1953 Beecher Tornado - Tornado Climatology

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Southeast Michigan Tornado Climatology

Introduction | Tornadoes by F-Scale | Tornadoes by Month | Tornadoes by Hour | Tornado Intensity

Introduction

Since 1950, 331 tornadoes have struck Southeast Lower Michigan, killing 166 people. Tornado intensity is determined by the F-scale. Here are some Southeast Michigan tornado statistics arranged by F-scale.

Weak F0/F1
	Frequency	64% of all tornadoes
	Deaths	0.6% of all tornado deaths
	Duration	1 to 10 minutes
	Path length	up to 3 miles
	Wind speed	60 to 115 mph
Strong F2/F3
	Frequency	31% of all tornadoes
	Deaths	3.6% of all tornado deaths
	Duration	20 minutes or longer
	Path length	15 miles or more
	Wind speed	115 to 205 mph
Violent F4/F5
	Frequency	5% of all tornadoes
	Deaths	95.8% of all tornado deaths
	Duration	Last an hour or longer
	Path length	50 miles or more
	Wind speed	greater than 200 mph

Only one of these tornadoes has ever reached F5 intensity -- the Flint-Beecher tornado June 8, 1953.