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Decatur, MI Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes

 
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The chance of earthquake damage in Decatur is about the same as Michigan average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Decatur is higher than Michigan average and is higher than the national average.

Topics:Earthquake IndexVolcano IndexTornado IndexOther Weather Extremes EventsVolcanos NearbyHistorical Earthquake EventsHistorical Tornado Events

Earthquake Index, #288

Decatur, 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

Decatur, 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, #310

Decatur, MI
186.14
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 2,484 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Decatur, MI were recorded from 1950 to 2010. The following is a break down of these events:

TypeCountTypeCountTypeCountTypeCountTypeCount
Avalanche:0Blizzard:16Cold:4Dense Fog:3Drought:1
Dust Storm:0Flood:91Hail:505Heat:5Heavy Snow:156
High Surf:0Hurricane:0Ice Storm:20Landslide:0Strong Wind:38
Thunderstorm Winds:1,466Tropical Storm:0Wildfire:0Winter Storm:110Winter Weather:8
Other:61 

Volcanos Nearby

No volcano is found in or near Decatur, MI.

Historical Earthquake Events

No historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Decatur, MI.

No historical earthquake events found in or near Decatur, MI.

Historical Tornado Events

A total of 80 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Decatur, MI.

Distance (miles)DateMagnitudeStart Lat/LogEnd Lat/LogLengthWidthFatalitiesInjuriesProperty DamageCrop DamageAffected County
4.31976-03-04242°05'N / 86°13'W42°15'N / 85°47'W24.80 Miles100 Yards00250K0Van Buren
9.01992-07-13242°02'N / 86°10'W42°04'N / 86°06'W4.00 Miles80 Yards025250K0Cass
10.31986-09-29242°12'N / 85°51'W42°12'N / 85°47'W3.80 Miles400 Yards01250K0Van Buren
10.61980-05-13342°13'N / 86°13'W42°18'N / 85°49'W21.00 Miles300 Yards0152.5M0Van Buren
10.81979-06-07242°05'N / 86°11'W2.00 Miles60 Yards0125K0Van Buren
11.72010-06-05241°57'N / 86°05'W41°57'N / 86°02'W3.00 Miles200 Yards00100K0KCass
 Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: After leaving behind a swath of microburst winds, the storm intensified with a tornado touching down about a half mile southwest of Southwestern Michigan College, near Dowagiac. The circulation initially impacted the Pokagan subdivision with numerous homes suffering varying degrees of damage (DI: FR12 DOD: 4). The circulation continued east-southeast through mainly open and wooded areas, severely damaging numerous trees. The most extensive tree damage occurred near Michigan 62, west of Twin Lake Road where a 600 yard wide area of trees suffered extensive damage. The circulation was likely embedded within a much larger area of rear flank downdraft winds. The circulation then turned more southeast and hit a cemetery on Michigan 62, south of Cass Street. The circulation quickly dissipated after this point. Maximum winds are estimated at around 115 mph. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A warm front worked north towards lower Michigan during the evening hours of the 5th. Storms were initially slow to organize, but quickly intensified and became super cellular as they moved off Lake Michigan. A combination of tornadoes and micro bursts were found in surveys across Berrien, Cass and St. Joseph counties.
11.71956-05-09242°12'N / 86°10'W1.00 Mile33 Yards0025K0Van Buren
13.21986-06-19241°55'N / 86°00'W1.30 Miles700 Yards002.5M0Cass
15.41956-04-03342°16'N / 86°08'W42°23'N / 85°57'W12.00 Miles200 Yards092.5M0Van Buren
17.11974-06-20242°03'N / 86°18'W0.80 Mile100 Yards0025K0Berrien
18.61954-05-31242°18'N / 86°12'W42°24'N / 86°04'W9.30 Miles33 Yards00250K0Van Buren
19.31989-05-30242°23'N / 86°02'W1.00 Mile50 Yards0025K0Van Buren
20.81956-04-03342°23'N / 85°57'W42°26'N / 85°56'W2.30 Miles200 Yards002.5M0Van Buren
21.21998-08-25241°51'N / 86°14'W41°47'N / 85°59'W9.00 Miles800 Yards00500K0Cass
 Brief Description: ONE MOBILE HOME WAS COMPLETELY DEMOLISHED ON SOUTH SIDE OF JUNO LAKE AND SEVERAL OTHER HOMES AROUND JUNO, PAINTER, EAGLE AND CHRISTAN LAKE SUFFERED MINOR TO MODERATE STRUCTURAL DAMAGE. AN RV WAS TOSSED ABOUT AND ROTATED 180 DEGREES WHICH CAUSED MAJOR DAMAGE. NUMEROUS TREES WERE COMPLETELY FLATTENED WHICH ALSO CAUSED DAMAGE TO HOMES. MANY ROADS WERE BLOCKED BY FALLEN TREES...SNAPPED POWER POLES AND DOWNED POWER LINES. THIS TORNADO BEGAN IN NILES AND PEAKED IN INTENSITY AND WIDTH 3 MILES NORTHWEST OF EDWARDSBURG WHERE IT WIDENED OUT TO ONE HALF MILE. IT CONTINUED ON TOWARD THE TOWN OF BRISTOL IN NORTHEAST ELKHART COUNTY BEFORE LIFTING.
22.11981-06-20241°57'N / 86°21'W1.50 Miles500 Yards00250K0Berrien
22.31976-03-04241°57'N / 86°34'W42°05'N / 86°13'W20.00 Miles100 Yards09250K0Berrien
22.71980-05-13342°18'N / 85°43'W42°17'N / 85°30'W10.60 Miles450 Yards57925.0M0Kalamazoo
23.51989-05-30242°24'N / 86°12'W42°25'N / 86°11'W1.00 Mile100 Yards00250K0Van Buren
24.11953-05-17241°47'N / 85°46'W41°51'N / 85°40'W6.40 Miles33 Yards003K0St. Joseph
24.11960-06-16241°50'N / 86°16'W003K0Berrien
24.82009-06-19242°28'N / 86°00'W42°28'N / 85°53'W6.00 Miles400 Yards000K0KAllegan
 Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: Damage to both trees and structures were found along the tornado path. A Circa 1940 pole barn was destroyed and numerous trees were snapped or uprooted just over a half a mile west of Chicora north of 108th Avenue. Further down the tornado's path, garage doors were blown out and carried 300 yards while two boats were blown out of the garage. The house suffered 80% shingle loss with one 2-foot diameter hole in the roof on the home's west side. This was approximately 0.35 miles north of Chicora. The most extensive damage occurred approximately one mile northeast of Chicora along 42nd Street. A roof was partially torn off of a house. A barn was blown about 20-feet off of its foundation. There were several telephone poles snapped with wires wrapped around a tree. A roof was ripped off a small unoccupied house with one wall collapsed. Debris was lofted up to one-half mile across a field. More shingle loss was found on the west side of a home located two-miles northeast of Chicora. Nearly 80% shingle loss was witnessed. Several utility poles were snapped with widespread tree damage through the area. More damage to a home was observed about a quarter-mile west of Schermerhorn Lake. The damage happened when numerous falling trees crushed it. One-quarter mile of 39th street was blocked by fallen trees. The trees were piled up to 15-feet deep on the road. As the tornado was weakening, a 30-foot metal tower was bent over half way up. This was located near the intersection of 37th Street and 109th Avenue. Minor roof damage was also noted to a home in this area. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Thunderstorms developed and moved across Lake Michigan during the evening hours on June 19th. Several hours of intense rainfall occurred starting around 7:00 PM EST. The ground was already saturated from early morning thunderstorms that produced very heavy rainfall. In addition to the heavy rain, severe thunderstorms and tornadoes accompanied the thunderstorms.
24.91958-06-24241°45'N / 86°07'W41°45'N / 85°58'W7.30 Miles33 Yards0025K0St. Joseph
25.11956-06-26241°49'N / 86°16'W0.10 Mile17 Yards000K0Berrien
25.41979-04-12241°51'N / 86°23'W41°54'N / 86°20'W3.30 Miles60 Yards06250K0Berrien
25.91962-04-30341°42'N / 86°04'W41°46'N / 85°49'W13.40 Miles33 Yards00250K0Elkhart
26.41956-04-03342°26'N / 85°56'W42°32'N / 85°50'W8.30 Miles200 Yards032.5M0Allegan
26.41972-06-14241°58'N / 86°29'W41°59'N / 86°26'W1.30 Miles70 Yards003K0Berrien
26.61989-05-30242°25'N / 86°11'W42°32'N / 86°05'W9.20 Miles100 Yards00250K0Allegan
26.82010-06-05241°58'N / 86°30'W41°59'N / 86°26'W3.00 Miles200 Yards00150K0KBerrien
 Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A survey of the area between Baroda and Stevensville indicated damage consistent with a tornado. The damage started on Marrs Road, just west of Stevensville-Baroda Road. and continued east-northeast. The damage started with a travel trailer being thrown and destroyed as well as some tree damage. The circulation tracked mainly over open fields until reaching an area of homes on Lincoln Ave where the entire roof was ripped off a home (DI: FR12, DOD: 6) and another home suffered slightly less roof damage. The circulation continued northeast, crossing Hollywood Road, north of Linco Road. Several one year old 24 inch diameter power poles were snapped (DI: ETL; DOD 4). In addition, a harrow and trailer were thrown from a barn roughly 150 to 200 yards into a field. The circulation appears to dissipate north of Linco Road, on Scottdale Road. The tornado was roughly 200 yards wide at its peak. Maximum winds are estimated at around 125 mph. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A warm front worked north towards lower Michigan during the evening hours of the 5th. Storms were initially slow to organize, but quickly intensified and became super cellular as they moved off Lake Michigan. A combination of tornadoes and micro bursts were found in surveys across Berrien, Cass and St. Joseph counties.
27.61967-04-21242°01'N / 86°30'W1.00 Mile27 Yards00250K0Berrien
28.21980-07-05241°43'N / 85°49'W00250K0Elkhart
28.51955-07-06241°55'N / 85°29'W003K0St. Joseph
29.72010-06-05241°49'N / 85°41'W41°46'N / 85°29'W11.00 Miles200 Yards00300K0KSt. Joseph
 Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A survey of damage across southern St. Joseph county was performed by NWS Personnel. The damage found indicates that a circulation touched down over an open field north of Miller Road and west of Blue School Road. The tornado initially struck two barns, destroying them and sending the debris several miles downwind. The tornado then picked up a trailer at a local Port-A-Jon business. It appears that a combination of the strong winds and the trailer striking one of the guy wires, resulted in a 350 foot cell tower being blown down into an adjacent tower, causing the failure of both (DI: FST DOD:2). The tornado then continued across mainly open fields, scouring a 200 yard wide area of corn, just to the east-southeast of the cell towers and several trees along its track. The final damage occurred at a residence where minor roof damage was done to a barn, as well as more focused tree damage and a center pivot irrigation system being flipped. The tornado reached a maximum of roughly 200 yards in width and was on the ground for over 10 miles. Maximum winds are estimated at around 125 mph. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A warm front worked north towards lower Michigan during the evening hours of the 5th. Storms were initially slow to organize, but quickly intensified and became super cellular as they moved off Lake Michigan. A combination of tornadoes and micro bursts were found in surveys across Berrien, Cass and St. Joseph counties.
30.32001-10-24241°39'N / 86°08'W41°42'N / 86°01'W4.50 Miles1320 Yards001.3M0St. Joseph
31.01965-04-11441°37'N / 86°04'W41°43'N / 85°40'W21.60 Miles333 Yards312520K0Elkhart
31.21977-04-02442°17'N / 85°33'W42°21'N / 85°19'W12.40 Miles183 Yards0102.5M0Kalamazoo
31.31954-05-31242°32'N / 85°46'W0.30 Mile110 Yards003K0Allegan
31.52009-06-19242°23'N / 85°30'W42°23'N / 85°28'W1.00 Mile200 Yards000K0KKalamazoo
 Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: Several trees and large branches were knocked down across North 28th Street near the tornado touchdown. The most extensive damage was located approximately two-miles northwest of Richland south of E C Avenue. The roof was torn off a ranch-style house and completely destroyed with pieces of truss carried one-half mile. Insulation was found over one-mile away from the tornado damaged home. The back deck of the home was destroyed with a large piece of the deck thrown approximately 100 yards. All trees were snapped or uprooted around the house with two uprooted trees carried 30-40 feet. Nearly 1.8 miles northwest of Richland, about 50% of trees were snapped or uprooted with numerous branches down along the tree line. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Thunderstorms developed and moved across Lake Michigan during the evening hours on June 19th. Several hours of intense rainfall occurred starting around 7:00 PM EST. The ground was already saturated from early morning thunderstorms that produced very heavy rainfall. In addition to the heavy rain, severe thunderstorms and tornadoes accompanied the thunderstorms.
31.91965-04-11342°22'N / 85°36'W42°22'N / 85°19'W14.20 Miles150 Yards017250K0Kalamazoo
32.32001-05-21242°22'N / 85°27'W42°22'N / 85°27'W1.00 Mile150 Yards00500K100KKalamazoo
 Brief Description: A F2 tornado produced maximum estimated wind speeds of 120 to 130 m.p.h. and caused extensive damage 4 miles west of Richland, in Kalamazoo county. The initial damage occurred approximately one third of a mile south of the intersection of C Avenue and 24th street, extending north for about a mile. Extensive tree damage occurred along the tornado's path, and there was structural damage to several homes. One home along the tornado's path was completely destroyed, while several others sustained significant roof and shingle damage. The home that was destroyed lost it's roof, which was carried roughly 75 yards north of the home, and it also lost most of it's interior and exterior walls. The tornado's path length was one mile long with a width of 150 yards.
32.81965-04-11441°43'N / 85°40'W41°45'N / 85°30'W8.50 Miles333 Yards5420K0Lagrange
33.51962-04-30341°40'N / 86°31'W41°42'N / 86°04'W23.10 Miles33 Yards049250K0St. Joseph
33.61980-06-28241°40'N / 86°15'W002.5M0St. Joseph
34.01967-04-21242°30'N / 86°08'W42°42'N / 85°53'W18.60 Miles50 Yards04250K0Allegan
34.21955-05-28242°07'N / 85°38'W42°25'N / 85°03'W36.20 Miles100 Yards00250K0Kalamazoo
34.51965-04-11341°35'N / 86°04'W41°38'N / 85°58'W5.60 Miles250 Yards00250K0Elkhart
34.71965-04-11441°31'N / 86°04'W41°42'N / 85°44'W21.20 Miles33 Yards312520K0Elkhart
35.52001-10-24341°37'N / 86°26'W41°45'N / 86°18'W15.00 Miles1320 Yards123.0M0St. Joseph
 Brief Description: This tornado touched down just southwest of Crumstown in St Joseph county Indiana and moved northeast into Berrien county Michigan (see Storm Data for Michigan, Extreme Southwest for more information on the end portion of this tornado). In St Joseph county Indiana the most significant damage was across Crumstown, where F3 damage with a path width up to 3/4 mile occurred. The tornado then moved to near the Michiana Regional Airport and across the Indiana Turnpike causing F0-F1 damage. Two men were injured northwest of South Bend. One man later died from his injuries. The tornado moved into Berrien county Michigan 6 miles NNW of South Bend.
35.91966-07-09241°56'N / 85°19'W0.50 Mile10 Yards0025K0St. Joseph
36.01965-04-11441°35'N / 86°12'W41°37'N / 86°04'W6.90 Miles333 Yards0270K0St. Joseph
36.01976-03-12241°38'N / 85°38'W41°44'N / 85°30'W9.30 Miles100 Yards09250K0Lagrange
36.31967-10-24241°35'N / 86°01'W003K0Elkhart
36.51965-04-11441°37'N / 85°42'W41°38'N / 85°40'W00250K0Elkhart
36.91983-07-21242°40'N / 86°12'W42°35'N / 86°07'W13.60 Miles200 Yards11250K0Allegan
37.21967-10-24242°38'N / 85°49'W0425K0Allegan
38.91954-06-12241°34'N / 86°11'W003K0St. Joseph
39.01965-11-26341°42'N / 86°30'W1.00 Mile70 Yards00250K0St. Joseph
39.31965-04-11441°38'N / 85°40'W41°44'N / 85°16'W21.60 Miles177 Yards5412.5M0Lagrange
39.71976-03-12241°46'N / 86°43'W41°52'N / 86°34'W10.10 Miles83 Yards0025K0Berrien
39.71976-03-12241°41'N / 85°30'W41°45'N / 85°19'W10.10 Miles127 Yards0825K0Lagrange
39.81956-04-03342°32'N / 85°50'W42°45'N / 85°32'W21.20 Miles200 Yards002.5M0Ottawa
41.01965-04-11341°29'N / 86°17'W41°35'N / 86°04'W12.90 Miles250 Yards32725.0M0St. Joseph
41.11986-07-15242°33'N / 85°31'W42°25'N / 85°11'W20.00 Miles440 Yards00250K0Barry
41.41966-06-09242°31'N / 85°23'W2.00 Miles33 Yards000K0Barry
41.41956-04-03241°38'N / 85°29'W003K0Lagrange
41.41988-10-16241°28'N / 86°00'W41°33'N / 85°56'W6.00 Miles40 Yards002.5M0Elkhart
42.11974-06-20242°44'N / 85°59'W42°42'N / 85°52'W5.70 Miles20 Yards00250K0Allegan
42.51956-04-03542°40'N / 86°13'W42°46'N / 85°59'W13.50 Miles400 Yards01025K0Allegan
42.61976-03-12241°45'N / 85°19'W41°47'N / 85°15'W3.30 Miles100 Yards0025K0St. Joseph
42.91961-03-04241°46'N / 86°45'W41°50'N / 86°39'W6.50 Miles440 Yards00250K0Berrien
43.71964-04-28241°27'N / 85°59'W41°30'N / 85°59'W3.40 Miles100 Yards02250K0Elkhart
44.01986-08-26242°35'N / 85°24'W0.60 Mile13 Yards0025K0Barry
44.31958-05-31241°40'N / 86°36'W1.00 Mile33 Yards0225K0La Porte
44.31976-03-12241°47'N / 85°15'W41°48'N / 85°12'W0025K0Branch
44.32007-10-18341°26'N / 86°00'W41°30'N / 85°53'W7.00 Miles880 Yards0011.0M0KElkhart
 Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: The tornado continued northeast out of Kosciusko County into the southeast side of Nappanee where the most extensive damage occurred. The width of the tornado decreased to one quarter mile and intensified just south of US-6 and County Road 7 as wind speeds increased to around 165 mph, in the upper range of the EF3 rating. The tornado went through an area populated by homes, restaurants, convenience stores and 3 RV plants, all of which sustained varying degrees of damage. Local officials reported that 459 buildings were damaged. Of these, 352 were homes with 52 of those being destroyed or uninhabitable. 81 businesses were damaged and 26 destroyed. A few minor injuries were also reported, mainly from people trapped in some of the houses and a few businesses. The tornado continued into the Blackstone subdivision where numerous homes were damaged or destroyed. The tornado continued to west of New Paris near the intersection of County Roads 46 and 17 where it lifted. Numerous vehicles of all varieties sustained severe damage. Damage is estimated around $11 million. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A combination of strong dynamics, wind shear, and rapid low level moisture return all combined to produce severe weather across much of Northern Indiana. One of several supercell thunderstorms produced a long tracked tornado which reached the high end of EF3.
46.01964-04-28241°26'N / 85°59'W41°27'N / 85°59'W1.10 Miles100 Yards000K0Kosciusko
46.21963-06-09242°46'N / 85°49'W2.00 Miles33 Yards0025K0Allegan
47.21974-04-03441°26'N / 85°38'W41°35'N / 85°26'W14.40 Miles33 Yards1240K0Noble
48.32007-10-18241°23'N / 86°02'W41°26'N / 86°00'W5.00 Miles880 Yards003.0M0KKosciusko
 Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: The tornado continued tracking northeast from Marshall county into extreme northwestern Kosciusko county. 116 structures were reported to have some sort of damage. 17 homes were destroyed, 6 suffered major damage and 17 minor damage. A horse was killed in a barn that was destroyed. Damage estimated around 3 million dollars. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A combination of strong dynamics, wind shear, and rapid low level moisture return all combined to produce severe weather across much of Northern Indiana. One of several supercell thunderstorms produced a long tracked tornado which reached the high end of EF3.
49.21967-10-24241°26'N / 85°40'W05250K0Kosciusko


* 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.


 
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