NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Athens, MI
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
4 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Athens, Michigan since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 77 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 77
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
56 deaths in all
What the records show for Athens
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Athens; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 42 miles away. The record near Athens begins with an unnamed storm in 1923; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 4 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 546 Michigan cities on this site, 52% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Athens. The highest rating among the 77 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 4 times; the most recent, on April 2, 1977, came within 18 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on April 11, 1965, killed 23 people. Of the 77, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 25 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 25. The most recent tornado was on May 15, 2025. Athens has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 67% of the 546 Michigan cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 27 times since 1974, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Of the 546 Michigan cities, 66% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Athens.
Compare Athens's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Athens
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 3 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Athens: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Athens
By decade
- 2020s11
- 2010s6
- 2000s8(1 EF3+)
- 1990s5
- 1980s12(2 EF3+)
- 1970s17(1 EF3+)
- 1960s11(4 EF3+)
- 1950s7
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 25 mi | 90.3 mi | 23 / 294 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 23 mi | 80.5 mi | 21 / 293 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 25 mi | 21.6 mi | 5 / 41 |
| Apr 2, 1977 | F4 | 18 mi | 12.4 mi | 0 / 10 |
| May 13, 1980 | F3 | 19 mi | 10.6 mi | 5 / 79 |
| Oct 24, 2001 | F3 | 21 mi | 47 mi | 1 / 2 |
| May 15, 1986 | F3 | 17 mi | 1.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F3 | 20 mi | 14.2 mi | 0 / 17 |
| Aug 6, 2024 | EF2 | 22 mi | 8.46 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 7, 2024 | EF2 | 16 mi | 10.86 mi | 0 / 12 |
| May 7, 2024 | EF2 | 4 mi | 19.53 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 5, 2010 | EF2 | 25 mi | 10.65 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 77, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Athens
The Storm Prediction Center has 27 hail reports within 10 miles of Athens since 1974, made on 21 separate days. Of these, 18 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on May 7, 2024. The most recent report is from June 17, 2024. May has the most reports, 8.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Athens
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Battle Creek Kellogg Airport, MI, 15 miles north of Athens at 928 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 31°F and 17°F. May is the wettest at 3.7 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.2 inches; the year adds up to 31.6 inches over 65 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 10 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 130 nights a year. That 31.6 inches is more than at 21 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (16%). Sherwood, 5 miles south, has its own station (Coldwater St School, MI): 39.2 inches a year, 7.6 more than here, and a July average high of 82°F against 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31 | 17 | 1.6 | 4 |
| Feb | 34 | 19 | 1.2 | 3 |
| Mar | 45 | 27 | 1.7 | 5 |
| Apr | 59 | 37 | 2.9 | 7 |
| May | 70 | 49 | 3.7 | 8 |
| Jun | 79 | 58 | 3.4 | 6 |
| Jul | 83 | 62 | 3.4 | 6 |
| Aug | 81 | 61 | 3.4 | 6 |
| Sep | 74 | 53 | 3.2 | 6 |
| Oct | 61 | 42 | 3.6 | 7 |
| Nov | 47 | 32 | 2.1 | 5 |
| Dec | 36 | 24 | 1.4 | 4 |
| Year | 58 | 40 | 31.6 | 65 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Battle Creek Kellogg Airport, MI (928 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Athens
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 78 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Athens: 75 thunderstorm wind reports, 1 flash flood, 1 flood and 1 lightning strike. They killed 1 person and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $1.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on June 26, 2021.
May 21, 2004: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Athens — 1 killed, $10,000 damage.
August 13, 2011: lightning strike 10 miles from the centre of Athens — 1 injured.
February 20, 2018: flood 4 miles from the centre of Athens — $680,000 damage.
NWS: “Flooding occurred due to high water levels in many creeks, streams and rivers in the county. Several roads were closed for a period of time until flood waters receded.”
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events whose starting point is on record, 1996 to June 30, 2026. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year, not insured losses, and NWS notes that some reports are unverified.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Calhoun County, which includes Athens, has been named in 9 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 4 of them major disasters (by incident: 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 27, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Calhoun County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail and inland flooding; Relatively Low for lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $34.5 million a year, the 17th highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $17.2 million (50%), is from inland flooding.
Claims: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3, summed over ZIP codes; payments in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Declarations: Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2, by county. Retrieved October 25, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Risk ratings: FEMA, National Risk Index county table, December 2025 (v1.20), retrieved October 26, 2026; ratings compare counties nationwide, are meant for planning and are no substitute for a local risk assessment. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Athens
- Sherwood, MI5 mi
- Union City, MI6 mi
- East Leroy, MI7 mi
- Colon, MI10 mi
- Climax, MI12 mi
- Scotts, MI12 mi
- Mendon, MI13 mi
- Vicksburg, MI14 mi
- Battle Creek, MI16 mi
- Coldwater, MI17 mi
- Bronson, MI17 mi
- Galesburg, MI17 mi
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