Michigan could be on track to set a new state record for the number of tornadoes in a year.
It’s been a very active storm season, with 29 tornadoes confirmed in Michigan so far this year – a significant increase from recent years. There were 17 tornadoes recorded in 2024, 14 tornadoes in 2023 and just four tornadoes in 2022.
The latest happened Wednesday night in southeast Michigan, with a tornado confirmed to have touched down in Frasier. In May, an EF1 tornado tore through 15 miles from the Charlotte area toward Lansing.
National Weather Service meteorologist Bob Dukesherer said this year’s surge has been driven by a handful of weather events that formed several tornadoes in the same day.
“This year we’ve just had a couple, you know, several events that spawned a lot of smaller tornadoes,” Dukesherer said.
While some recent news stories have suggested “Tornado Alley” might be moving closer to Michigan, Dukesherer said that isn’t the case.
"Tornado alley is still rock solid in the Plains,” Dukesherer said. “It's where the parameters come together to produce tornadoes.”
With nearly half the year left, 2025 is already proving to be a record setter, with the sixth most tornadoes reported in the state in a single year.
If 10 more are reported by the end of the year, the state will tie the record set in 1974 when Michigan had 39 tornado touchdowns.