NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Brimley, 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
No tropical storm or hurricane has passed within 75 miles of Brimley, Michigan since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 4 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 4
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Brimley
The highest rating among the 4 tornadoes within 25 miles is F1, reached 2 times; the most recent, on August 16, 1978, came within 25 miles. The most recent tornado was on July 11, 1987. Of the 546 Michigan cities on this site, 97% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Brimley. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 9 times since 1989, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 546 Michigan cities, 98% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Brimley.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Brimley
By decade
- 1980s2
- 1970s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 16, 1978 | F1 | 25 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 5, 1977 | F1 | 19 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 11, 1987 | F0 | 17 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 1, 1987 | F0 | 6 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 4 of 4, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Brimley
The Storm Prediction Center has 9 hail reports within 10 miles of Brimley since 1989, made on 8 separate days. Of these, 7 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on August 5, 1989. The most recent report is from June 8, 2024.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Brimley
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Rudyard 4N, MI, 9 miles southeast of Brimley at 753 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 79°F and low of 53°F; January is the coolest, at 25°F and 8°F. October is the wettest at 4.4 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.5 inches; the year adds up to 35.9 inches over 82 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 3 days a year, almost all from June. Lows fall below freezing on about 181 nights a year. Snowfall averages 94.1 inches a year, most of it in January. That 35.9 inches is more than at 91 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (69%). Sault Sainte Marie, 17 miles east, has its own station (Sault Ste Marie Sanderson Field, MI): 34.4 inches a year, 1.5 less than here, and a July average high of 77°F against 79°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 25 | 8 | 2.0 | 7 | 24.2 |
| Feb | 29 | 9 | 1.5 | 5 | 15.6 |
| Mar | 39 | 17 | 1.9 | 5 | 12.6 |
| Apr | 52 | 29 | 3.2 | 6 | 6.1 |
| May | 66 | 39 | 2.7 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Jun | 76 | 48 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 79 | 53 | 4.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 77 | 53 | 3.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 69 | 46 | 3.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 55 | 36 | 4.4 | 9 | 1.2 |
| Nov | 41 | 27 | 3.4 | 8 | 12.7 |
| Dec | 31 | 17 | 2.5 | 8 | 21.6 |
| Year | 53 | 32 | 35.9 | 82 | 94.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Rudyard 4N, MI (753 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.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Chippewa County, which includes Brimley, has been named in 7 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 2 of them major disasters (by incident: 2 biological emergencies, 2 snowstorms, 1 drought, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 27, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Chippewa County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for inland flooding, coastal flooding and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail, strong wind and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $7.8 million a year, the 61st highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.0 million (76%), 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 Brimley
- Kincheloe, MI14 mi
- Sault Sainte Marie, MI17 mi
- Saint Ignace, MI34 mi
- Newberry, MI42 mi
- Cheboygan, MI58 mi
- Harbor Springs, MI65 mi
- Alanson, MI68 mi
- Indian River, MI69 mi
- Petoskey, MI74 mi
- Onaway, MI76 mi
- Wolverine, MI79 mi
- Rogers City, MI80 mi
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