Michigan, 1956
The year's recorded storm events, federal disaster declarations and flood insurance claims.
NCEI notes that Storm Data is compiled from a variety of sources including the National Weather Service, other federal, state and local agencies, the media and the public; that property and crop damage figures are estimates; and that some events are recorded by NWS forecast zone rather than by county. FEMA notes that NFIP claim records are redacted and aggregated to protect the privacy of policyholders.
Events by hazard
Includes events recorded by forecast zone. The state's yearly total for 1956 was 70 against 33 in 1955.
Counties with the most recorded events
Notable events
| Date | County | Event type | Magnitude | Property damage | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Apr 1956 | Ottawa | Tornado | F5 | $250,000 | 14 | 200 |
| 3 Apr 1956 | Kent | Tornado | F5 | $25,000 | 4 | 130 |
| 12 May 1956 | Genesee | Tornado | F4 | $2,500,000 | 3 | 116 |
| 3 Apr 1956 | Benzie | Tornado | F4 | $250,000 | 2 | 24 |
| 12 May 1956 | Gratiot | Tornado | F2 | $250,000 | 1 | 4 |
| 12 May 1956 | Wayne | Tornado | F4 | $250,000 | — | 22 |
| 3 Apr 1956 | Allegan | Tornado | F5 | $25,000 | — | 10 |
| 3 Apr 1956 | Van Buren | Tornado | F3 | $2,500,000 | — | 9 |
| 12 May 1956 | Livingston | Tornado | F2 | $250,000 | — | 5 |
| 12 May 1956 | Livingston | Tornado | F2 | $250,000 | — | 5 |
| 12 May 1956 | Clinton | Tornado | F2 | $2,500,000 | — | 3 |
| 3 Apr 1956 | Allegan | Tornado | F3 | $2,500,000 | — | 3 |
| 26 Jun 1956 | Gratiot | Tornado | F2 | $250,000 | — | 2 |
| 12 May 1956 | Shiawassee | Tornado | F1 | $250,000 | — | 1 |
| 3 Apr 1956 | Van Buren | Tornado | F3 | $2,500,000 | — | — |
| 3 Apr 1956 | Barry | Tornado | F3 | $2,500,000 | — | — |
| 3 Apr 1956 | Ottawa | Tornado | F3 | $2,500,000 | — | — |
| 3 Apr 1956 | Manistee | Tornado | F4 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 3 Apr 1956 | Grand Traverse | Tornado | F4 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 12 May 1956 | Montcalm | Tornado | F2 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 12 May 1956 | Oakland | Tornado | F2 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 12 May 1956 | Oakland | Tornado | F2 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 3 Apr 1956 | Montcalm | Tornado | F5 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 9 May 1956 | Van Buren | Tornado | F2 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 12 May 1956 | Wayne | Tornado | F0 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 12 May 1956 | Saginaw | Tornado | F2 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 6 Mar 1956 | Ottawa | Tornado | F2 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 1 Jul 1956 | Alcona | Tornado | F1 | $2,500 | — | — |
| 1 Jul 1956 | Kent | Tornado | F1 | $2,500 | — | — |
| 4 Aug 1956 | Wayne | Tornado | F1 | $2,500 | — | — |
| 14 Apr 1956 | Lenawee | Tornado | F1 | $2,500 | — | — |
| 26 Jun 1956 | Berrien | Tornado | F2 | $250 | — | — |
| 13 May 1956 | Muskegon | Tornado | — | — | — | — |
| 13 May 1956 | Muskegon | Tornado | — | — | — | — |
Up to 40 events with deaths, injuries, damage of $50,000 or more, or a tornado rating, ranked by deaths, injuries and damage.
Federal disaster declarations in 1956
| Declared | Number | Type | Incident | Title | Counties |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Apr 1956 | DR-53 | Major disaster | Tornado | Tornado | 0 |
Flood insurance claims with a 1956 date of loss
No NFIP claims in Michigan carry a 1956 date of loss. The NFIP claims file begins with 1978 losses.
Sources: NOAA NCEI Storm Events through 30 Jun 2026; OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2 (1 Oct 2026); OpenFEMA NfipClaims v3 (8 Sep 2026). Built 1 Oct 2026.