NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Buchanan, 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
4 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Buchanan, Michigan since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 90 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 90
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
48 deaths in all
What the records show for Buchanan
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Buchanan; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 62 miles away. The record near Buchanan begins with an unnamed storm in 1923; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 4 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 546 Michigan cities on this site, 52% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Buchanan. The strongest of the 90 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 11, 1965; its path came within 20 miles, and it killed 36 people. Of the 90, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 32 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 26. The most recent tornado was on March 30, 2025. Buchanan has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 84% of the 546 Michigan cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 47 times since 1956, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Buchanan has more hail reports within 10 miles than 64% of the 546 Michigan cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Buchanan
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 3 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Buchanan: 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 Buchanan
By decade
- 2020s7
- 2010s13
- 2000s12(1 EF3+)
- 1990s7
- 1980s10
- 1970s17(1 EF3+)
- 1960s15(5 EF3+)
- 1950s9
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 20 mi | 37 mi | 36 / 321 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F3 | 23 mi | 35.6 mi | 10 / 82 |
| Oct 24, 2001 | F3 | 10 mi | 47 mi | 1 / 2 |
| Mar 12, 1976 | F3 | 22 mi | 12.6 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Nov 26, 1965 | F3 | 11 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F3 | 25 mi | 33.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 30, 1962 | F3 | 10 mi | 36.5 mi | 0 / 49 |
| Oct 24, 2001 | F2 | 12 mi | 35 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Jun 5, 2010 | EF2 | 18 mi | 2.73 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 5, 2010 | EF2 | 12 mi | 3.38 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 24, 2001 | F2 | 18 mi | 4.6 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Aug 25, 1998 | F2 | 7 mi | 26 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 90, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Buchanan
The Storm Prediction Center has 47 hail reports within 10 miles of Buchanan since 1956, made on 34 separate days. Of these, 26 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 6 days, most recently September 3, 2011. The most recent report is from May 7, 2024. April has the most reports, 11.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Buchanan
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Niles, MI, 6 miles east of Buchanan at 650 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 61°F; January is the coolest, at 33°F and 19°F. August and October are the wettest at 4.4 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.3 inches; the year adds up to 41.5 inches over 87 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 12 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 124 nights a year. Snowfall averages 62.5 inches a year, most of it in January. That 41.5 inches is more than at 128 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (98%). Berrien Springs, 8 miles north, has its own station (Eau Claire 4 NE, MI): 38.5 inches a year, 3.0 less than here, and a July average high of 85°F against 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 33 | 19 | 3.0 | 8 | 22.6 |
| Feb | 36 | 21 | 2.3 | 6 | 13.6 |
| Mar | 47 | 29 | 2.5 | 7 | 6.3 |
| Apr | 60 | 39 | 3.7 | 8 | 0.8 |
| May | 71 | 48 | 4.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 80 | 58 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 61 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 81 | 61 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 76 | 53 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 63 | 43 | 4.4 | 8 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 49 | 33 | 3.0 | 7 | 4.6 |
| Dec | 38 | 25 | 2.7 | 8 | 14.5 |
| Year | 60 | 41 | 41.5 | 87 | 62.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Niles, MI (650 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 Buchanan
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 150 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Buchanan: 139 thunderstorm wind reports, 5 flash floods, 5 floods and 1 heavy rain event. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $3.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on June 18, 2010. Of the 376 Michigan cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 280 have had fewer than Buchanan.
September 13, 2008: flood 7 miles from the centre of Buchanan — $750,000 damage.
September 13, 2008: flash flood 10 miles from the centre of Buchanan — $600,000 damage.
February 20, 2018: flood 9 miles from the centre of Buchanan — $550,000 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 Buchanan's ZIP code 49107 have filed 15 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1981, and were paid $127,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. Of the 160 Michigan cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 27 have fewer than Buchanan.
Berrien County, which includes Buchanan, 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 Buchanan
- Niles, MI7 mi
- Berrien Springs, MI8 mi
- Baroda, MI10 mi
- New Carlisle, IN10 mi
- Notre Dame, IN11 mi
- Sawyer, MI12 mi
- Bridgman, MI12 mi
- Three Oaks, MI12 mi
- South Bend, IN12 mi
- Granger, IN14 mi
- Eau Claire, MI14 mi
- Stevensville, MI14 mi
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