Sanilac County, MI Environment & Hazard Risk

• Cold waveRelatively High$10.21M/yr expected annual loss, about 3.0 events a year
• Winter weatherRelatively High$316K/yr expected annual loss, about 14 events a year
• Ice stormRelatively Moderate$186K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 1 year
• Strong windRelatively Moderate$795K/yr expected annual loss, about 3.1 events a year
• TornadoRelatively Low$1.55M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 3 years
• HailRelatively Low$325K/yr expected annual loss, about 1.6 events a year
• HurricaneVery Low$99.41K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 43 years
• Heat waveRelatively Low$240K/yr expected annual loss, about 1.9 events a year
• EarthquakeVery Low$80.07K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 1,795 years
• LandslideVery Low$308/yr expected annual loss, about once every 8 years
• LightningRelatively Low$88.65K/yr expected annual loss, about 30 events a year
• Coastal floodingVery Low$2,250/yr expected annual loss, about once every 71 years
• WildfireVery Low$3,209/yr expected annual loss, about once every 66,450 years

Bars show the national percentile score (0 to 100) for each hazard. Dollar figures are expected annual losses to buildings, people and crops. Not rated here: avalanche, drought, riverine flooding, tsunami, volcanic activity.

Check the flood zone for an address

Homes with flood insurance

29 of 19,748 (0.1%)

Homes in high-risk flood zones

151

Insured in high-risk zones

19 (13%)

Flood claims since 1978

14

Claims paid since 1978

$113K

• Thunderstorm Wind115
• Hail55
• Heavy Snow49
• High Wind27
• Winter Storm20
• Tornado11
• Heat10
• Cold/Wind Chill8
• Lake-Effect Snow7
• Blizzard6

• Cold/Wind Chill02/04/2007

  Sanilac

  10 injured, $25K damage

  What happened

  A bitter cold airmass blasted into the region on Saturday, February the 3rd and persisted through Tuesday, February the 6th. Temperatures through this period were 20 to 25 degrees below normal. Daytime temps struggled to reach 10 degrees while subzero temperatures occurred all 3 nights. Flint set 2 temperature records and was held to a daytime temperature less than 5 degrees for the first time in over 10 years. Winds of 15 to 25 MPH gusted as high as 35 MPH at times. After factoring in the winds, apparent temperatures ranged from 15 below to 25 below through nearly the entire event. Almost every school district in Southeast Michigan canceled school on Monday and most did the same on Tuesday, citing conditions too dangerous for the kids either walking to school or waiting outside for the bus. Area hospitals reported numerous cases of patients suffering from cold related illnesses. Most of the cases involved frostbite. At least one fatality was blamed on the cold weather. Frozen pipes and water main breaks occurred throughout all of Southeast Michigan, leaving many residents and business owners out in the cold. Area homeless shelters were filled to capacity. There were also many...

• Extreme Cold/Wind Chill02/20/2001

  Sanilac

  1 death

  What happened

  A Moore Township man was driving about two miles from his home when his vehicle went off the road and into a ditch. The man attempted to walk home, but collapsed and died of hypothermia about a half mile from his truck. Temperatures were in the 20s. The man was not wearing a coat, instead using a heavy flannel shirt as an extra clothing layer over a t-shirt.

• High Wind56 kt wind03/08/2017

  Sanilac

  $7M damage

  What happened

  A non thunderstorm event took place over the state on Wednesday, March 8, 2017, as high winds brought wind gusts in excess of 60 mph! The high winds took out power lines and trees, along with numerous reports of structural damage to buildings. There were also reports of brush fires and tractor-trailers flipped over around the area. Due to the extensive damage, many areas were without power for several days. Approximately 800,000 DTE customers and approximately 300,000 Consumers Energy customers were affected. The highest wind gust reported across Southeast Michigan was 68 mph at both Saginaw and Detroit Metro Airport.

• Ice Storm12/22/2013

  Sanilac

  $3M damage

  What happened

  A winter storm impacted a large swath of the country from the southern Plains through the Midwest and into the Northeast on the last weekend before Christmas. This storm occurred as a deep upper-level trough over the Desert Southwest lifted northeastward, while a surface low pressure system moved from Texas into the Ohio Valley. This low moved along a very sharp frontal boundary. This front at the surface actually briefly penetrated far southeastern Michigan Friday night. The temperature at Lambertville, on the Ohio border, rose into the mid-50s, while Monroe, just 15 miles away, stayed in the mid-30s. On Saturday, copious Gulf moisture was brought northward ahead of the approaching surface low. This warm, moist air was forced to ascend at the front over Ohio, spreading precipitation from south to north over southeast Michigan from the late morning into the afternoon. An anticyclone over Ontario provided a supply of low-level cold air, causing the surface temperature to be near or below freezing for much of southeast Michigan. The result was a swath of freezing rain roughly between M-59 to M-46 which continued into Saturday night and early Sunday. The I-69 corridor was...

• Frost/Freeze04/27/2012

  Sanilac

  $1.3M damage

  What happened

  A record warm March allowed many fruit blossoms to bloom early. Then temperatures dipping into the 20s in late April lead to severe damage of fruit crops.

• Flash Flood08/03/2006

  Brown City, Sanilac County

  $1.25M damage

  What happened

  Thunderstorms with very heavy rain repeatedly occurred across the same areas and dumped rain at a rate of nearly 2 inches per hour. Doppler radar estimated that 5 inches of rain fell in a west to east swath across southeast Sanilac County, and as much as 10 inches in an isolated area in and around the Brown City area. A cooperative observer in Brown City actually measured 7.35 inches over a 4 hour period on the evening of August 2nd, with an additional eight tenths of an inch falling after midnight during the early morning hours of the 3rd. The most intense rain fell from about 2000 EST on the 2nd to about 0100 EST on the 3rd. Flash flooding began around 2300 EST. Many homes in the Brown City area were heavily damaged by flood waters. The entire town experienced flooding and the city manager reported 220 damage claims filed with the city. At least 3 basements were lost and and a few homes reported nearly $100K in damages. The entire lower half of the high school was flooded with 3 to 5 inches of water. Flood waters reached 3 feet deep in a mobile home park in the city. Around 0200 EST on the 3rd, the flood waters stopped rising, and by noon, the flood waters began to recede....

• Thunderstorm Wind50 kt wind05/18/2026

  Juhl, Sanilac County

• High Wind52 kt wind03/13/2026

  Sanilac

  $25K damage

• Winter Weather02/07/2026

  Sanilac

• TornadoEF1, 1.67 mi path, 100 yd wide07/26/2025

  Deckerville Lamont a, Sanilac County

• Thunderstorm Wind56 kt wind05/16/2025

  Carsonville, Sanilac County

• Heavy Snow02/13/2025

  Sanilac

• Thunderstorm Wind56 kt wind06/05/2024

  Port Sanilac, Sanilac County

• Thunderstorm Wind55 kt wind05/20/2024

  Marlette, Sanilac County

• Unnamed storm (1932)08/27/1932 · Landfall: FL, AL · 979 mbTropical storm52 mph nearby
• Unnamed storm (1900)08/27/1900 · Landfall: TX · 936 mbTropical storm69 mph nearby
• Unnamed storm (1892)09/09/1892 · Landfall: LATropical storm58 mph nearby

• Worth TownshipServes 3,854 · Purchased surface water · Local governmentNo health violations+5 monitoring or reporting
• Sandusky, City ofServes 2,679 · Groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations+1 monitoring or reporting
• Croswell, City ofServes 2,447 · Groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations+2 monitoring or reporting
• Marlette, City ofServes 1,875 · Groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations+9 monitoring or reporting
• Brown CityServes 1,316 · Groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations+3 monitoring or reporting
• Lexington, Village ofServes 1,025 · Surface water · Local governmentNo health violations
• Forester TownshipServes 950 · Purchased surface water · Local governmentNo health violations
• Forestville Village ofServes 836 · Purchased surface water · Local governmentNo health violations