Benzie County Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
The chance of earthquake damage in Benzie County is about the same as Michigan average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Benzie County is much lower than Michigan average and is much lower than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #73
| Benzie County | 0.00 |
| 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
| Benzie County | 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, #64
| Benzie County | 31.12 |
| 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 3,829 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Benzie County were recorded from 1950 to 2010. The following is a break down of these events:
| Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count |
| Avalanche: | 0 | Blizzard: | 25 | Cold: | 46 | Dense Fog: | 84 | Drought: | 45 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 151 | Hail: | 978 | Heat: | 28 | Heavy Snow: | 289 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 31 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 102 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 1,596 | Tropical Storm: | 0 | Wildfire: | 2 | Winter Storm: | 216 | Winter Weather: | 46 |
| Other: | 190 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Benzie County.
Historical Earthquake Events
No historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Benzie County.
No historical earthquake events found in or near Benzie County.
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 7 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Benzie County.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 21.9 | 1956-04-03 | 4 | 44°22'N / 86°14'W | 44°31'N / 86°05'W | 12.50 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Manistee |
| 27.2 | 1956-04-03 | 4 | 44°31'N / 86°05'W | 44°43'N / 85°48'W | 19.40 Miles | 400 Yards | 2 | 24 | 250K | 0 | Benzie |
| 40.7 | 1956-04-03 | 4 | 44°43'N / 85°48'W | 44°53'N / 85°35'W | 15.40 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Grand Traverse |
| 41.1 | 1956-07-01 | 2 | 44°44'N / 87°23'W | 44°51'N / 87°14'W | 10.60 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Door |
| 43.0 | 1970-04-22 | 2 | 44°40'N / 87°23'W | 44°44'N / 87°21'W | 4.30 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Door |
| 44.1 | 1969-06-26 | 3 | 44°45'N / 85°40'W | 44°49'N / 85°34'W | 6.40 Miles | 600 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Grand Traverse |
| 45.6 | 1998-08-23 | 3 | 45°01'N / 87°20'W | 45°00'N / 87°13'W | 5.10 Miles | 1300 Yards | 0 | 2 | 4.7M | 1.8M | Door |
| Brief Description: Three supercell thunderstorms dropped large hail and tornadoes across northeast and central Wisconsin during the afternoon and early evening. The first two storms developed quickly over central Wisconsin and then tracked east-southeast through the Fox Cities. These two storms primarily produced large hail (1 to 2 inches in diameter) and some wind damage. A brief tornado touched down with the first storm near Menasha (Winnebago co.). The third storm developed farther north in the northeast part of the state. This storm evolved more slowly, but went through the classic life-cycle of a tornadic supercell and spawned an F3 tornado in Door county. Large hail struck the Fox Cities, especially Appleton, producing over $5 million in damage to vehicles and roofs of buildings. This was the second multi-million dollar hailstorm this year in Appleton. In Sherwood (Calumet co.), hail damage to a golf course was so severe that it did not open until two days later. In Brillion (Calumet co.), hail shattered large glass panels of a church. The most severe damage occurred when a tornado tore a path 5.1 miles long and over a half-mile wide across Door county. The tornado came onshore from Green Bay at Murphy Park, on the Door county west coast at 630 pm. Thousands of trees were flattened in the heavily wooded area. About 30 homes, businesses and barns were destroyed or heavily damaged by the storm, but only two minor injuries were reported. Some livestock, however, including five horses, were lost. The tornado knocked down seven power poles holding electrical transmission lines, bringing blackouts to most of the north half of Door county. Thirty adults and 17 children at a campground found refuge in a concrete building as the tornado approached the grounds. Two minor injuries occurred at the camping resort as it took a direct hit. The twister made it almost two-thirds of the way across the county, before dissipating about 3 miles west of the Door county east coast. | |||||||||||
* 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.