on an old datum are left out of the rankings.

NOAA National Water Prediction Service gauge records, retrieved October 30, 2026.

The drought index is for Shiawassee County, the county that contains Owosso.

1. The Palmer Drought Severity Index is computed by NOAA each month from the county's average temperature and precipitation, relative to the county's own climate. Zero is normal; -3 or lower is severe drought and -4 or lower extreme drought. It describes the long-term balance of moisture, not water supply or crop losses.

NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, 1895 to September 2026, issued October 6, 2026.

1. Earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more in the USGS Comprehensive Catalog since 1900. Within 50 miles means the epicentre lies within 50 miles of the city centre.
2. Small earthquakes were under-recorded before the modern seismic networks of the 1970s and are still missed in remote areas, so early decades read low. Magnitudes are as the catalogue reports them and mix scales (moment, local and body-wave).

USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog, 1900 to present, retrieved October 30, 2026.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Mar 14, 2019Tornado$9.8 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado touched down around the intersection of Britton Rd and I-69 and produced EF-0 damage up to Bancroft Rd and Newburg Rd with large tree limbs downed and trees snapped. Shoreline Lake Condos had over 10 trailers and mobile homes damaged from falling trees. The tornado continued northeast from Bancroft Rd/Newburg Rd to M-71 just ESE of Vernon producing EF-2 damage. One roof was completely taken off, a second story wall collapsed, and numerous homes with wall damage. The tornado weakened back down to EF-1 as two more home damaged near Bennington Rd Reed Rd. The tornado finally lifted near Riniel Rd just south of Lytle Rd.

2. Mar 8, 2017High Wind, Shiawassee$7.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A non thunderstorm event took place over the state on Wednesday, March 8, 2017, as high winds brought wind gusts in excess of 60 mph! The high winds took out power lines and trees, along with numerous reports of structural damage to buildings. There were also reports of brush fires and tractor-trailers flipped over around the area. Due to the extensive damage, many areas were without power for several days. Approximately 800,000 DTE customers and approximately 300,000 Consumers Energy customers were affected. The highest wind gust reported across Southeast Michigan was 68 mph at both Saginaw and Detroit Metro Airport.

3. Dec 21, 2013Ice Storm, Shiawassee$3.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A winter storm impacted a large swath of the country from the southern Plains through the Midwest and into the Northeast on the last weekend before Christmas. This storm occurred as a deep upper-level trough over the Desert Southwest lifted northeastward, while a surface low pressure system moved from Texas into the Ohio Valley. This low moved along a very sharp frontal boundary. This front at the surface actually briefly penetrated far southeastern Michigan Friday night. The temperature at Lambertville, on the Ohio border, rose into the mid-50s, while Monroe, just 15 miles away, stayed in the mid-30s. On Saturday, copious Gulf moisture was brought northward ahead of the…

4. Jul 26, 2007Hail$2.8 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Large hail hammered areas in a 3 mile radius around Durand for 50 minutes. The hail, at times, was as big as golf balls. A local newspaper reported $1.8M in hail damages to homes alone. Hundreds of vehicles also took a beating. Local experts estimated damages at an average of $4K per vehicle. This information was used to estimate $1M in total damages to vehicles. Many crops in the area were also destroyed. One farmer estimated $400K in losses to soybeans alone. Total crop damages were estimated at a conservative $2M, bringing the total cost of this hailstorm to nearly $5M.

5. May 4, 2012Flash Flood$1.1 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Several roads were closed due to flooding as well as bridges being reported washed out.

6. Nov 17, 2013High Wind, Shiawassee$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A powerful low pressure system strengthened and tracked northeast from the western Great Lakes towards James Bay during the afternoon of November 17th through the overnight hours. Southerly winds out ahead of the cold front allowed temperatures to soar into the lower to middle 60s during the afternoon hours across southeast Michigan. A line of thunderstorms developed with the cold front that swept through the area during the evening hours. Several of these storms produced severe wind gusts and wind damage as they moved through the area. Behind the cold front, gradient winds gusted to 55 to 65 mph during the evening and overnight hours, producing additional damage across southeast…

7. Apr 14, 2018Winter Storm, Shiawassee$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A large and complex low pressure system impacted the Great Lakes region. Southeast Michigan saw heavy rain, snow, sleet and freezing rain that began on Friday (April 13) and lasted through Sunday (April 15). This system brought 2 main periods of precipitation, with a short break in between on Saturday. Total rainfall of 1 to 2 inches was common in many locations in Southeast Michigan, with 2-3 of snow and sleet north of I-69, and about 1/4 to 1/2 of ice from freezing rain between the I-94 and I-96 corridors. Widespread tree damage and power outages from an combination of the snow, sleet, and freezing rain occurred. In total, DTE and Consumers Energy reported power outages for…

8. Aug 11, 2023Tornado$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado touched down three miles west of Perry around Beardslee Rd, just south of W. Britton Rd, and initially traveled through Ruess Rd and Boulder Ln, where downed trees and fallen large tree limbs were observed. The tornado then intensified as it entered into the city of Perry. Damage located around the intersection of Polly St and Lamb St and southeast into the intersection of 2nd St and Washington St consisted of large uprooted trees, sheared large tree limbs, major roofing damage to several outbuildings, and shingle/siding damaging to some residential homes. These locations observed a peak wind around 95 mph with a tornado width around 430 yards. The tornado then…

9. Nov 12, 2003High Wind, Shiawassee$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A strong low pressure system moved across the straits on the evening of the 12th, moving into Ontario overnight as it deepened to 974 mb. Strong cold advection and a tight pressure gradient over Lower Michigan produced wind gusts between 50 and 60 MPH across all of Southeast Michigan. In addition, there were even a few wind gusts reported between 60 and 88 mph. The highest wind gust was reported by a spotter in Dexter who recorded an 88 mph gust. An estimated 250,000 customers lost power in southeast Michigan, as widespread trees and power lines were blown down.

10. May 4, 2018High Wind, Shiawassee$850,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    A strong low pressure system tracked through northern Lower Michigan, swinging a strong cold front through southeast Michigan early in the afternoon. Sustained winds ranging between 30 - 40 mph, with frequent gusts in the 45 to 60 mph range, with scattered thunderstorms that developed leading to enhanced winds near 70 MPH. Downed large trees, branches, telephone and power lines were reported across all counties in Southeast Michigan, with around 230,000 customers without power during the peak. In Independence Township, a large tree fell onto a car, killing the 36 year old man inside. Additionally, a postal employee in South Lyon was also seriously hurt when a tree fell on him as…

1. Storm Events records before 1996 cover only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail. Damage figures are as reported by the National Weather Service at the time, not adjusted for inflation.

NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026, issued October 26, 2026.

All-time high

105°F3 times, most recently Jul 9, 1936

All-time low

−26°FFeb 5, 1918

Warmest night

82°FJul 26, 1932

Coldest day

−5°FJan 17, 1982

Wettest day

4.67 inOct 1, 1981

Snowiest day

17.5 inJan 27, 1967

Hottest year

1921mean 52.4°F

Coldest year

1917mean 44.3°F

Wettest year

201150.15 in

Driest year

190313.45 in

Snowiest season

81.0 in1951-52

Station Owosso Wwtp (USC00206300), 730 ft elevation, 1.5 miles from the city centre. Daily records from 1896 to October 28, 2026; 97.5% of days in the last 30 years are complete. Records at a single station can differ from a city’s official threaded record, which may combine several stations.

NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily.

Declarations for Shiawassee County.

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, retrieved October 30, 2026. Statewide declarations are not listed.

• Tornadoes NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, through 2025.
• Tropical cyclones NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2 (Atlantic; Northeast and Central Pacific), through 2025.
• Wildfire USGS/USFS Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity, through 2026.
• Storm events NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, through 2026.
• Flood insurance OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026.
• Declarations OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Weather records NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily, station USC00206300.
• River crests NOAA National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service river gauges, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Drought NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, through September 2026.
• Smoke NOAA NESDIS Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Earthquakes USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat), retrieved October 30, 2026.

Joins, thresholds and known limits are set out in the methodology. Found an error? Report it. Page built October 30, 2026.