2024 ranks third most active for tornado warnings in West Michigan

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — There is no doubt this severe season has been an active one in West Michigan, and warning issuance numbers from the Grand Rapids National Weather Service office prove it. A whopping 74 severe thunderstorm warnings and 20 tornado warnings have been issued to date.

Counties covered by the local office are Allegan, Barry, Calhoun, Clare, Clinton, Eaton, Gratiot, Ingham, Ionia, Isabella, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Kent, Lake, Mason, Mecosta, Montcalm, Muskegon, Newaygo, Oceana, Osceola, Ottawa, and Van Buren.

According to an Iowa State University data archive, this is the third most number of tornado warnings issued by NWS Grand Rapids since 1985. While the database numbers are unofficial, a meteorologist at NWS Grand Rapids confirmed the numbers from this year matched those recorded in the Iowa State University data archive. Both 2010 and 2001 recorded more tornado warnings by mid-August than occurred in 2024. Note: A warning is only counted once even if it is issued for several counties.

There is a human component to be considered, too. The decision on whether to issue a tornado warning or a severe thunderstorm warning is made by a meteorologist looking at data. Warning counts serve as a good indication of how active a season is but can not stand alone as the basis for proving which years were the most severe. Storm reports are a helpful way to supplement the data as it shows which warned storms were able to do damage.

So far, Michigan has received 13 confirmed tornadoes. Only three of these touched down under NWS Grand Rapids’ jurisdiction.

Warnings are a way to alert people to which storms are capable of causing damage, injury or death. They are not always a guarantee that damage is happening. Warning meteorologists use a myriad of information to decide whether to warn on a storm, and it can be exceptionally tricky.

The severe thunderstorm warning count for 2024 didn’t even break the top 10 for most active since 1986.

That being said, there were some notable storms this season like the straight-line wind event that brought down power for more than 100 thousand in West Michigan on June 25, or the straight-line winds in Portage that took down trees and power lines in June following the EF2 tornado in May. Severe weather can happen in any month in West Michigan. It’s likely the warning count will rise a bit more before the season is done.

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