NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Birch Run, 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
7 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Birch Run, Michigan since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 93 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 7
- Tornadoes
- 93
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
120 deaths in all
What the records show for Birch Run
None of the 7 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Birch Run; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 63 mph winds when its centre passed 14 miles away. The record near Birch Run begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm 66 miles away. Of the 7 systems, one has come since 2000. Birch Run is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 546 Michigan cities on this site. The strongest of the 93 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on June 8, 1953; its path came within 11 miles, and it killed 116 people. Of the 93, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 32 have come since 2000. June and August have had the most tornadoes, 21 each. The most recent tornado was on May 15, 2025. Birch Run has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 88% of the 546 Michigan cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 52 times since 1962, with stones up to 3.5 inches. Birch Run has more hail reports within 10 miles than 68% of the 546 Michigan cities.
Compare Birch Run's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Birch Run
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1955 | ConnieAug 14 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 4 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 12 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 14 | 63 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 Birch Run: 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 Birch Run
By decade
- 2020s8
- 2010s9
- 2000s15
- 1990s19(3 EF3+)
- 1980s14(2 EF3+)
- 1970s15(1 EF3+)
- 1960s5
- 1950s8(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 8, 1953 | F5 | 11 mi | 18.9 mi | 116 / 844 |
| May 12, 1956 | F4 | 19 mi | 6.6 mi | 3 / 116 |
| Jul 2, 1997 | F3 | 11 mi | 1.7 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Jul 2, 1997 | F3 | 8 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 21, 1996 | F3 | 5 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 8, 1984 | F3 | 19 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 12, 1984 | F3 | 23 mi | 48 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jul 14, 1974 | F3 | 20 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 28, 2024 | EF2 | 25 mi | 5.73 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 14, 2019 | EF2 | 21 mi | 18.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 22, 2015 | EF2 | 3 mi | 11.27 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Mar 15, 2012 | EF2 | 21 mi | 4.59 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 93, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Birch Run
The Storm Prediction Center has 52 hail reports within 10 miles of Birch Run since 1962, made on 37 separate days. Of these, 28 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 3.5 inches, fell on September 2, 1984. The most recent report is from September 14, 2021. June has the most reports, 13.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Birch Run
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Vassar, MI, 13 miles northeast of Birch Run at 630 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 57°F; January is the coolest, at 30°F and 12°F. July is the wettest at 4.1 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.5 inches; the year adds up to 34.4 inches over 76 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 160 nights a year. That 34.4 inches is more than at 69 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (53%). Bridgeport, 6 miles northwest, has its own station (Saginaw #3, MI): 34.0 inches a year, 0.4 less than here, and a July average high of 83°F against 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30 | 12 | 2.0 | 6 |
| Feb | 33 | 13 | 1.5 | 5 |
| Mar | 43 | 21 | 1.9 | 5 |
| Apr | 57 | 32 | 3.3 | 7 |
| May | 69 | 43 | 3.6 | 8 |
| Jun | 78 | 53 | 3.4 | 7 |
| Jul | 82 | 57 | 4.1 | 7 |
| Aug | 80 | 56 | 3.7 | 7 |
| Sep | 74 | 48 | 3.0 | 6 |
| Oct | 61 | 38 | 3.1 | 8 |
| Nov | 47 | 29 | 2.7 | 6 |
| Dec | 35 | 22 | 2.1 | 6 |
| Year | 57 | 35 | 34.4 | 76 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Vassar, MI (630 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 Birch Run
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 82 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Birch Run: 77 thunderstorm wind reports, 3 floods, 1 flash flood and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $5.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on May 31, 1998.
September 21, 2010: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Birch Run — 1 injured.
May 25, 2019: flood 10 miles from the centre of Birch Run — $4.2 million damage.
May 31, 1998: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Birch Run — $300,000 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
Saginaw County, which includes Birch Run, has been named in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 floods, 6 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on June 30, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Saginaw County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Moderate for 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 $71.9 million a year, the 8th highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $43.3 million (60%), 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.