NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Battle Creek, 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
5 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Battle Creek, Michigan since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 69 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 69
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
7 deaths in all
What the records show for Battle Creek
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Battle Creek; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 62 mph winds when its centre passed 60 miles away. The record near Battle Creek begins with an unnamed storm in 1900; the most recent system was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm 55 miles away. Of the 5 systems, one has come since 2000. Battle Creek has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 48% of the 546 Michigan cities on this site. The highest rating among the 69 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 2, 1977, came within 6 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on May 13, 1980, killed 5 people. Of the 69, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 22 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 23. The most recent tornado was on May 15, 2025. Battle Creek has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 54% of the 546 Michigan cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 37 times since 1967, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Battle Creek has more hail reports within 10 miles than 52% of the 546 Michigan cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Battle Creek
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 3 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Battle Creek: 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 Battle Creek
By decade
- 2020s9
- 2010s3
- 2000s10
- 1990s6(1 EF3+)
- 1980s14(1 EF3+)
- 1970s13(2 EF3+)
- 1960s9(2 EF3+)
- 1950s5
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 2, 1977 | F4 | 12 mi | 16.6 mi | 1 / 44 |
| Apr 2, 1977 | F4 | 6 mi | 12.4 mi | 0 / 10 |
| May 13, 1980 | F3 | 15 mi | 10.6 mi | 5 / 79 |
| Mar 27, 1991 | F3 | 16 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 18 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F3 | 23 mi | 14.1 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F3 | 7 mi | 14.2 mi | 0 / 17 |
| May 7, 2024 | EF2 | 15 mi | 10.86 mi | 0 / 12 |
| May 7, 2024 | EF2 | 20 mi | 19.53 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 19, 2009 | EF2 | 15 mi | 0.86 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 21, 2001 | F2 | 13 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 26, 1986 | F2 | 20 mi | 0.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 15, 1986 | F2 | 7 mi | 42.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 69, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Battle Creek
The Storm Prediction Center has 37 hail reports within 10 miles of Battle Creek since 1967, made on 32 separate days. Of these, 22 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently June 1, 2019. The most recent report is from August 30, 2024. May has the most reports, 10.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Battle Creek
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Battle Creek Kellogg Airport, MI, 3 miles west of Battle Creek 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%). Augusta, 8 miles west, has its own station (Battle Creek 5NW, MI): 34.6 inches a year, 3.0 more than here, and the same July average high, 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 Battle Creek
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 104 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Battle Creek: 99 thunderstorm wind reports, 3 flash floods and 2 floods. They killed 1 person and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $9.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on July 1, 2014.
June 12, 1998: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Battle Creek — 1 killed, 2 injured, $500,000 damage.
April 17, 2013: flood 6 miles from the centre of Battle Creek — $5.0 million damage.
NWS: “Significant flooding occurred on rivers and streams across Calhoun county due to heavy rainfall and antecedent high river levels and saturated grounds.”
July 1, 2014: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Battle Creek — $2.0 million damage.
NWS: “An NWS storm survey indicated that winds reached up to 80 to 90 mph near to northeast of Albion in Calhoun county, where numerous trees and power lines were blown down with extensive power outages. One roof was also blown off a home.”
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 Battle Creek's 4 ZIP codes have filed 47 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $178,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 15% 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, 95 have fewer than Battle Creek.
Calhoun County, which includes Battle Creek, 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 Battle Creek
- Augusta, MI8 mi
- Climax, MI9 mi
- East Leroy, MI10 mi
- Galesburg, MI11 mi
- Bellevue, MI12 mi
- Hickory Corners, MI12 mi
- Richland, MI13 mi
- Marshall, MI13 mi
- Scotts, MI15 mi
- Delton, MI16 mi
- Athens, MI16 mi
- Olivet, MI17 mi
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