Alpena County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Alpena County: 0.
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.

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.

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.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Oct 18, 2007Tornado$245,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The third tornado from this parent thunderstorm, and sixth and final tornado of the day, this one was only on the ground momentarily, with a quarter-mile long track. However, this quick touchdown produced substantial damage near Borke Road. One home had its second story ripped off. A nearby mobile home was destroyed, and two barns were significantly damaged. Some livestock (cows and chickens) were killed. Trees in the area were also heavily damaged. Winds were estimated at up to 110 mph, making it an EF2.

2. Oct 18, 2007Tornado$240,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Long Rapids tornado touched down initially near Hodgins Road, and tracked northeast for 4 miles, ending just north of Long Rapids Road on McNeil Road. The most concentrated property damage was near Hodgins Road. Three homes suffered roof and siding damage, and three barns were destroyed or heavily damaged. A garage and a shed were also destroyed, and there was substantial tree damage. Winds were estimated at 120 mph, making it an EF2.

3. Mar 2, 2012Heavy Snow, Alpena$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   One of the highest-impact snowstorms in recent memory pounded Northern Michigan on the night of the 2nd. Low pressure tracked from Missouri, to southern Lower Michigan, and on to eastern Canada, while rapidly strengthening. Precipitation surged northward into the region on the evening of the 2nd. This was primarily snow, except in parts of east central Lower Michigan (especially near Lake Huron), where temperatures were mild enough for rain. Snow wound down on the morning of the 3rd, and though somewhat blustery winds occurred behind the system on the 3rd, blowing snow was limited because the snowfall was so wet.|Snow totals ranged from 6 to 14 inches across most of Northern…

4. Jul 18, 2005Thunderstorm Wind$35,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Several large trees uprooted near the south end of Long Lake. A shed was crushed by a falling tree, and some homes were damaged by trees and other debris. In Alpena, part of a large tent erected for a local festival was brought down.

5. Jul 18, 2005Thunderstorm Wind$30,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Large trees, limbs, and power lines were downed. A garage, a shed, and a flatbed truck were all destroyed by falling trees.

6. Dec 16, 2021High Wind, Alpena$25,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   An impressive sub-980mb cyclone tracked across western Lake Superior into Ontario during the morning of 12/16, bringing widespread wind gusts of 60-70mph across all of northern Michigan. The highest gust recorded was 70mph at Traverse City Cherry Capitol airport. Widespread downed trees, limbs and powerlines were seen across the County Warning Area, leaving many with power outages that extended for several days. Some schools and businesses across the area were forced to close for the day due to power outages. The Mackinac Bridge was forced to partially close to high profile vehicles for around 12 hours due to winds reported of 82 mph from the mid-span of the bridge.

7. Oct 26, 2010High Wind, Alpena$20,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   An historically deep low pressure system lifted across Minnesota on the 26th, and passed just north of Lake Superior on the 27th. This storm produced widespread strong to damaging winds across Northern Michigan. Damaging winds kicked in at a few spots by mid-afternoon on the 26th, but the 27th saw the highest winds, with widespread tree and roofing damage, along with power outages. Some vehicles and structures were damaged by falling trees. Power was out for several days at some locations. Peak wind speeds included: 72 mph in Naubinway; 63 mph at Whitefish Point, Manistee Harbor, and Gaylord; 59 mph in Pellston; and 58 mph in Alpena. At one point, the Alpena Airport suspended…

8. Mar 7, 2017High Wind, Alpena$20,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A spotter in Ossineke had a measured gust of 60 mph. Tree damage and multiple power outages were reported.

9. Jul 8, 2016Thunderstorm Wind$20,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Farm buildings were damaged by strong thunderstorm winds.

10. Jul 10, 2007Thunderstorm Wind$18,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    A large tree was blown over at the Alpena Regional Airport. A large tree was downed onto a house on the southwest side of Alpena, along US-23.

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

106°FJul 13, 1936

All-time low

−37°FFeb 17, 1979

Warmest night

79°FJun 23, 2025

Coldest day

−5°FFeb 9, 1933

Wettest day

5.14 inSep 3, 1937

Snowiest day

18.2 inFeb 22, 1922

Hottest year

2024mean 48.4°F

Coldest year

1917mean 39.6°F

Wettest year

201740.15 in

Driest year

192517.05 in

Snowiest season

166.3 in1970-71

Station Alpena County Regional Airport (USW00094849), 683 ft elevation, 3.3 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1916 to October 26, 2026; 99.9% 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.

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.

Neighbouring counties

• 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 USW00094849.
• 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.