Berrien County

Every recorded tornado

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

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.

River crests

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.

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.

Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles

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 county boundary (or inside the county).
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. Feb 20, 2018Flood$8.4 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Extensive flooding occurred across the county with over 300 structures suffering varying degrees of damage from the flood waters. Several roads were closed across the area with some suffering partial washouts as rivers rose to record or near record levels. Initial damage estimates are at least 8 million dollars.

2. May 9, 1996Flash Flood$5.4 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Additional rain through the early morning hours of 2 to 4 inches resulted in some 24 hour totals between 8 and 9 inches as of 7am.Numerous rural roads were washed out, city streets and basements were flooded. Sawyer Road in Sawyer was covered with 2 feet of water. I-94 between mile markers 7 and 8 was under nearly a foot of water, and US-12 in Bakertown was covered with water. Over 100 miles of roads in the county were damaged. A total of 269 homes and 31 businesses also reported damage.

3. Aug 10, 2021Flash Flood$1.3 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A survey of flood damage from emergency management officials reported in severe damage to a electrical substation that resulted in widespread power outages for several days. In addition a total of 108 structures suffered varying degrees of flood damage, mainly from water as high as four feet into basements. 5 homes suffered major damage and were uninhabitable due to extensive water damage or in one case a collapse of a basement wall. Five to locally as much as eight inches of rain fell in this area. Estimated damage to property was 1.343 million dollars.

4. Aug 25, 1998Tornado$1.1 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO TREES ACROSS THE CITY WHICH BLOCKED 15 SEPARATE STREETS AT ONE TIME. 60 HOMES DAMAGED SUSTAINED MINOR TO SEVERE STRUCTURAL DAMAGE. MANY VEHICLES WERE DAMAGED OR DESTROYED BY FALLEN TREES AND LIMBS. SEVERAL POWER POLES AND LINES TAKEN OUT. THE FRENCH PAPER COMPANY LOST ROOFS ON THREE DIFFERENT BUILDINGS AS DID THE D&D TIRE COMPANY WHICH HAD ITS WAREHOUSE ROOF RIPPED OFF. DEMOND GROCERY STORE LOST 20K DOLLARS WORTH OF PERISHABLE FOOD ITEMS DUE TO THE EXTENDED EXTENSIVE POWER OUTAGE THAT AFFECTED 41,500 PEOPLE AT ONE POINT. ONE MAN LOST 21 LARGE TREES IN HIS YARD ALONE. THE MICHIGAN STATE GOVERNOR DECLARED THE CITY OF NILES A DISASTER AREA. AN OFF DUTY MICHIGAN…

5. Jun 12, 2001Lightning$800,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Lightning struck the Briarwood apartments in Benton township. 35 residents evacuated. Roof ofbuilding and two apartments destroyed, with some damage to other apartments.

6. Oct 24, 2001Tornado$750,000
7. Sep 13, 2008Flood$750,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The rainfall from the remnants of Lowell and Ike continued to drop heavy rainfall into the early morning hours of the 15th. When the rain finally stopped, total rainfall amounts of over 12 inches was reported in the Buchanan and Niles area. Numerous roads remained closed with some culverts and bridges suffering damage. The Pucker Street Dam in Niles suffered a partial breech on an earthen part of the dam. Roughly a eight foot section was washed away, forcing the evacuation of residents downstream of the dam. No injuries were reported. No exact figures are available for the damage to the area from the flooding.

8. Sep 13, 2008Flash Flood$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Emergency management officials reported numerous roads in the southern part of the county being flooded, some with water as deep as one foot flowing over the road. This resulted in the closure of some roads, especially in the Niles area. Rainfall reports of up to 5 inches were noted across the area. Areal flooding continued into the 15th as additional rainfall occurred. Damage values are estimated.

9. Jul 2, 1997Thunderstorm Wind$300,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Numerous 2 to 3 foot diameter trees were uprooted and several large trees were downed, damaging several Berrien Springs area homes, from straight-line winds in a severe thunderstorm. Wind gusts during the thunderstorm were estimated at 70 mph. A maple tree fell on a home at 10594 Old U.S. 31 at approximately 7:20 AM EDT. Another large tree came down on a house on Harrison Street, damaging the front and a ramp for the handicapped on the south side of the residence. A home on Rose Hill Street was damaged as 2 large trees destroyed a front porch, damaged the roof, and crushed 3 cars parked in the driveway. Other homes were damaged in the Bridlewood subdivision just south of Berrien…

10. Jun 5, 2010Tornado$150,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    A survey of the area between Baroda and Stevensville indicated damage consistent with a tornado. The damage started on Marrs Road, just west of Stevensville-Baroda Road and continued east-northeast. The damage started with a travel trailer being thrown and destroyed as well as some tree damage. The circulation tracked mainly over open fields until reaching an area of homes on Lincoln Ave where the entire roof was ripped off a home (DI: FR12, DOD: 6) and another home suffered slightly less roof damage. The circulation continued northeast, crossing Hollywood Road, north of Linco Road. Several one year old 24 inch diameter power poles were snapped (DI: ETL; DOD 4). In addition, a…

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

109°FJul 24, 1934

All-time low

−22°F2 times, most recently Jan 20, 1943

Warmest night

84°FJul 23, 1914

Coldest day

−8°FFeb 9, 1899

Wettest day

7.69 inAug 15, 2016

Snowiest day

26.0 inJan 8, 2011

Hottest year

2024mean 53.9°F

Coldest year

1904mean 45.8°F

Wettest year

199055.61 in

Driest year

191722.17 in

Snowiest season

172.0 in1977-78

Station S Bend Airport (USW00014848), 772 ft elevation, 19.8 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1893 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 USW00014848.
• 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.