Branch County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Branch County: 22.
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.

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.

Costliest events since 1996

1. Apr 12, 1996Hail$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Golf ball size hail fell across the southern townships from 5 miles south of Bronson to Quincy. Tree limbs, power lines, and power poles were brought down. Aluminun and vinyl siding on houses was damaged. Siding was torn off in places.

2. Aug 27, 2024Thunderstorm Wind$150,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Damage to a mobile home park. Healthy trees around 1 foot in diameter downed. Some trees fell onto cares and home causing structural damage.

3. Aug 27, 2024Thunderstorm Wind$150,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Widespread tree damage to a mobile home park southwest of Coldwater.

4. Apr 2, 2025Tornado$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Damage survey from the National Weather Service along with Steuben County EMA found damage consistent with a tornado that touched down on the south side of Orland, IN. The tornado destroyed an old, small barn on the south side, before uprooting and snapping several trees and a communications pole in east Orland. The tornado damaged the roof of an apartment building, including ripping up the wood sheathing on the south end of the building. Non-conclusive, likely rear flank downdraft winds severely damaged a large barn at N 900 W and W State Rd 120 and a set of trees just off to the east. Across the street, a dozen or so trees were uprooted or snapped in a cemetery. Tree damage was…

5. May 29, 2011Tornado$50,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A survey of damage was conducted in the Coldwater area. The damage found was consistent with a brief tornado touchdown within an area of wind damage around the touchdown location. The circulation touched down near U.S. 12 and Interstate 69, at 364 South Michigan Avenue. Major roof damage to a storage facility occurred, along with substantial tree damage. The garage door on the east side of a house was blown in just south of Woodward Drive. The tornado passed across Interstate 69 depositing debris on portions of the Interstate, causing brief lane closures. The damage was consistent with an EF1 with winds of around 90 mph.

6. Apr 2, 2025Tornado$50,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Within the same parent cell as the Orland tornado, a NWS survey found a secondary tornado occurred in Branch County Michigan. Tree damage was first noted between W Southern Rd and Booth Rd. The tornado traveled northeast and then northerly, causing damage to multiple Amish buildings, many of which had already been repaired and debris cleaned up. Minor roof damage was noted to a barn on Cranson Rd. The tornado caused the most significant damage on W Pearl Rd west of Bethel where numerous large healthy trees were snapped or uprooted. Damage was also noted to a home, but repairs were completed prior to the survey. Maximum wind speeds were estimated at up to 100 mph based on the tree…

7. Aug 6, 2021Thunderstorm Wind$35,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A tree and large branches down with extensive damage to a fifth wheel trailer.

8. Aug 29, 2022Thunderstorm Wind$30,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Large branches up to a foot in diameter were downed. Boat lifts were twisted and a boat dock was flipped over.

9. Aug 25, 1998Thunderstorm Wind$25,000
10. Aug 16, 1997Thunderstorm Wind$25,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Thunderstorm winds stripped the tops off 3-4 mature maple trees and 5 cottages along East Long Lake received minor damage.

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

108°FJul 24, 1934

All-time low

−29°FJan 31, 2019

Warmest night

85°FJun 30, 1927

Coldest day

−4°F2 times, most recently Jan 30, 2019

Wettest day

5.37 inJun 26, 1978

Snowiest day

17.0 inJan 26, 1978

Hottest year

1931mean 52.6°F

Coldest year

2014mean 45.4°F

Wettest year

201847.12 in

Driest year

193017.94 in

Snowiest season

84.8 in1977-78

Station Coldwater St. School (USC00201675), 984 ft elevation, 3.0 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1897 to October 27, 2026; 96.9% 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 USC00201675.
• 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.