Gogebic County

Every recorded tornado

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

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.

Tsunamis

1. Places where NOAA's Global Historical Tsunami Database records a tsunami's water arriving, with the greatest height it reached above sea level at the time. Only tsunamis NOAA rates probable or definite are counted. Heights from eyewitness accounts and tide gauges are mixed, and older events are less completely recorded.

NOAA NCEI/WDS Global Historical Tsunami Database, retrieved October 30, 2026.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Apr 12, 2023Flood$20.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Gogebic County Road Commission reported numerous secondary roads and a few county roads impassable from the 13th into the 17th. Highway M-28 east of Sunday Lake in Wakefield was closed from the 16th into the 21st due to high water. Estimated countywide damages to highway infrastructure were in the millions of dollars. Governor Whitmer declared a state of emergency in Gogebic County on April 14th due to severe and widespread flooding.

2. Apr 14, 2002Flood, Gogebic$18.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The record setting snowfall in February and March set the stage for flooding in April. During February and March of 2002, north-central and western parts of Upper Michigan received over 100 inches of snowfall. The snow pack held over 11 inches of water. The snow quickly melted during a 6 day period, 11-17 April 2002, releasing all that water into the creeks, streams. rivers and lakes. To exacerbate the situation, over 2 inches of rainfall occurred 10-12 April over much of Upper Michigan, and record high temperatures in the 70s and 80 were recorded on the 15th and 16th. During those two days, a dramatic snow melt occurred with nearly 2 feet of snow melting away. To complicate…

3. Jul 11, 2016Flash Flood$5.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Radar estimated rainfall amounts of 3 to 6 inches caused major flash flooding over portions of far western Gogebic County and left many sections of road washed out and impassible. Many people became stranded from near Ironwood to Little Girls Point. The Gogebic County Sheriff reported the Montreal River flooded on Lake Road at the Michigan-Wisconsin border with a washout of the guardrail at the Flint Creek ravine. A Gogebic County patrol car was swept up in the Montreal River flood waters and the deputy driving the car needed to be rescued.The Gogebic County Road Commission closed Lake Road from near Saxon Harbor, WI to Lower Powers Road.

4. Jul 11, 2016Thunderstorm Wind$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The NWS storm survey concluded that damage in and immediately surrounding Wakefield was caused by straight-line thunderstorm winds up to 90 mph. Wind damage included an overturned camper trailer, a roof ripped off an old skating rink, a few damaged or destroyed outbuildings, hundreds of large uprooted or snapped trees (some 30 to 40 inches in diameter), downed power lines, and several trees downed on houses or vehicles. The survey team could not access all areas around Wakefield due to the number of downed trees. The time of the report was based on radar, observations and interviews of individuals in the area.

5. Apr 28, 2013Flood$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Rapid melting of significant late season snow pack caused moderate flooding of roads in the Ironwood, Bessemer, Wakefield and Marenisco areas from the 28th into the 30th. Minor flooding continued into early May. Some flooding of basements was also reported. A portion of Highway M-28 was closed in Wakefield due to flooding from Sunday Lake. Governor Rick Snyder declared a state of disaster in Gogebic County where nearly one million dollars of property damage occurred due to the flooding mainly to roadway infrastructure.

6. Jul 28, 2006Hail$750,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Hail up to 4 inches in diameter resulted in significant damage to roofs, siding, and automobiles.

7. Jun 15, 2018Flood$344,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Gogebic County Sheriff reported vehicles stranded on streets in Ironwood with multiple closures of roads due to flood waters, including Highway US-2 between Lowell Street and Douglas Boulevard. Multiple basements were also flooded in the Ironwood area with estimated rainfall reports between four and five inches. Governor Rick Snyder declared a state of disaster in Gogebic County as damage estimates from the flooding were estimated at nearly $344,000.

8. Jul 11, 2016Tornado$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The NWS storm survey confirmed a low end EF1 tornado about three miles south of Bessemer. Winds from the tornado were estimated around 90 mph. The tornado touched down near the intersection of S. Barber Road and Spruce Road and ended 2.4 miles to the east-northeast, just northeast of the intersection of W. Harding Road and Koski Road. Damage included multiple trees down on a garage on Spruce Street and half a barn destroyed in Bessemer Township on Elder Street. |||The damage path was 200 yards wide or less and occurred just before midnight CDT.

9. Jul 26, 2021Thunderstorm Wind$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Extensive straight-line wind damage was found in and around the town of Marenisco with estimated wind speeds up to 90 mph. Some structural damage was found, but most of the damage was uprooted or snapped trees. The main structural damage was significant roof damage to a newly-built garage at the corner of Hall and Mill Streets in Marenisco where over a quarter of the metal roof and decking was stripped back and torn from the roof trusses. A continuous swath of straight-line wind damage started approximately five miles west of town to six miles southeast of town and continued into the Ottawa National Forest. Campers were trapped at Bobcat Lake Campground due to fallen trees, but no…

10. Apr 26, 2017Ice Storm, Gogebic$100,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    There were several public reports of moderate to heavy ice accumulation from freezing rain over the higher terrain around Bessemer and Wakefield. The coating of ice caused treacherous road conditions and extensive tree damage over the higher elevations of the county, mainly north of Bessemer and Wakefield.

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

104°FJul 13, 1936

All-time low

−41°F2 times, most recently Jan 17, 1982

Warmest night

80°FJul 21, 1901

Coldest day

−22°FJan 19, 1994

Wettest day

6.72 inJul 21, 1909

Snowiest day

22.1 inDec 10, 2009

Hottest year

1931mean 46.4°F

Coldest year

1917mean 35.3°F

Wettest year

201353.37 in

Driest year

190717.75 in

Snowiest season

301.8 in1996-97

Station Ironwood (USC00204104), 1,430 ft elevation, 9.4 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1901 to October 27, 2026; 99.5% 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.

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 USC00204104.
• 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.
• Tsunamis NOAA NCEI/WDS Global Historical Tsunami Database.
• 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.