NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Brighton, 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 Brighton, 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, 9 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 93
- EF3 or stronger
- 9
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
10 deaths in all
What the records show for Brighton
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Brighton; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 63 mph winds when its centre passed 63 miles away. The record near Brighton begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm 24 miles away. Of the 6 systems, one has come since 2000. Brighton has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 76% of the 546 Michigan cities on this site. The highest rating among the 93 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on March 20, 1976, came within 18 miles. The deadliest, an EF2 on August 24, 2023, killed 2 people. Of the 93, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 26 have come since 2000. The most recent tornado was on May 15, 2025. Brighton has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 88% of the 546 Michigan cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 58 times since 1986, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Brighton has more hail reports within 10 miles than 72% of the 546 Michigan cities.
Compare Brighton's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Brighton
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 4 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 12 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 14 | 46 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 Brighton: 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 Brighton
By decade
- 2020s10
- 2010s6(1 EF3+)
- 2000s10
- 1990s15(1 EF3+)
- 1980s23(1 EF3+)
- 1970s15(3 EF3+)
- 1960s4
- 1950s10(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 20, 1976 | F4 | 18 mi | 3.8 mi | 1 / 55 |
| Jul 4, 1957 | F4 | 2 mi | 29.9 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Jun 15, 1982 | F3 | 19 mi | 13 mi | 1 / 1 |
| May 11, 1974 | F3 | 14 mi | 0.9 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Jun 8, 1953 | F3 | 20 mi | 11.3 mi | 1 / 5 |
| Mar 15, 2012 | EF3 | 14 mi | 7.57 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 14, 1990 | F3 | 16 mi | 24 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 2, 1972 | F3 | 15 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 8, 1953 | F3 | 5 mi | 9.1 mi | 0 / 11 |
| Aug 24, 2023 | EF2 | 20 mi | 12.02 mi | 2 / 4 |
| Aug 14, 1988 | F2 | 16 mi | 26.6 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Jun 21, 1987 | F2 | 16 mi | 0.3 mi | 1 / 6 |
The strongest 12 of 93, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Brighton
The Storm Prediction Center has 58 hail reports within 10 miles of Brighton since 1986, made on 37 separate days. Of these, 28 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on September 4, 2017. The most recent report is from July 23, 2024. July has the most reports, 16.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Brighton
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Howell Wwtp, MI, 9 miles northwest of Brighton at 917 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 58°F; January is the coolest, at 31°F and 14°F. June is the wettest at 3.7 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.6 inches; the year adds up to 32.9 inches over 74 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 13 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 154 nights a year. Snowfall averages 33.2 inches a year, most of it in January. That 32.9 inches is more than at 40 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (31%). New Hudson, 7 miles east, has its own station (Farmington, MI): 33.2 inches a year, 0.3 more than here, and the same July average high, 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31 | 14 | 2.1 | 6 | 10.4 |
| Feb | 35 | 15 | 1.6 | 4 | 7.9 |
| Mar | 44 | 24 | 2.0 | 5 | 4.1 |
| Apr | 58 | 34 | 2.9 | 7 | 0.7 |
| May | 69 | 45 | 3.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 79 | 55 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 58 | 3.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 81 | 57 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 75 | 49 | 3.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 62 | 38 | 2.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 48 | 29 | 2.4 | 6 | 1.2 |
| Dec | 36 | 21 | 2.0 | 6 | 8.9 |
| Year | 58 | 37 | 32.9 | 74 | 33.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Howell Wwtp, MI (917 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 Brighton
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 191 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Brighton: 184 thunderstorm wind reports, 5 floods, 1 flash flood and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $9.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on October 24, 2001.
August 24, 2023: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Brighton — $7.0 million damage.
August 24, 2023: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Brighton — $800,000 damage.
September 14, 2008: flood 8 miles from the centre of Brighton — $500,000 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Brighton's 2 ZIP codes have filed 78 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1981, and were paid $632,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2004, with 35. 5% 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, 123 have fewer than Brighton.
Livingston County, which includes Brighton, has been named in 9 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1975, 4 of them major disasters (by incident: 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods, 2 snowstorms, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on February 8, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Livingston County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding; Relatively Low for hail, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $55.5 million a year, the 10th highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $26.7 million (48%), 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.