NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Bark River, 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
1 tropical system has passed within 75 miles of Bark River, Michigan since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Cristobal in 2020. Since 1950, 19 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 19
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Bark River
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Bark River; the strongest was Cristobal in 2020, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 58 miles away. Of the 546 Michigan cities on this site, 85% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Bark River. The highest rating among the 19 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on July 11, 1987, came within 4 miles. Of the 19, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 7 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 9. The most recent tornado was on June 15, 2022. Of the 546 Michigan cities, 89% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Bark River. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 36 times since 1981, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Bark River has more hail reports within 10 miles than 50% of the 546 Michigan cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Bark River
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | CristobalJun 10 | 58 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 Bark River: 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 Bark River
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s2
- 2000s3
- 1990s5
- 1980s2(2 EF3+)
- 1970s4
- 1960s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 11, 1987 | F3 | 4 mi | 71 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 4, 1986 | F3 | 9 mi | 24.3 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Jul 19, 1992 | F2 | 17 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 28, 1991 | F2 | 13 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 20, 1972 | F2 | 22 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 15, 2022 | EF1 | 22 mi | 0.65 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 31, 2020 | EF1 | 9 mi | 0.61 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 11, 2016 | EF1 | 15 mi | 1.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 25, 1998 | F1 | 9 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 14, 1974 | F1 | 13 mi | 5.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 21, 1974 | F1 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 16, 1968 | F1 | 23 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 19, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Bark River
The Storm Prediction Center has 36 hail reports within 10 miles of Bark River since 1981, made on 23 separate days. Of these, 17 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on May 25, 2008. The most recent report is from August 21, 2020. July has the most reports, 12.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Bark River
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Cornell 5SE, MI, 10 miles northeast of Bark River at 794 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 55°F; January is the coolest, at 27°F and 8°F. September is the wettest at 3.6 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.1 inches; the year adds up to 30.1 inches over 67 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 5 days a year, almost all from July to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 181 nights a year. Snowfall averages 42.6 inches a year, most of it in January. That 30.1 inches is more than at 12 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (9%). Escanaba, 12 miles east, has its own station (Escanaba, MI): 28.9 inches a year, 1.2 less than here, and a July average high of 77°F against 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27 | 8 | 1.2 | 4 | 10.3 |
| Feb | 30 | 9 | 1.1 | 3 | 8.4 |
| Mar | 41 | 18 | 1.4 | 4 | 7.9 |
| Apr | 53 | 29 | 2.5 | 6 | 3.1 |
| May | 66 | 40 | 2.9 | 7 | 0.1 |
| Jun | 76 | 50 | 3.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 82 | 55 | 3.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 81 | 54 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 72 | 47 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 58 | 36 | 3.3 | 7 | 0.4 |
| Nov | 44 | 26 | 2.2 | 5 | 3.7 |
| Dec | 33 | 16 | 1.7 | 5 | 8.7 |
| Year | 55 | 32 | 30.1 | 67 | 42.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Cornell 5SE, MI (794 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 Bark River
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 36 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Bark River: 31 thunderstorm wind reports, 2 heavy rain events, 1 flash flood, 1 flood and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $315,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on July 29, 1999.
June 16, 2018: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Bark River — $175,000 damage.
NWS: “Nearly three inches of heavy rain flooded or washed out 40 to 50 roads from Spalding Township through Daggett to Stephenson. The Menominee County Emergency Manager reported that flooding damaged farms and toppled trees in the area as well.”
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
Menominee County, which includes Bark River, has been named in 8 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 4 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 Menominee County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for lightning; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding and strong wind; Very Low for coastal flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $11.2 million a year, the 50th highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.5 million (40%), 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 Bark River
- Escanaba, MI12 mi
- Gladstone, MI15 mi
- Vulcan, MI21 mi
- Rapid River, MI24 mi
- Norway, MI27 mi
- Stephenson, MI28 mi
- Niagara, WI30 mi
- Iron Mountain, MI32 mi
- Kingsford, MI36 mi
- Gwinn, MI37 mi
- Wausaukee, WI38 mi
- Sister Bay, WI42 mi
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