NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Bridgman, 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 Bridgman, Michigan since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 59 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 59
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Bridgman
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Bridgman; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 60 mph winds when its centre passed 69 miles away. The record near Bridgman begins with an unnamed storm in 1900; the most recent system was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm 73 miles away. Of the 5 systems, one has come since 2000. Bridgman has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 48% of the 546 Michigan cities on this site. The highest rating among the 59 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 4 times; the most recent, on October 24, 2001, came within 22 miles. Of the 59, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 18 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 18. The most recent tornado was on July 15, 2024. Of the 546 Michigan cities, 56% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Bridgman. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 31 times since 1956, with stones up to 2.25 inches. Of the 546 Michigan cities, 57% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Bridgman.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Bridgman
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 3 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Bridgman: 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 Bridgman
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s8
- 2000s7(1 EF3+)
- 1990s4
- 1980s8
- 1970s15(1 EF3+)
- 1960s7(2 EF3+)
- 1950s7
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 24, 2001 | F3 | 22 mi | 47 mi | 1 / 2 |
| Mar 12, 1976 | F3 | 23 mi | 12.6 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Nov 26, 1965 | F3 | 17 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 30, 1962 | F3 | 19 mi | 36.5 mi | 0 / 49 |
| Oct 24, 2001 | F2 | 19 mi | 35 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Jun 5, 2010 | EF2 | 24 mi | 2.73 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 5, 2010 | EF2 | 4 mi | 3.38 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 25, 1998 | F2 | 18 mi | 26 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 13, 1992 | F2 | 21 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 25 |
| Jun 20, 1981 | F2 | 11 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 28, 1980 | F2 | 25 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 7, 1979 | F2 | 22 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 59, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Bridgman
The Storm Prediction Center has 31 hail reports within 10 miles of Bridgman since 1956, made on 24 separate days. Of these, 11 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.25 inches, fell on July 2, 1997. The most recent report is from February 27, 2024. July has the most reports, 11.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Bridgman
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Benton Harbor Airport, MI, 14 miles northeast of Bridgman at 625 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 33°F and 20°F. October is the wettest at 4.4 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.9 inches; the year adds up to 38.3 inches over 83 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 18 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 128 nights a year. Snowfall averages 77.7 inches a year, most of it in January. That 38.3 inches is more than at 114 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (87%). Sawyer, 4 miles southwest, has its own station (Niles, MI): 41.5 inches a year, 3.2 more than here, and the same July average high, 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 33 | 20 | 2.5 | 7 | 29.5 |
| Feb | 36 | 21 | 1.9 | 5 | 18.8 |
| Mar | 47 | 28 | 2.3 | 6 | 7.7 |
| Apr | 59 | 37 | 3.8 | 9 | 1.1 |
| May | 70 | 47 | 3.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 80 | 57 | 3.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 62 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 81 | 60 | 3.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 76 | 54 | 3.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 63 | 44 | 4.4 | 8 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 49 | 34 | 3.0 | 7 | 3.8 |
| Dec | 38 | 25 | 2.3 | 7 | 16.6 |
| Year | 60 | 41 | 38.3 | 83 | 77.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Benton Harbor Airport, MI (625 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 Bridgman
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 71 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Bridgman: 65 thunderstorm wind reports, 3 flash floods and 3 floods. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $2.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 96 mph, on June 5, 2010.
October 11, 2021: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Bridgman — 1 injured.
August 10, 2021: flash flood 2 miles from the centre of Bridgman — $1.3 million damage.
NWS: “A survey of flood damage from emergency management officials reported in severe damage to a electrical substation that resulted in widespread power outages for several days. In addition a total of 108 structures suffered varying degrees of flood damage, mainly from water as high as four feet into basements.”
September 13, 2008: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Bridgman — $600,000 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
Berrien County, which includes Bridgman, has been named in 12 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 7 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 floods, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 27, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Berrien County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding and lightning; Relatively Low for heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and coastal flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $45.1 million a year, the 14th highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $27.1 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.
Cities near Bridgman
- Baroda, MI3 mi
- Sawyer, MI4 mi
- Stevensville, MI5 mi
- Three Oaks, MI9 mi
- Saint Joseph, MI10 mi
- Berrien Springs, MI11 mi
- Buchanan, MI12 mi
- Benton Harbor, MI13 mi
- Eau Claire, MI15 mi
- New Buffalo, MI15 mi
- New Carlisle, IN16 mi
- Niles, MI18 mi
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