Ottawa County tornado history

24 tornadoes touched Ottawa County, Michigan between 1950 and 2025 — about 0.3 a year. The strongest was rated F5 (Apr 3, 1956). Tornadoes here killed 22 and injured 436 people.

24tornadoes since 1950

F5strongest rating

22killed · 436 injured

58.8 milongest path · 1956

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

By rating

(E)F010

(E)F16

(E)F25

(E)F30

(E)F41

(E)F51

unrated1

By month

JFMAMJJASOND

Peak month: June.

By decade

’50’60’70’80’90’00’10’20

Strongest tornadoes

Date	Rating	Path	Width	Injured	Killed
Apr 3, 1956	F5	58.8 mi	400 yd	292	17
Apr 11, 1965	F4	20.6 mi	300 yd	142	5
Mar 6, 1956	F2	8 mi	100 yd	0	0
Sep 4, 1965	F2	4.1 mi	10 yd	0	0
Sep 22, 1961	F2	2.7 mi	2,000 yd	1	0
Jul 12, 1966	F2	2 mi	33 yd	0	0
Jun 22, 1957	F2	0.1 mi	10 yd	0	0
Jun 15, 1976	F1	23.3 mi	67 yd	0	0
Mar 12, 1976	F1	12 mi	83 yd	1	0
Aug 20, 2016	EF1	4.1 mi	100 yd	0	0
Aug 9, 1979	F1	3 mi	220 yd	0	0
May 30, 1991	F1	0.4 mi	30 yd	0	0

Most recent tornadoes

Date	Rating	Path	Width
May 15, 2025	EF0	3.5 mi	50 yd
Oct 13, 2024	unrated	0.1 mi	50 yd
Jun 26, 2021	EF0	2.4 mi	25 yd
Aug 20, 2016	EF1	4.1 mi	100 yd
Jun 21, 2010	EF0	2.4 mi	200 yd
May 21, 2001	F0	0.1 mi	50 yd
Apr 11, 2001	F0	0.1 mi	20 yd
Jun 17, 1992	F0	0.1 mi	10 yd
May 30, 1991	F1	0.4 mi	30 yd
Jul 9, 1987	F0	7.5 mi	50 yd
Aug 9, 1979	F1	0.3 mi	100 yd
Aug 9, 1979	F1	3 mi	220 yd

Deadliest: Apr 3, 1956, F5, 17 killed.

Nearby counties

Muskegon County, MI8 Kent County, MI44 Oceana County, MI5 Newaygo County, MI14 Allegan County, MI36 Van Buren County, MI19 Barry County, MI21 Montcalm County, MI12

Questions

How many tornadoes has Ottawa County, Michigan had?

24 tornadoes touched Ottawa County, Michigan between 1950 and 2025 in the NOAA Storm Prediction Center database — about 0.3 per year.

What was the strongest tornado in Ottawa County?

The strongest rating recorded was F5 on Apr 3, 1956, with a 58.8-mile path and 17 deaths.

When is tornado season in Ottawa County?

Most of its tornadoes happened in June (6 of 24). 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).