State disaster-history atlas

Michigan disaster history

Compare federal administrative declarations and NOAA county-coded observed-event reports across 83 Michigan county equivalents. The source-specific distributions and medians below use the full validated state corpora, with 1 detailed county profile available to explore.

Data updated Aug 21, 2026

Counts are historical context, not risk scores

FEMA and NOAA records answer different questions, so they are never summed or ranked as danger. These pages do not predict future events or describe current conditions. For current information, use the live dashboard and follow official local instructions.

State baselines by official source

Each median is calculated across every county equivalent using the same source, unit, and coverage period as its linked county profile. Category totals describe records, not severity or losses.

Administrative records

FEMA declaration distribution

OpenFEMA county-designation records show where federal disaster declarations included a county. A single declaration can designate many counties, and declaration decisions do not inventory every physical event.

County median: 9
County sample size: 83
Statewide county records: 830

Statewide category distribution
Category	Records	Share of this source
Winter storm	197	23.7%
Flood	193	23.3%
Biological	166	20%
Severe storm	105	12.7%
Hurricane	83	10%
Drought	44	5.3%
Tornado	19	2.3%
Other	14	1.7%
Dam or levee failure	7	0.8%
Chemical	1	0.1%
Wildfire	1	0.1%

Coverage: Jan 1, 1964 – Aug 21, 2026
Source updated: Aug 20, 2026
Retrieved by HazardNow: Aug 21, 2026
Completeness for stated rules: complete

Observed-event reports

NOAA observed-event distribution

NOAA Storm Events totals include distinct county-coded records in the comparable all-event era beginning in 1996. Forecast-zone and marine-zone records are excluded from county totals.

County median: 148
County sample size: 83
Statewide county records: 16,713

Statewide category distribution
Category	Records	Share of this source
High wind	9,945	59.5%
Hail	4,863	29.1%
Flood	863	5.2%
Tornado	540	3.2%
Lightning	327	2%
Severe storm	163	1%
Wildfire	6	0%
Marine	3	0%
Other	2	0%
Tsunami or seiche	1	0%

Coverage: Jan 1, 1996 – May 26, 2026
Source updated: Aug 19, 2026
Retrieved by HazardNow: Aug 21, 2026
Completeness for stated rules: complete

County profiles

Each profile includes monthly NOAA seasonality, representative records, same-source comparisons, preparedness implications, print and sharing tools, and complete source disclosures.

County FIPS 26081

Kent County

Unique FEMA declarations: 13
NOAA county-event records: 321

NOAA’s largest monthly record count for this profile is 71 in June. That reporting pattern is historical context, not a seasonal forecast.

Explore Kent County disaster history

How to read this state atlas

Compare like with like

Compare FEMA declarations only with FEMA declarations, and NOAA county-event records only with NOAA county-event records. Coverage periods must match.

Interpret the median carefully

A county above or below the state median has a different historical record count. That does not establish greater or lower future risk.

Expect reporting limitations

Administrative policy and observation practices change. NOAA finalized records also lag recent event months, and zone-coded events are excluded from county totals.

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