NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Central Lake, 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 Central Lake, Michigan since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 26 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 26
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
4 deaths in all
What the records show for Central Lake
The strongest of the 26 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 3, 1956; its path came within 18 miles, and it killed 1 person. The deadliest, an EF3 on May 20, 2022, killed 2 people. Of the 26, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 10 have come since 2000. August has had the most tornadoes, 6. The most recent tornado was on September 22, 2025. Of the 546 Michigan cities on this site, 82% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Central Lake. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 29 times since 1989, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 546 Michigan cities, 62% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Central Lake.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Central Lake
By decade
- 2020s3(1 EF3+)
- 2010s4
- 2000s3
- 1990s5
- 1980s2
- 1970s3(1 EF3+)
- 1960s3(1 EF3+)
- 1950s3(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1956 | F4 | 18 mi | 50.3 mi | 1 / 25 |
| May 20, 2022 | EF3 | 20 mi | 17.54 mi | 2 / 44 |
| Jul 3, 1974 | F3 | 8 mi | 11.9 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jun 26, 1969 | F3 | 23 mi | 6.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 18, 2007 | EF2 | 25 mi | 4.45 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Jul 31, 1977 | F2 | 2 mi | 19.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 1964 | F2 | 8 mi | 16.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 13, 1961 | F2 | 21 mi | 14.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 22, 2025 | EF1 | 8 mi | 0.85 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 1, 2014 | EF1 | 21 mi | 4.02 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 1, 2002 | F1 | 16 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 31, 1998 | F1 | 21 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 26, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Central Lake
The Storm Prediction Center has 29 hail reports within 10 miles of Central Lake since 1989, made on 17 separate days. Of these, 12 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on July 8, 2016. The most recent report is from September 4, 2017. June has the most reports, 9.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Central Lake
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is E Jordan, MI, 9 miles northeast of Central Lake at 587 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 55°F; January is the coolest, at 30°F and 15°F. October is the wettest at 4.4 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.3 inches; the year adds up to 32.8 inches over 80 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 162 nights a year. Snowfall averages 122.2 inches a year, most of it in January. That 32.8 inches is more than at 39 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (30%). Elk Rapids, 14 miles southwest, has its own station (NW Michigan Rsch Farm, MI): 31.3 inches a year, 1.5 less than here, and a July average high of 79°F against 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30 | 15 | 2.0 | 7 | 37.4 |
| Feb | 33 | 14 | 1.3 | 4 | 23.1 |
| Mar | 43 | 21 | 1.5 | 4 | 11.0 |
| Apr | 56 | 31 | 2.5 | 7 | 4.6 |
| May | 70 | 41 | 3.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 79 | 51 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 55 | 2.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 81 | 54 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 74 | 48 | 3.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 60 | 38 | 4.4 | 9 | 0.7 |
| Nov | 47 | 30 | 2.8 | 8 | 10.0 |
| Dec | 35 | 22 | 2.2 | 7 | 35.4 |
| Year | 58 | 35 | 32.8 | 80 | 122.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at E Jordan, MI (587 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 Central Lake
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 26 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Central Lake: 25 thunderstorm wind reports and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $277,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 70 mph, on September 26, 1998.
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
Antrim County, which includes Central Lake, has been named in 7 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 3 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 Antrim County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes, coastal flooding, strong wind and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $9.6 million a year, the 53rd highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $5.2 million (53%), 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 Central Lake
- Kewadin, MI7 mi
- Bellaire, MI8 mi
- East Jordan, MI8 mi
- Elk Rapids, MI14 mi
- Charlevoix, MI15 mi
- Boyne City, MI16 mi
- Mancelona, MI16 mi
- Rapid City, MI17 mi
- Suttons Bay, MI19 mi
- Elmira, MI20 mi
- Boyne Falls, MI22 mi
- Williamsburg, MI22 mi
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