NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Belding, 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 Belding, Michigan since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1941. Since 1950, 69 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 69
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
22 deaths in all
What the records show for Belding
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Belding; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 62 mph winds when its centre passed 8 miles away. The record near Belding begins with an unnamed storm in 1900; the most recent system was an unnamed storm in 1941, a tropical storm 9 miles away. None of the 4 systems has come since 2000. Of the 546 Michigan cities on this site, 52% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Belding. The strongest of the 69 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on April 3, 1956; its path came within 16 miles, and it killed 17 people. Of the 69, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 25 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 16. The most recent tornado was on May 15, 2025. Belding has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 54% of the 546 Michigan cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 28 times since 1968, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 546 Michigan cities, 64% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Belding.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Belding
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 4 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 8 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 Belding: 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 Belding
By decade
- 2020s9
- 2010s9
- 2000s7
- 1990s12
- 1980s6
- 1970s6
- 1960s14(5 EF3+)
- 1950s6(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1956 | F5 | 16 mi | 58.8 mi | 17 / 292 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 13 mi | 20.6 mi | 5 / 142 |
| Apr 21, 1967 | F4 | 25 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Apr 23, 1968 | F3 | 8 mi | 60.9 mi | 0 / 11 |
| Apr 21, 1967 | F3 | 16 mi | 13.6 mi | 0 / 32 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F3 | 24 mi | 14.1 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Apr 3, 1956 | F3 | 11 mi | 60.6 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Jul 4, 1994 | F2 | 8 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 27, 1989 | F2 | 22 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 20, 1976 | F2 | 16 mi | 9.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 9, 1968 | F2 | 18 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Aug 5, 1968 | F2 | 15 mi | 52.7 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 Belding
The Storm Prediction Center has 28 hail reports within 10 miles of Belding since 1968, made on 25 separate days. Of these, 12 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on June 11, 1968. The most recent report is from March 4, 2024. July has the most reports, 8.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Belding
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Greenville 2 NNE, MI, 8 miles north of Belding at 882 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 56°F; January is the coolest, at 31°F and 13°F. May is the wettest at 4.1 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.9 inches; the year adds up to 36.6 inches over 76 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 14 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 162 nights a year. Snowfall averages 72.9 inches a year, most of it in January. That 36.6 inches is more than at 101 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (77%). Saranac, 11 miles south, has its own station (Ionia 2SSW, MI): 36.0 inches a year, 0.6 less than here, and a July average high of 81°F against 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31 | 13 | 2.2 | 6 | 20.3 |
| Feb | 34 | 13 | 1.9 | 5 | 16.5 |
| Mar | 46 | 22 | 2.4 | 6 | 9.4 |
| Apr | 59 | 32 | 3.9 | 7 | 2.5 |
| May | 71 | 44 | 4.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 80 | 53 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 84 | 56 | 3.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 55 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 75 | 48 | 3.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 62 | 37 | 3.5 | 8 | 0.4 |
| Nov | 48 | 27 | 3.0 | 6 | 5.0 |
| Dec | 36 | 19 | 2.4 | 6 | 18.8 |
| Year | 59 | 35 | 36.6 | 76 | 72.9 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Greenville 2 NNE, MI (882 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 Belding
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 39 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Belding: 38 thunderstorm wind reports and 1 flood. They killed 0 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $7.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on May 3, 2012.
May 31, 1998: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of Belding — 2 injured, $300,000 damage.
NWS: “Michigan State Police EMD's Damage and Injury Assessment Report indicated $150,000 in public damage costs, another $150,000 in private property damage, 2000 homes damaged, 10 homes destroyed, and 10 businesses damaged. Two injuries were reported.”
April 17, 2013: flood 1 mile from the centre of Belding — $7.0 million damage.
NWS: “Heavy rainfall caused significant flooding on rivers and streams across Ionia county.”
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
Ionia County, which includes Belding, has been named in 16 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 10 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 snowstorms, 4 floods, 4 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on February 8, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Ionia County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes; Relatively Low for hail, inland flooding and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $19.5 million a year, the 34th highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $10.8 million (55%), 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 Belding
- Greenville, MI7 mi
- Fenwick, MI11 mi
- Saranac, MI11 mi
- Lowell, MI11 mi
- Ionia, MI11 mi
- Gowen, MI12 mi
- Sheridan, MI13 mi
- Rockford, MI14 mi
- Ada, MI14 mi
- Stanton, MI16 mi
- Clarksville, MI17 mi
- Lyons, MI17 mi
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