Grand Traverse County tornado history

5 tornadoes touched Grand Traverse County, Michigan between 1950 and 2025 — about 0.1 a year. The strongest was rated F4 (Apr 3, 1956). Tornadoes here killed 1 and injured 25 people.

5tornadoes since 1950

F4strongest rating

1killed · 25 injured

50.3 milongest path · 1956

(E)F0(E)F1(E)F2(E)F3(E)F4(E)F5· dots = start point only

By rating

(E)F00

(E)F10

(E)F22

(E)F31

(E)F41

(E)F50

unrated1

By month

JFMAMJJASOND

Peak month: September.

By decade

’50’60’70’80’90’00’10’20

Strongest tornadoes

Date	Rating	Path	Width	Injured	Killed
Apr 3, 1956	F4	50.3 mi	400 yd	25	1
Jun 26, 1969	F3	6.4 mi	600 yd	0	0
May 8, 1964	F2	16.6 mi	440 yd	0	0
Sep 13, 1961	F2	14.4 mi	10 yd	0	0
Sep 22, 2025	unrated	0.1 mi	10 yd	0	0

Most recent tornadoes

Date	Rating	Path	Width	Injured	Killed
Sep 22, 2025	unrated	0.1 mi	10 yd	0	0
Jun 26, 1969	F3	6.4 mi	600 yd	0	0
May 8, 1964	F2	16.6 mi	440 yd	0	0
Sep 13, 1961	F2	14.4 mi	10 yd	0	0
Apr 3, 1956	F4	50.3 mi	400 yd	25	1

Deadliest: Apr 3, 1956, F4, 1 killed.

Nearby counties

Kalkaska County, MI8 Wexford County, MI8 Antrim County, MI14 Benzie County, MI4 Missaukee County, MI8 Leelanau County, MI4 Crawford County, MI13 Manistee County, MI2

Questions

How many tornadoes has Grand Traverse County, Michigan had?

5 tornadoes touched Grand Traverse County, Michigan between 1950 and 2025 in the NOAA Storm Prediction Center database — about 0.1 per year.

What was the strongest tornado in Grand Traverse County?

The strongest rating recorded was F4 on Apr 3, 1956, with a 50.3-mile path and 1 deaths.

When is tornado season in Grand Traverse County?

Most of its tornadoes happened in September (2 of 5). Tornadoes can occur in any month, so keep alerts on year-round.

Right now: live tornado warnings map · alerts for your location. Dates link to that day’s full storm reports where available (2004 onward).