NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Buckley, 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 Buckley, Michigan since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 17 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 17
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Buckley
The strongest of the 17 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 3, 1956; its path came within 16 miles, and it killed 1 person. The deadliest, an EF2 on October 18, 2007, killed 1 person. Of the 17, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 3 have come since 2000. June and July have had the most tornadoes, 5 each. The most recent tornado was on September 22, 2025. Of the 546 Michigan cities on this site, 89% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Buckley. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 14 times since 1958, with stones up to 1 inch (quarter size). Of the 546 Michigan cities, 92% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Buckley.
Compare Buckley's storm record with another city →
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Buckley
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2000s2
- 1990s2
- 1980s5
- 1970s3
- 1960s3(1 EF3+)
- 1950s1(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1956 | F4 | 16 mi | 50.3 mi | 1 / 25 |
| Jun 26, 1969 | F3 | 16 mi | 6.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 18, 2007 | EF2 | 25 mi | 4.45 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Jul 23, 1976 | F2 | 22 mi | 3.3 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Jun 7, 1974 | F2 | 22 mi | 1.2 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jul 31, 1963 | F2 | 21 mi | 19.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 13, 1961 | F2 | 20 mi | 14.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 15, 1989 | F1 | 1 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 15, 1989 | F1 | 20 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 26, 1986 | F1 | 12 mi | 0.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 21, 1983 | F1 | 12 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 15, 1976 | F1 | 18 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 17, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Buckley
The Storm Prediction Center has 14 hail reports within 10 miles of Buckley since 1958, made on 12 separate days. Of these, 3 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1 inch (quarter size), was reported on 3 days, most recently April 27, 2024. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. April has the most reports, 5.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Buckley
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Traverse City Cherry Cptl Airport, MI, 16 miles north of Buckley at 618 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 81°F and low of 59°F; January is the coolest, at 29°F and 17°F. October is the wettest at 3.6 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.0 inches; the year adds up to 29.2 inches over 68 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 9 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 149 nights a year. That 29.2 inches is more than at 3 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (2%). Mesick, 8 miles south, has its own station (Wellston 1N, MI): 38.2 inches a year, 9.0 more than here, and the same July average high, 81°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 29 | 17 | 1.7 | 5 |
| Feb | 31 | 16 | 1.0 | 3 |
| Mar | 41 | 23 | 1.6 | 4 |
| Apr | 54 | 33 | 2.8 | 7 |
| May | 67 | 43 | 2.8 | 6 |
| Jun | 77 | 54 | 2.6 | 6 |
| Jul | 81 | 59 | 2.7 | 5 |
| Aug | 80 | 59 | 3.0 | 6 |
| Sep | 72 | 52 | 3.4 | 7 |
| Oct | 59 | 41 | 3.6 | 8 |
| Nov | 46 | 32 | 2.2 | 6 |
| Dec | 35 | 24 | 1.8 | 5 |
| Year | 56 | 38 | 29.2 | 68 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Traverse City Cherry Cptl Airport, MI (618 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 Buckley
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 29 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Buckley: 28 thunderstorm wind reports and 1 flood. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $129,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 74 mph, on June 18, 2012.
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
Grand Traverse County, which includes Buckley, has been named in 6 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 2 of them major disasters (by incident: 2 biological emergencies, 1 drought, 1 flood, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on June 30, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Grand Traverse County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail and inland flooding; Very Low for hurricanes, coastal flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $31.2 million a year, the 20th highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $10.5 million (34%), 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.