NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Charlotte, 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
5 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Charlotte, Michigan since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 75 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 75
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
4 deaths in all
What the records show for Charlotte
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Charlotte; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 62 mph winds when its centre passed 47 miles away. The record near Charlotte begins with an unnamed storm in 1900; the most recent system was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm 58 miles away. Of the 5 systems, one has come since 2000. Charlotte has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 48% of the 546 Michigan cities on this site. The highest rating among the 75 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on April 2, 1977, came within 5 miles. The deadliest, an EF1 on June 8, 2008, killed 1 person. Of the 75, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 17 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 14. The most recent tornado was on May 15, 2025. Charlotte has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 63% of the 546 Michigan cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 35 times since 1957, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 546 Michigan cities, 49% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Charlotte.
Compare Charlotte's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Charlotte
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 4 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Charlotte: 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 Charlotte
By decade
- 2020s5
- 2010s2
- 2000s10(1 EF3+)
- 1990s9(1 EF3+)
- 1980s17
- 1970s13(1 EF3+)
- 1960s14(3 EF3+)
- 1950s5
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 2, 1977 | F4 | 5 mi | 16.6 mi | 1 / 44 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 21 mi | 21 mi | 1 / 8 |
| Apr 21, 1967 | F4 | 24 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Aug 24, 2007 | EF3 | in town | 6.5 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Mar 27, 1991 | F3 | 14 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 18 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F3 | 18 mi | 14.1 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Aug 14, 1988 | F2 | 20 mi | 26.6 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Mar 27, 1991 | F2 | 22 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 27, 1989 | F2 | 18 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 26, 1986 | F2 | 10 mi | 10.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 15, 1986 | F2 | 18 mi | 42.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 15, 1985 | F2 | 21 mi | 15.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 75, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Charlotte
The Storm Prediction Center has 35 hail reports within 10 miles of Charlotte since 1957, made on 31 separate days. Of these, 17 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 3 days, most recently May 23, 2004. The most recent report is from April 7, 2020. July has the most reports, 11.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Charlotte
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Charlotte, MI, 2 miles south of Charlotte at 902 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 60°F; January is the coolest, at 30°F and 15°F. May is the wettest at 4.0 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.7 inches; the year adds up to 35.8 inches over 78 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 6 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 149 nights a year. Snowfall averages 38.1 inches a year, most of it in January. That 35.8 inches is more than at 90 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (69%). Dimondale, 10 miles northeast, has its own station (East Lansing 4 S, MI): 34.6 inches a year, 1.2 less than here, and a July average high of 83°F against 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30 | 15 | 2.3 | 6 | 14.9 |
| Feb | 33 | 16 | 1.7 | 5 | 4.4 |
| Mar | 43 | 24 | 2.3 | 6 | 5.8 |
| Apr | 57 | 35 | 3.4 | 7 | 1.0 |
| May | 68 | 46 | 4.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 78 | 56 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 82 | 60 | 3.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 79 | 58 | 3.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 73 | 50 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 60 | 40 | 3.6 | 8 | 0.3 |
| Nov | 46 | 30 | 2.7 | 7 | 2.1 |
| Dec | 35 | 22 | 2.2 | 6 | 9.6 |
| Year | 57 | 38 | 35.8 | 78 | 38.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Charlotte, MI (902 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 Charlotte
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 44 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Charlotte: 43 thunderstorm wind reports and 1 flood. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $1.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on May 29, 2011.
May 29, 2011: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Charlotte — $1.0 million damage.
NWS: “5 to 1 mile in width occurred SE of Charlotte to just NNE of Eaton Rapids. The damage resulted from a bowing segment of a line echo wave pattern which downed numerous trees and power lines.”
August 23, 2007: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Charlotte — $100,000 damage.
May 18, 2020: flood 4 miles from the centre of Charlotte — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “There were numerous road closures due to flooding.”
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
Eaton County, which includes Charlotte, has been named in 14 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 8 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 snowstorms, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on June 30, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Eaton County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and hail; Relatively Low for inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $30.0 million a year, the 22nd highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $16.0 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.