NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Berkley, 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
6 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Berkley, 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, 9 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 77
- EF3 or stronger
- 9
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
16 deaths in all
What the records show for Berkley
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Berkley; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 64 mph winds when its centre passed 73 miles away. The record near Berkley begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm 5 miles away. Of the 6 systems, one has come since 2000. Berkley has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 76% of the 546 Michigan cities on this site. The highest rating among the 77 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 4 times; the most recent, on March 20, 1976, came within 8 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on May 8, 1964, killed 11 people. Of the 77, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 15 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 16. The most recent tornado was on June 18, 2025. Berkley has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 67% of the 546 Michigan cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 128 times since 1956, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Berkley has more hail reports within 10 miles than 96% of the 546 Michigan cities.
Compare Berkley's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Berkley
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 4 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 22 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 12 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 14 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Berkley: 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 Berkley
By decade
- 2020s4
- 2010s5
- 2000s6
- 1990s10(1 EF3+)
- 1980s20(1 EF3+)
- 1970s18(3 EF3+)
- 1960s4(1 EF3+)
- 1950s10(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 8, 1964 | F4 | 22 mi | 3.3 mi | 11 / 224 |
| Mar 20, 1976 | F4 | 8 mi | 3.8 mi | 1 / 55 |
| Jul 4, 1957 | F4 | 2 mi | 29.9 mi | 0 / 6 |
| May 12, 1956 | F4 | 17 mi | 6.8 mi | 0 / 22 |
| Mar 20, 1976 | F3 | 18 mi | 17.1 mi | 1 / 3 |
| Nov 20, 1957 | F3 | 8 mi | 1.5 mi | 1 / 12 |
| Sep 14, 1990 | F3 | 1 mi | 24 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 2, 1983 | F3 | 12 mi | 23 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Aug 2, 1972 | F3 | 14 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 21, 1987 | F2 | 15 mi | 0.3 mi | 1 / 6 |
| Sep 13, 2008 | EF2 | 14 mi | 2.65 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 2, 1997 | F2 | 7 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 90 |
The strongest 12 of 77, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Berkley
The Storm Prediction Center has 128 hail reports within 10 miles of Berkley since 1956, made on 68 separate days. Of these, 64 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on May 2, 1983. The most recent report is from March 15, 2025. July has the most reports, 42.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Berkley
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Farmington, MI, 9 miles west of Berkley at 720 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 60°F; January is the coolest, at 30°F and 16°F. May is the wettest at 3.6 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.8 inches; the year adds up to 33.2 inches over 78 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 11 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 146 nights a year. Snowfall averages 36.0 inches a year, most of it in February. That 33.2 inches is more than at 45 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (34%). Huntington Woods, 1 mile southeast, has its own station (Detroit City Airport, MI): 29.9 inches a year, 3.3 less than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30 | 16 | 2.3 | 6 | 9.8 |
| Feb | 34 | 16 | 1.8 | 5 | 10.6 |
| Mar | 44 | 24 | 2.1 | 6 | 4.7 |
| Apr | 57 | 34 | 3.1 | 7 | 1.5 |
| May | 69 | 46 | 3.6 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 78 | 56 | 3.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 60 | 3.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 81 | 59 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 74 | 51 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 60 | 40 | 2.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 47 | 30 | 2.5 | 6 | 2.3 |
| Dec | 35 | 22 | 2.0 | 6 | 7.1 |
| Year | 58 | 38 | 33.2 | 78 | 36.0 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Farmington, MI (720 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 Berkley
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 274 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Berkley: 244 thunderstorm wind reports, 21 flash floods, 8 floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 1 person and injured 5, and the NWS estimated $433.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 109 mph, on July 7, 1996. July has had the most flash floods, 10 of 21. Of the 376 Michigan cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 365 have had fewer than Berkley.
July 18, 2011: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Berkley — 1 killed.
December 6, 1998: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Berkley — 2 injured, $60,000 damage.
July 7, 1996: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Berkley — 1 injured, $3.0 million damage.
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
Oakland County, which includes Berkley, has been named in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1975, 9 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 severe storms, 3 floods, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on February 8, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Oakland County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively High for inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Moderate for hail; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $359.1 million a year, the 2nd highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $164.9 million (46%), 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 Berkley
- Huntington Woods, MI1 mi
- Royal Oak, MI2 mi
- Oak Park, MI2 mi
- Pleasant Ridge, MI3 mi
- Clawson, MI3 mi
- Birmingham, MI4 mi
- Ferndale, MI4 mi
- Southfield, MI4 mi
- Bingham Farms, MI4 mi
- Madison Heights, MI4 mi
- Hazel Park, MI5 mi
- Troy, MI6 mi
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