Sterling Heights, MI Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
Hot Rankings
The chance of earthquake damage in Sterling Heights is about the same as Michigan average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Sterling Heights is higher than Michigan average and is higher than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #203
| Sterling Heights, MI | 0.02 |
| Michigan | 0.04 |
| U.S. | 1.81 |
The earthquake index value is calculated based on historical earthquake events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the earthquake level in a region. A higher earthquake index value means a higher chance of an earthquake.
Volcano Index, #1
| Sterling Heights, MI | 0.0000 |
| Michigan | 0.0000 |
| U.S. | 0.0023 |
The volcano index value is calculated based on the currently known volcanoes using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the possibility of a region being affected by a possible volcano eruption. A higher volcano index value means a higher chance of being affected.
Tornado Index, #366
| Sterling Heights, MI | 173.62 |
| Michigan | 140.33 |
| U.S. | 136.45 |
The tornado index value is calculated based on historical tornado events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the tornado level in a region. A higher tornado index value means a higher chance of tornado events.
Other Weather Extremes Events
A total of 3,141 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Sterling Heights, MI were recorded from 1950 to 2010. The following is a break down of these events:
| Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count |
| Avalanche: | 0 | Blizzard: | 2 | Cold: | 19 | Dense Fog: | 4 | Drought: | 2 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 159 | Hail: | 832 | Heat: | 11 | Heavy Snow: | 50 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 12 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 39 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 1,808 | Tropical Storm: | 0 | Wildfire: | 2 | Winter Storm: | 24 | Winter Weather: | 13 |
| Other: | 164 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Sterling Heights, MI.
Historical Earthquake Events
No historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Sterling Heights, MI.
No historical earthquake events found in or near Sterling Heights, MI.
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 69 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Sterling Heights, MI.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 5.7 | 1974-06-15 | 2 | 42°39'N / 82°58'W | 2.00 Miles | 20 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Macomb | |
| 9.2 | 1973-06-26 | 2 | 42°32'N / 83°12'W | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Oakland | |||
| 10.6 | 1990-09-14 | 3 | 42°29'N / 83°28'W | 42°29'N / 82°55'W | 24.00 Miles | 90 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Oakland |
| 11.4 | 1983-05-02 | 3 | 42°27'N / 82°57'W | 42°31'N / 82°45'W | 10.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Macomb |
| 13.0 | 1957-11-20 | 3 | 42°24'N / 83°06'W | 1.50 Miles | 100 Yards | 1 | 12 | 250K | 0 | Wayne | |
| 13.5 | 1964-05-08 | 4 | 42°40'N / 82°50'W | 42°40'N / 82°45'W | 3.30 Miles | 833 Yards | 11 | 224 | 2.5M | 0 | Macomb |
| 14.4 | 1997-07-02 | 2 | 42°24'N / 83°15'W | 42°23'N / 83°03'W | 5.00 Miles | 2500 Yards | 0 | 90 | 90.0M | 0 | Wayne |
| 14.7 | 1964-05-08 | 2 | 42°41'N / 83°17'W | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Oakland | |||
| 17.2 | 1976-03-20 | 3 | 42°42'N / 82°58'W | 42°53'N / 82°44'W | 17.10 Miles | 100 Yards | 1 | 3 | 250K | 0 | Macomb |
| 17.8 | 1976-03-20 | 4 | 42°31'N / 83°25'W | 42°33'N / 83°20'W | 3.80 Miles | 117 Yards | 1 | 55 | 25.0M | 0 | Oakland |
| 18.5 | 1986-09-10 | 2 | 42°35'N / 83°29'W | 42°38'N / 83°18'W | 7.70 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Oakland |
| 18.5 | 1957-07-04 | 4 | 42°31'N / 83°39'W | 42°31'N / 83°07'W | 26.90 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Oakland |
| 18.9 | 1983-05-19 | 2 | 42°50'N / 82°53'W | 1.80 Miles | 37 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Macomb | |
| 20.2 | 1983-05-02 | 3 | 42°31'N / 82°45'W | 42°37'N / 82°31'W | 13.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 3 | 25.0M | 0 | St. Clair |
| 22.4 | 1972-08-02 | 3 | 42°32'N / 83°29'W | 42°33'N / 83°27'W | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Oakland | ||
| 23.2 | 1987-06-21 | 2 | 42°29'N / 83°28'W | 0.30 Mile | 80 Yards | 1 | 6 | 2.5M | 0 | Oakland | |
| 24.3 | 1980-07-16 | 2 | 42°15'N / 83°13'W | 42°15'N / 83°10'W | 1.30 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Wayne |
| 24.6 | 2008-09-13 | 2 | 42°22'N / 83°27'W | 42°23'N / 83°24'W | 3.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0K | Wayne |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: At 918 PM Saturday September 13th a tornado occurred in parts of Plymouth and Livonia in Wayne County. The Tornado path length was 2.6 miles and began just west of Starkweather Street near the railroad tracks in Plymouth and tracked eastward across the intersection of Interstates 96 and 275 and ended in Livonia at the intersection of Newburgh and Richfield Roads near Ladywood High School. The maximum path width of the tornado was roughly 200 yards in Plymouth and was 100 yards or less in most other locations along its path. Most of the damage along the path was to trees and was rated mostly at the EF0 level (less than 86 MPH). However, a short stretch of significant roof damage occurred in Plymouth to two apartment buildings in Lake Pointe Village and Brougham Manor. This damage was rated at the EF2 level, or roughly winds to 120 mph. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A warm front combined with tropical moisture to spawn a tornado in Plymouth. | |||||||||||
| 24.8 | 1956-05-12 | 4 | 42°15'N / 83°13'W | 42°13'N / 83°05'W | 6.80 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 22 | 250K | 0 | Wayne |
| 24.9 | 1984-08-30 | 2 | 42°23'N / 83°21'W | 43°23'N / 83°15'W | 5.60 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 4 | 2.5M | 0 | Wayne |
| 26.7 | 1974-07-14 | 2 | 42°21'N / 83°27'W | 1.50 Miles | 27 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Wayne | |
| 28.9 | 1992-04-16 | 2 | 42°22'N / 83°31'W | 2.00 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 4 | 2.5M | 0 | Wayne | |
| 29.2 | 1991-07-07 | 2 | 42°38'N / 83°36'W | 2.50 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Oakland | |
| 29.3 | 1956-05-12 | 2 | 42°31'N / 83°37'W | 42°31'N / 83°35'W | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Oakland | ||
| 29.7 | 1953-06-08 | 3 | 42°36'N / 83°41'W | 42°41'N / 83°32'W | 9.10 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 4 | 2.5M | 0 | Oakland |
| 30.1 | 1956-05-12 | 2 | 42°32'N / 83°40'W | 42°31'N / 83°34'W | 4.50 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Oakland |
| 31.1 | 1966-06-14 | 2 | 42°14'N / 83°25'W | 0.30 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Wayne | |
| 32.6 | 1975-05-21 | 2 | 43°03'N / 82°57'W | 0.10 Mile | 20 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | St. Clair | |
| 33.6 | 1953-06-08 | 3 | 42°35'N / 83°42'W | 42°36'N / 83°41'W | 0 | 7 | 2.5M | 0 | Livingston | ||
| 33.8 | 1956-05-12 | 2 | 42°33'N / 83°46'W | 42°31'N / 83°37'W | 7.40 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 5 | 250K | 0 | Livingston |
| 33.9 | 1957-07-04 | 4 | 42°31'N / 83°44'W | 42°31'N / 83°39'W | 3.00 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 4 | 250K | 0 | Livingston |
| 34.6 | 1956-05-12 | 2 | 42°33'N / 83°45'W | 42°32'N / 83°40'W | 3.30 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 5 | 250K | 0 | Livingston |
| 36.7 | 1953-05-21 | 4 | 42°55'N / 82°36'W | 42°59'N / 82°25'W | 10.00 Miles | 1760 Yards | 2 | 68 | 2.5M | 0 | St. Clair |
| 37.1 | 2007-08-24 | 2 | 42°46'N / 83°45'W | 42°48'N / 83°40'W | 4.00 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 1 | 13.0M | 0K | Genesee |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: This is the same tornado that began in Livingston County's Cohoctah Township. The tornado crossed into Genesee County approximately 3 miles west southwest of Fenton at 1649EST. The City of Fenton sustained the greatest amount of damage where the tornado path widened to approximately one-quarter mile, including the snapping and uprooting of hundreds of trees, de-roofing of both residential and municipal structures, and the partial collapse of a large retail structure near the intersection of Owen Road and U.S. 23. Of the approximately 250 homes/buildings damaged in Fenton, two were destroyed and five sustained major damage. The tornado was rated as EF2 in Fenton with wind speeds estimated at approximately 130 MPH. The average path width in Genesee County was 350 yards. One person in Fenton received minor injuries after being struck by flying glass. The tornado exited Genesee County one mile east of Fenton at 1700EST and then continued in Oakland County for another 5.5 miles. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Four tornadoes moved through portions of Southeast Michigan on August 24th, leading to an estimated $25M in total damages. One long-track tornado cut a path of EF0 to EF2 damage across Livingston, Geneseee, and Oakland Counties. Fenton was the hardest hit area, prompting the Governor of Michigan to declare a state of emergency there. Tornadoes also touched down in eastern Shiawassee County (rated as EF0), northwestern Washtenaw County (rated as EF0), and southwestern Lapeer County (rated as EF1). Thousands of trees were lost to the tornadoes. Although hundreds of homes and buildings were damaged, many destroyed, remarkably only one person was injured (minor cuts from flying glass) and there were no direct fatalities. One man died (indirect) of a heart attack during the cleanup process in Fenton. In addition to the tornadoes, there were widespread reports of severe thunderstorm wind gusts producing downed trees, limbs, and power lines. The hardest hit areas with respect to severe thunderstorm winds included areas around Flint, Lapeer, St. Clair, Chelsea, Monroe, and many locations in Livingston, Oakland, Macomb, Wayne and Lenawee Counties. | |||||||||||
| 37.9 | 2001-05-21 | 2 | 42°38'N / 83°46'W | 42°46'N / 83°45'W | 9.60 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 3 | 3.0M | 0 | Livingston |
| Brief Description: A tornado developed near Hartland High School and Lake Walden, and moved north parallel to US-23, eventually crossing that busy highway between Clyde and Faussett Roads. There was a brief break in the damage path south of Center Road, but the tornado reformed again north of Center Road, this time back on the west side of US-23. The tornado continued north into Genesee County. Most of the damage to trees and structures was consistent with a weak tornado. However, near and north of the Majestic Golf Course, damage was considerably more intense, justifying an F2 rating. Seventy vehicles in the golf course parking lot were damaged (rolled, tossed, or struck by debris), with twelve of them totaled. Thirty five golf carts were destroyed, and a pontoon boat used to transport golfers was flipped. A large piece of a wooden footbridge was tossed through the enclosed back porch of the clubhouse. An amputee organization was having a golf outing that afternoon. Thankfully, the golf carts were equipped with G.P.S. units, and the course sent a message out on those units that a tornado was approaching. Only one person on the course suffered a minor injury (exact injury undisclosed). Three homes were destroyed near Clyde Road and US-23, as were a party store and a towing company that shared a building. A man at the party store suffered a minor hand injury, and two vehicles at the towing company were totaled. Several hundred trees were downed in this general area. Further north, several cars and semis were flipped when the tornado crossed US-23. One driver of a semi suffered a head injury when his truck overturned, though he was not seriously hurt. The TRW plant on Center Road lost a small part of its roof. Several cars in the parking of Tyrone Hills Golf Course had windows blown out. As the tornado moved across agricultural land, three cows were killed. A warm front moved slowly north into southeast Michigan, ushering in warmer and more humid air. Scattered thunderstorms developed south of the warm front around midday. They storms also moved north, at a faster pace than the warm front. A few of these storms produced tornadoes when they caught up to the warm front. | |||||||||||
| 37.9 | 1969-07-04 | 3 | 42°07'N / 83°32'W | 42°06'N / 83°17'W | 12.60 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 50 | 2.5M | 0 | Wayne |
| 39.4 | 1953-06-08 | 4 | 43°09'N / 83°11'W | 43°09'N / 82°59'W | 9.60 Miles | 833 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Lapeer |
| 39.5 | 1974-04-03 | 2 | 42°02'N / 83°15'W | 2.00 Miles | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Monroe | |
| 39.5 | 1974-02-28 | 2 | 42°06'N / 83°27'W | 0.10 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Wayne | |
| 39.9 | 1951-07-21 | 2 | 42°09'N / 83°33'W | 0.50 Mile | 217 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Washtenaw | |
| 39.9 | 1962-04-30 | 2 | 42°09'N / 83°33'W | 0.10 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Washtenaw | |
| 40.1 | 1996-06-22 | 2 | 43°08'N / 82°47'W | 43°08'N / 82°47'W | 0.20 Mile | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | St. Clair |
| 40.7 | 1956-05-12 | 4 | 43°00'N / 83°41'W | 42°58'N / 83°33'W | 6.60 Miles | 100 Yards | 3 | 116 | 2.5M | 0 | Genesee |
| 40.8 | 1975-05-25 | 2 | 42°10'N / 83°36'W | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Washtenaw | |||
| 40.8 | 1968-08-16 | 2 | 42°25'N / 83°48'W | 1.00 Mile | 20 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Livingston | |
| 41.0 | 1971-06-07 | 2 | 42°19'N / 83°45'W | 0.10 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Washtenaw | |
| 41.2 | 1973-06-26 | 2 | 42°03'N / 83°24'W | 0.70 Mile | 67 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Monroe | |
| 41.4 | 1953-06-08 | 4 | 43°09'N / 82°59'W | 43°08'N / 82°30'W | 24.20 Miles | 833 Yards | 0 | 23 | 250K | 0 | St. Clair |
| 41.7 | 1974-07-14 | 3 | 43°03'N / 83°33'W | 1.00 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Genesee | |
| 41.9 | 1969-07-04 | 3 | 42°07'N / 83°35'W | 42°07'N / 83°32'W | 1.30 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 4 | 2.5M | 0 | Washtenaw |
| 42.0 | 1986-09-29 | 2 | 42°52'N / 83°48'W | 42°55'N / 83°41'W | 5.60 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Genesee |
| 42.9 | 1974-09-17 | 2 | 43°01'N / 83°38'W | 0.80 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Genesee | |
| 42.9 | 1990-10-04 | 2 | 43°02'N / 83°40'W | 43°00'N / 83°36'W | 3.00 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 1 | 2.5M | 0 | Genesee |
| 43.3 | 1982-06-15 | 2 | 42°27'N / 83°53'W | 42°29'N / 83°51'W | 3.80 Miles | 80 Yards | 0 | 2 | 25K | 0 | Livingston |
| 44.2 | 2007-08-24 | 2 | 42°42'N / 84°00'W | 42°46'N / 83°45'W | 14.00 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 0 | 7.0M | 0K | Livingston |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: This tornado first touched down approximately 4 miles northeast of Fowlerville at 1630EST between Owosso and Fleming Roads approximately three-fourths of a mile north of Chase Lake Road in Cohoctah Township, Livingston County. Tornado damage was observed from the ground continuously for 14 miles in Livingston County through Cohoctah Township, Deerfield Township and northwest Tyrone Township where the tornado entered Genesee County and the City of Fenton. The tornado damaged 71 homes/buildings and leveled hundreds of trees in Livingston County. Eight homes were destroyed in Cohoctah and Deerfield Townships. The damage along the path was predominately consistent with EF1 scale damage (associated with approximately 100 MPH winds). However, there were 2 sections in Livingston County consistent with EF2 scale damage (and associated with approximately 130 mph winds). The first section of EF2 damage occurred along Schrepfer Road in Cohoctah Township, where a single family dwelling was destroyed. The second section of EF2 damage occurred near the intersection of Center and Mack Roads in Deerfield Township, where substantial structural and tree damage was observed. A third and final section of EF2 damage occurred in Genesee County through the City of Fenton. The average path width in Livingston County was 200 yards. The tornado exited Livingston County across Bennett Lake Road approximately a half mile west of U.S. 23 at 1649EST. It then continued for 4 miles across southeastern Genesee County and for another 5.5 miles in western Oakland County. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Four tornadoes moved through portions of Southeast Michigan on August 24th, leading to an estimated $25M in total damages. One long-track tornado cut a path of EF0 to EF2 damage across Livingston, Geneseee, and Oakland Counties. Fenton was the hardest hit area, prompting the Governor of Michigan to declare a state of emergency there. Tornadoes also touched down in eastern Shiawassee County (rated as EF0), northwestern Washtenaw County (rated as EF0), and southwestern Lapeer County (rated as EF1). Thousands of trees were lost to the tornadoes. Although hundreds of homes and buildings were damaged, many destroyed, remarkably only one person was injured (minor cuts from flying glass) and there were no direct fatalities. One man died (indirect) of a heart attack during the cleanup process in Fenton. In addition to the tornadoes, there were widespread reports of severe thunderstorm wind gusts producing downed trees, limbs, and power lines. The hardest hit areas with respect to severe thunderstorm winds included areas around Flint, Lapeer, St. Clair, Chelsea, Monroe, and many locations in Livingston, Oakland, Macomb, Wayne and Lenawee Counties. | |||||||||||
| 44.5 | 1984-09-02 | 3 | 43°12'N / 82°47'W | 43°10'N / 82°39'W | 6.80 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 1 | 2.5M | 0 | Sanilac |
| 44.6 | 1984-08-08 | 3 | 43°00'N / 83°42'W | 0.80 Mile | 67 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Genesee | |
| 45.0 | 1953-06-08 | 5 | 43°09'N / 83°28'W | 43°10'N / 83°25'W | 0 | 59 | 25.0M | 0 | Lapeer | ||
| 45.3 | 1984-09-02 | 3 | 43°10'N / 82°39'W | 43°07'N / 82°29'W | 8.80 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | St. Clair |
| 45.9 | 1984-08-08 | 2 | 43°00'N / 83°46'W | 42°59'N / 83°43'W | 3.00 Miles | 60 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Genesee |
| 45.9 | 1968-03-26 | 2 | 41°59'N / 83°27'W | 41°57'N / 83°18'W | 7.70 Miles | 20 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Monroe |
| 46.1 | 1953-06-08 | 5 | 43°06'N / 83°39'W | 43°09'N / 83°28'W | 9.30 Miles | 833 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Genesee |
| 46.8 | 1971-07-05 | 2 | 42°43'N / 83°56'W | 0.30 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Livingston | |
| 48.0 | 1954-04-07 | 2 | 42°57'N / 83°50'W | 0 | 2 | 25K | 0 | Genesee | |||
| 48.4 | 1963-04-17 | 3 | 41°55'N / 83°20'W | 0.50 Mile | 67 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Monroe | |
| 49.1 | 1990-06-02 | 2 | 42°19'N / 84°05'W | 42°23'N / 83°48'W | 15.00 Miles | 160 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Washtenaw |
| 49.2 | 1971-08-10 | 2 | 43°10'N / 83°35'W | 0.30 Mile | 300 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Genesee | |
| 49.3 | 1973-06-26 | 2 | 41°55'N / 83°23'W | 0.20 Mile | 60 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Monroe | |
| 49.9 | 1977-09-17 | 2 | 43°02'N / 83°48'W | 2.00 Miles | 60 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Genesee | |
* The information on this page is based on the global volcano database, the U.S. earthquake database of 1638-1985, and the U.S. Tornado and Weather Extremes database of 1950-2010.