NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Baldwin, 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
2 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Baldwin, Michigan since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1941. Since 1950, 21 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 2
- Tornadoes
- 21
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Baldwin
None of the 2 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Baldwin; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 61 mph winds when its centre passed 54 miles away. The record near Baldwin begins with an unnamed storm in 1900; the most recent system was an unnamed storm in 1941, a tropical storm 70 miles away. Of the 546 Michigan cities on this site, 82% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Baldwin. The strongest of the 21 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F3 on April 23, 1968; its path came within 24 miles. The deadliest, an F2 on September 26, 1951, killed 1 person. Of the 21, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 4 have come since 2000. The most recent tornado was on August 28, 2018. Of the 546 Michigan cities, 88% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Baldwin. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 16 times since 1961, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 546 Michigan cities, 90% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Baldwin.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Baldwin
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Baldwin: 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 Baldwin
By decade
- 2010s2
- 2000s2
- 1990s5
- 1980s3
- 1970s5
- 1960s3(1 EF3+)
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 23, 1968 | F3 | 24 mi | 60.9 mi | 0 / 11 |
| Sep 26, 1951 | F2 | 8 mi | 2.3 mi | 1 / 3 |
| Jun 8, 1985 | F2 | 18 mi | 24 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 9, 1974 | F2 | 24 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 12, 1972 | F2 | 19 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Aug 28, 2018 | EF1 | 3 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 8, 2008 | EF1 | 23 mi | 5.27 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 25, 2005 | F1 | 2 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 6, 1998 | F1 | 24 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Mar 27, 1991 | F1 | 19 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 27, 1991 | F1 | 24 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 14, 1990 | F1 | 24 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 21, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Baldwin
The Storm Prediction Center has 16 hail reports within 10 miles of Baldwin since 1961, made on 14 separate days. Of these, 10 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on September 7, 2021, the most recent report. May has the most reports, 4.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Baldwin
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Wellston 1N, MI, 23 miles north of Baldwin at 773 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 81°F and low of 54°F; January is the coolest, at 28°F and 12°F. October is the wettest at 4.2 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.0 inches; the year adds up to 38.2 inches over 91 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 8 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 171 nights a year. Snowfall averages 119.6 inches a year, most of it in January. That 38.2 inches is more than at 113 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (86%). Reed City, 18 miles east, has its own station (Big Rapids Wtp, MI): 38.1 inches a year, 0.1 less than here, and the same July average high, 81°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28 | 12 | 2.9 | 9 | 38.1 |
| Feb | 31 | 12 | 2.0 | 7 | 24.2 |
| Mar | 41 | 19 | 2.3 | 6 | 10.8 |
| Apr | 55 | 29 | 3.7 | 8 | 3.9 |
| May | 68 | 40 | 3.6 | 8 | 0.1 |
| Jun | 77 | 50 | 3.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 81 | 54 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 79 | 54 | 2.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 72 | 46 | 3.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 57 | 36 | 4.2 | 10 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 44 | 26 | 3.6 | 8 | 10.5 |
| Dec | 33 | 18 | 2.7 | 9 | 31.8 |
| Year | 55 | 33 | 38.2 | 91 | 119.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Wellston 1N, MI (773 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 Baldwin
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 30 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Baldwin: 27 thunderstorm wind reports and 3 flash floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $4.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 70 mph, on June 28, 2008.
June 13, 2008: flash flood 10 miles from the centre of Baldwin — $2.5 million damage.
NWS: “Damage resulting from flash flooding included a 30 foot wide by 10 foot deep sinkhole which developed near the 18 Mile bridge five miles west of Irons. Numerous roads were washed out and several mudslides were also reported.”
May 31, 1998: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Baldwin — $1.1 million damage.
NWS: “Michigan State Police EMD's Damage and Injury Assessment Report indicated $89,176 in public damage costs and the Lake County Star newspaper reported $514,850 in private property damage and $502,500 in clean-up costs. No injuries were reported.”
August 30, 2001: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Baldwin — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Very strong winds from a microburst brought down many trees and power lines across mainly the southern third of Lake county. In Idlewild, an area of trees a 100 yards long was blown down.”
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
Flood insurance policyholders in Baldwin's ZIP code 49304 have filed 44 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1982, and were paid $958,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 16% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 160 Michigan cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 92 have fewer than Baldwin.
Lake County, which includes Baldwin, has been named in 9 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 5 of them major disasters (by incident: 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 1 drought, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on June 30, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Lake County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for inland flooding and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $5.0 million a year, the 73rd highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.2 million (64%), 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 Baldwin
- Luther, MI14 mi
- Reed City, MI18 mi
- Scottville, MI20 mi
- White Cloud, MI23 mi
- Hesperia, MI23 mi
- Leroy, MI23 mi
- Hersey, MI24 mi
- Big Rapids, MI24 mi
- Hart, MI25 mi
- Tustin, MI27 mi
- Pentwater, MI27 mi
- Ludington, MI28 mi
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