Adrian, MI Tornado History — 75 Tornadoes Since 1950
How many tornadoes has Adrian, MI had?
Adrian has had 75 tornadoes on record within 25 miles since 1950, including 4 violent (EF3+) tornadoes.
When was the most recent tornado near Adrian?
The most recent tornado within 25 miles of Adrian was an EF0 on March 30, 2025.
When is tornado season in Adrian?
June is historically the peak month for tornadoes near Adrian, with 18 on record. Spring through early summer (April–June) generally sees the highest activity across most of the central and southern United States.
At a Glance
Recent Tornado Activity Near Adrian
The last 20 years of confirmed tornadoes within 25 miles — 11 total, averaging 0.6 per year over this window.
Tornadoes by Decade
Tornadoes by Enhanced Fujita Rating
F0–F5 ratings (pre-2007) are grouped with their EF equivalents. The Enhanced Fujita scale replaced the original Fujita scale in February 2007.
Tornadoes by Month
Casualties on Record Near Adrian
47 fatalities have been recorded within 25 miles of Adrian since 1950, across 4 events. 651 injuries have been reported across all events. 1965 was the deadliest year on record.
The deadliest single event was a F4 on April 11, 1965, which caused 23 fatalities along a 90.3-mile track.
Notable Tornadoes Near Adrian
About Tornadoes in Adrian
This overview was written July 24, 2026. The tornado counts and notable-event figures elsewhere on this page reflect the latest data and may differ from this summary.
Adrian sits in southeastern Michigan, in the flat-to-gently-rolling farmland near the Ohio state line. This part of the lower Great Lakes experiences tornadoes as part of its warm-season severe weather; they are less frequent than on the plains to the west, but the open agricultural terrain offers little to slow passing storm systems.
Tornadoes here form mainly in spring and summer, when warm, humid air moving north becomes unstable under strong heating and a jet-stream disturbance supplies wind shear, allowing thunderstorms to organize into rotating supercells. The lower Great Lakes region sits far enough from the immediate lakeshores that instability can build freely on hot afternoons. Activity is generally greatest from late spring into midsummer.
Tornado intensity is measured on the Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale, which grades a tornado from EF0 to EF5 based on a damage survey rather than a measured wind speed. Most tornadoes are weak, though the region's climate can support stronger events. The tornado history for the Adrian area — counts, the decade and rating breakdowns, and the deadliest, costliest, and most recent events — is drawn from the NOAA Storm Prediction Center and shown in the figures elsewhere on this page.