NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Center Line, 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 Center Line, Michigan since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 63 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 9 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 63
- EF3 or stronger
- 9
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
16 deaths in all
What the records show for Center Line
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Center Line; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 1 mile away. The record near Center Line begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; 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 Center Line. The highest rating among the 63 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 4 times; the most recent, on March 20, 1976, came within 16 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on May 8, 1964, killed 11 people. Of the 63, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 10 have come since 2000. June and July have had the most tornadoes, 14 each. The most recent tornado was on June 18, 2025. Of the 546 Michigan cities, 53% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Center Line. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 133 times since 1955, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Center Line has more hail reports within 10 miles than 97% of the 546 Michigan cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Center Line
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 4 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 22 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 14 | 9 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 Center Line: 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 Center Line
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s6
- 2000s2
- 1990s7(1 EF3+)
- 1980s17(1 EF3+)
- 1970s18(3 EF3+)
- 1960s3(1 EF3+)
- 1950s8(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 8, 1964 | F4 | 17 mi | 3.3 mi | 11 / 224 |
| Mar 20, 1976 | F4 | 16 mi | 3.8 mi | 1 / 55 |
| Jul 4, 1957 | F4 | 6 mi | 29.9 mi | 0 / 6 |
| May 12, 1956 | F4 | 18 mi | 6.8 mi | 0 / 22 |
| Mar 20, 1976 | F3 | 16 mi | 17.1 mi | 1 / 3 |
| Nov 20, 1957 | F3 | 7 mi | 1.5 mi | 1 / 12 |
| Sep 14, 1990 | F3 | in town | 24 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 2, 1983 | F3 | 4 mi | 23 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Aug 2, 1972 | F3 | 22 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 21, 1987 | F2 | 23 mi | 0.3 mi | 1 / 6 |
| Sep 13, 2008 | EF2 | 21 mi | 2.65 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 2, 1997 | F2 | 7 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 90 |
The strongest 12 of 63, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Center Line
The Storm Prediction Center has 133 hail reports within 10 miles of Center Line since 1955, made on 74 separate days. Of these, 69 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on November 13, 1955. The most recent report is from March 15, 2025. July has the most reports, 44.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Center Line
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Detroit City Airport, MI, 5 miles south of Center Line at 626 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 32°F and 20°F. May is the wettest at 3.5 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.4 inches; the year adds up to 29.9 inches over 67 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 112 nights a year. That 29.9 inches is more than at 9 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (7%). Eastpointe, 4 miles east, has its own station (Grosse Pointe Farms, MI): 36.0 inches a year, 6.1 more than here, and a July average high of 82°F against 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32 | 20 | 1.5 | 4 |
| Feb | 35 | 21 | 1.4 | 4 |
| Mar | 45 | 28 | 2.0 | 5 |
| Apr | 58 | 39 | 2.8 | 6 |
| May | 70 | 50 | 3.5 | 8 |
| Jun | 79 | 60 | 3.1 | 6 |
| Jul | 84 | 65 | 3.2 | 7 |
| Aug | 81 | 64 | 3.1 | 6 |
| Sep | 74 | 56 | 3.1 | 6 |
| Oct | 61 | 45 | 2.3 | 6 |
| Nov | 48 | 34 | 2.2 | 5 |
| Dec | 37 | 26 | 1.7 | 5 |
| Year | 59 | 42 | 29.9 | 67 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Detroit City Airport, MI (626 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 Center Line
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 315 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Center Line: 267 thunderstorm wind reports, 23 flash floods, 23 floods and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 6 people and injured 11, and the NWS estimated $730.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 109 mph, on July 7, 1996. August has had the most flash floods, 11 of 23. Of the 376 Michigan cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 374 have had fewer than Center Line.
July 2, 1997: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Center Line — 5 killed, 8 injured, $10.0 million damage.
July 18, 2011: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Center Line — 1 killed.
July 7, 1996: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Center Line — 1 injured, $3.0 million 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
Macomb County, which includes Center Line, has been named in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 floods, 5 severe storms, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on February 8, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Macomb County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively High for inland flooding and lightning; Relatively Moderate for hail and heat waves; Relatively Low for coastal flooding; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $268.0 million a year, the 3rd highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $145.9 million (54%), 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 Center Line
- Warren, MIunder 1 mi
- Hazel Park, MI4 mi
- Eastpointe, MI4 mi
- Madison Heights, MI4 mi
- Roseville, MI5 mi
- Hamtramck, MI5 mi
- Fraser, MI5 mi
- Harper Woods, MI6 mi
- Ferndale, MI6 mi
- Pleasant Ridge, MI6 mi
- Saint Clair Shores, MI7 mi
- Royal Oak, MI7 mi
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