NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Chassell, 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
1 tropical system has passed within 75 miles of Chassell, Michigan since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Cristobal in 2020. Since 1950, 3 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 3
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Chassell
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Chassell; the strongest was Cristobal in 2020, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 32 miles away. Of the 546 Michigan cities on this site, 85% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Chassell. The strongest of the 3 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F2 on August 22, 1968; its path came within 25 miles. The most recent tornado was on July 11, 1987. Of the 546 Michigan cities, 98% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Chassell. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 32 times since 1978, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 546 Michigan cities, 55% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Chassell.
Compare Chassell's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Chassell
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | CristobalJun 10 | 32 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 Chassell: 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 Chassell
By decade
- 1980s2
- 1960s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 22, 1968 | F2 | 25 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 11, 1987 | F0 | 14 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 8, 1980 | F0 | 20 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 3 of 3, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Chassell
The Storm Prediction Center has 32 hail reports within 10 miles of Chassell since 1978, made on 23 separate days. Of these, 16 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on July 19, 1978. The most recent report is from June 5, 2024. July has the most reports, 10.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Chassell
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Jacobsville, MI, 5 miles east of Chassell at 650 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 77°F and low of 51°F; January is the coolest, at 24°F and 9°F. September is the wettest at 3.5 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.4 inches; the year adds up to 31.8 inches over 81 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 2 days a year. Lows fall below freezing on about 194 nights a year. That 31.8 inches is more than at 23 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (18%). Baraga, 15 miles south, has its own station (Herman, MI): 38.3 inches a year, 6.5 more than here, and a July average high of 75°F against 77°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 24 | 9 | 2.0 | 7 |
| Feb | 25 | 9 | 1.4 | 5 |
| Mar | 34 | 13 | 1.5 | 4 |
| Apr | 46 | 27 | 2.9 | 7 |
| May | 60 | 36 | 3.4 | 7 |
| Jun | 70 | 45 | 3.3 | 7 |
| Jul | 77 | 51 | 3.2 | 7 |
| Aug | 75 | 50 | 2.8 | 6 |
| Sep | 67 | 44 | 3.5 | 7 |
| Oct | 53 | 35 | 3.0 | 8 |
| Nov | 40 | 25 | 2.4 | 7 |
| Dec | 29 | 16 | 2.4 | 8 |
| Year | 50 | 30 | 31.8 | 81 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Jacobsville, 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 Chassell
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 49 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Chassell: 32 thunderstorm wind reports, 7 floods, 7 heavy rain events and 3 flash floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $15.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on August 1, 2002.
May 15, 2025: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Chassell — $9.3 million damage.
July 23, 2025: flash flood 2 miles from the centre of Chassell — $5.5 million damage.
NWS: “Flash flooding resulted in several washouts in the Chassell area, including Massie Road, Chassell-Painesdale Road, and Bootjack Road. Some of these areas experienced flooding in the recent past, including June 2025.”
May 4, 2023: flood in Chassell — $500,000 damage.
NWS: “Heavy water equivalent precipitation of 2 to nearly 4 inches during the late-season snowstorm of May 1-2 caused minor snowmelt flooding of rivers and small streams over portions of northern Houghton County through the 12th. The most extensive flooding impacts were along the Sturgeon River basin.”
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
Houghton County, which includes Chassell, has been named in 9 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 5 of them major disasters (by incident: 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 1 drought, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 27, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Houghton County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for hail, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for tornadoes, coastal flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $10.0 million a year, the 51st highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.5 million (65%), 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.