Saginaw County

Every recorded tornado

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

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. Mar 8, 2017High Wind, Saginaw$23.0 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.

2. May 18, 2020Flood$9.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Saginaw River experienced moderate flooding due to the heavy rainfall across the Tri-cities, with the river cresting at 22.32 feet during the evening of May 22nd. In Saginaw County, there were numerous structures that suffered flood damage. A total of 148 buildings suffered major damage, with 13 homes or buildings destroyed, while another 287 buildings were affected or suffered minor damage from a combination of areal flooding and river flooding.

3. Jun 21, 1996Tornado$5.0 million
4. Dec 21, 2013Ice Storm, Saginaw$3.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A winter storm impacted a large swath of the country from the southern Plains through the Midwest and into the Northeast on the last weekend before Christmas. This storm occurred as a deep upper-level trough over the Desert Southwest lifted northeastward, while a surface low pressure system moved from Texas into the Ohio Valley. This low moved along a very sharp frontal boundary. This front at the surface actually briefly penetrated far southeastern Michigan Friday night. The temperature at Lambertville, on the Ohio border, rose into the mid-50s, while Monroe, just 15 miles away, stayed in the mid-30s. On Saturday, copious Gulf moisture was brought northward ahead of the…

5. May 4, 2018High Wind, Saginaw$2.0 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…

6. Nov 17, 2013High Wind, Saginaw$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…

7. Dec 28, 2008High Wind, Saginaw$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A rapidly deepening low pressure system tracked northeast from northern Lake Michigan, sending a strong cold front through southeast Michigan. Winds gusts of 50 to 65 mph behind the cold front lead to widespread tree branches and trees downed, along with extensive power outages, as more than 400,000 Michigan homes and businesses lost power. The majority of those customers who lost power were located in the Detroit Metro Area.

8. Apr 14, 2018Winter Storm, Saginaw$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A large and complex low pressure system impacted the Great Lakes region. Southeast Michigan saw heavy rain, snow, sleet and freezing rain that began on Friday (April 13) and lasted through Sunday (April 15). This system brought 2 main periods of precipitation, with a short break in between on Saturday. Total rainfall of 1 to 2 inches was common in many locations in Southeast Michigan, with 2-3 of snow and sleet north of I-69, and about 1/4 to 1/2 of ice from freezing rain between the I-94 and I-96 corridors. Widespread tree damage and power outages from an combination of the snow, sleet, and freezing rain occurred. In total, DTE and Consumers Energy reported power outages for…

9. Nov 12, 2003High Wind, Saginaw$1.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A strong low pressure system moved across the straits on the evening of the 12th, moving into Ontario overnight as it deepened to 974 mb. Strong cold advection and a tight pressure gradient over Lower Michigan produced wind gusts between 50 and 60 MPH across all of Southeast Michigan. In addition, there were even a few wind gusts reported between 60 and 88 mph. The highest wind gust was reported by a spotter in Dexter who recorded an 88 mph gust. An estimated 250,000 customers lost power in southeast Michigan, as widespread trees and power lines were blown down.

10. Apr 19, 2013Flood$1.3 million
    National Weather Service narrative

    The Saginaw River at Saginaw crested at 22.42 feet on April 21st at 1045Z.

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

111°FJul 13, 1936

All-time low

−23°FFeb 5, 1918

Warmest night

81°FJul 11, 1911

Coldest day

−4°FJan 18, 1994

Wettest day

6.93 inAug 10, 2012

Snowiest day

21.3 inMar 17, 1973

Hottest year

2024mean 51.9°F

Coldest year

1917mean 43.1°F

Wettest year

192843.36 in

Driest year

193417.56 in

Snowiest season

87.2 in1966-67

Station Saginaw Mbs International Airport (USW00014845), 662 ft elevation, 9.9 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1898 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 USW00014845.
• 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.