Monroe County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Monroe County: 17.
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.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Jun 6, 2010Tornado$50.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A tornado touched down at 211 am at County Line Road and Rankin Road in Monroe county. This tornado then tracked east southeast, moving through Dundee at 217 AM. Maximum sustained winds of 130 to 135 mph where estimated just west of Dundee, which is classified at a high end EF2. The width of the tornado at that time was 800 yards. As it passed through Dundee. The tornado was still classified a low end EF2 with maximum winds of 115 mph. The tornado then tracked another 7 miles along highway 50 before lifting at 227 am at the Dixon Road intersection, causing generally EF0 damage to the east of Dundee. The total path of this tornado reached 13 miles.

2. Mar 8, 2017High Wind, Monroe$15.0 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. Jun 6, 2010Tornado$10.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A tornado touched down at 233 am just southwest of Woodland Beach. The tornado tracked 5 miles to the northeast, reaching Estral Beach at 239 am before moving into Lake Erie. The path width was 500 yards with estimated maximum winds of 90 mph, which is classified at an EF1. This tornado impacted the Fermi nuclear power facility, peeling off a section of the roof and some siding on storage buildings. Over 125 homes and 23 vehicles were damaged, with many trees downed.

4. Apr 15, 2018Lakeshore Flood, Monroe$5.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Homes had to be evacuated in Luna Pier. Lake shore flooding was reported in Bangor Township, with water reportedly reaching houses. Several streets reported flooding along the Monroe Shoreline, specifically in La Salle Township. Significant flooding reported over Grand Beach and North Shores, as evacuations also took place, with water impacting homes.

5. Nov 1, 2019Flood$4.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Widespread lakeshore flooding from record high water levels of the Great Lakes and periodic strong onshore flow occurred from late April 2019 to November 2019. Extensive erosion and property damage occurred, with monetary values in the millions. The widespread flooding ended at the end of November when the Great Lakes reached winter seasonal minimum water levels.

6. Feb 20, 2011Ice Storm, Monroe$3.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A big winter storm impacted southeast Michigan, with 5 to 10 inches of snow falling across the majority of the area. Snow turned to ice near the Ohio border, where a major ice storm occured. Downed trees and powerlines occured over Lenawee and Monroe counties due to ice accumulations half an inch to one inch. Power outages lasted 4 to 5 days.

7. May 4, 2018High Wind, Monroe$3.0 million
   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…

8. Mar 10, 2009Flood$3.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Heavy rain fell between the 7th and 11th bringing 3 or more inches of rainfall to a good portion of southeast lower Michigan with the River Raisin basin getting hit the worst with 4 to 5 inches in that period. This caused flooding along several rivers with moderate flooding on the Huron at Hamburg and the reach from Blissfield down to Monroe getting moderate to major flooding. Dundee recorded its 3rd highest crest ever. Many roads and homes along the Raisin where flooded.

9. Nov 17, 2013High Wind, Monroe$2.0 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…

10. Feb 22, 2023Ice Storm, Monroe$2.0 million
    National Weather Service narrative

    A major winter storm impacted Southeast Michigan during the daytime and evening hours of February 22, 2023. Warm/moist air originating in the Gulf of Mexico surged north toward a surface warm front, increasing coverage and intensity of precipitation over lower Michigan by mid-morning. This warmer air aloft interacted with a resident cold airmass near the surface, creating conditions favorable for snow to the north and a wintry mix for much of the metro Detroit region. The higher snow accumulations occurred across areas well north of I-69, with Midland, Bay, Tuscola, and Huron counties reporting 5 to 9 inches. Communities along and south of I-69 saw a wintry mix of snow, sleet, and…

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°FJun 25, 1988

All-time low

−21°FJan 21, 1984

Warmest night

80°FAug 1, 2006

Coldest day

−4°FJan 19, 1994

Wettest day

4.57 inAug 11, 2014

Snowiest day

18.4 inDec 1, 1974

Hottest year

2024mean 54.0°F

Coldest year

1963mean 46.9°F

Wettest year

201147.70 in

Driest year

196321.01 in

Snowiest season

94.9 in2013-14

Station Detroit Metro Airport (USW00094847), 630 ft elevation, 24.1 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1958 to October 26, 2026; 100.0% 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 USW00094847.
• 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.