NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Chelsea, 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
6 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Chelsea, Michigan since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 83 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 9 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 83
- EF3 or stronger
- 9
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
54 deaths in all
What the records show for Chelsea
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Chelsea; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 63 mph winds when its centre passed 75 miles away. The record near Chelsea begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm 20 miles away. Of the 6 systems, one has come since 2000. Chelsea has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 76% of the 546 Michigan cities on this site. The highest rating among the 83 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on April 11, 1965, came within 24 miles. Of the 83, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 18 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 18. The most recent tornado was on May 15, 2025. Chelsea has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 75% of the 546 Michigan cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 83 times since 1963, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Chelsea has more hail reports within 10 miles than 83% of the 546 Michigan cities.
Compare Chelsea's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Chelsea
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 4 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 14 | 54 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 Chelsea: 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 Chelsea
By decade
- 2020s6
- 2010s6(1 EF3+)
- 2000s6
- 1990s9
- 1980s18(1 EF3+)
- 1970s18(1 EF3+)
- 1960s10(3 EF3+)
- 1950s10(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 24 mi | 90.3 mi | 23 / 294 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 23 mi | 80.5 mi | 21 / 293 |
| Jul 4, 1957 | F4 | 21 mi | 29.9 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Jun 15, 1982 | F3 | 8 mi | 13 mi | 1 / 1 |
| May 11, 1974 | F3 | 7 mi | 0.9 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Jun 8, 1953 | F3 | 8 mi | 11.3 mi | 1 / 5 |
| Mar 15, 2012 | EF3 | 7 mi | 7.57 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 22, 1964 | F3 | 23 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jun 8, 1953 | F3 | 25 mi | 9.1 mi | 0 / 11 |
| Aug 24, 2023 | EF2 | 23 mi | 12.02 mi | 2 / 4 |
| Oct 18, 2007 | EF2 | 24 mi | 19 mi | 2 / 1 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F2 | 22 mi | 19.3 mi | 2 / 31 |
The strongest 12 of 83, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Chelsea
The Storm Prediction Center has 83 hail reports within 10 miles of Chelsea since 1963, made on 41 separate days. Of these, 55 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on March 15, 2012. The most recent report is from June 15, 2023. May has the most reports, 29.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Chelsea
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Chelsea, MI, 1 mile northeast of Chelsea at 900 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 61°F; January is the coolest, at 31°F and 16°F. May is the wettest at 3.8 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.0 inches; the year adds up to 34.6 inches over 78 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 11 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 141 nights a year. Snowfall averages 32.9 inches a year, most of it in January. That 34.6 inches is more than at 76 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (58%). Pinckney, 11 miles northeast, has its own station (Howell Wwtp, MI): 32.9 inches a year, 1.7 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 | 31 | 16 | 2.4 | 6 | 10.9 |
| Feb | 34 | 17 | 2.0 | 5 | 8.6 |
| Mar | 44 | 25 | 2.2 | 6 | 4.7 |
| Apr | 58 | 37 | 3.0 | 7 | 0.9 |
| May | 70 | 48 | 3.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 79 | 57 | 3.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 82 | 61 | 3.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 80 | 59 | 3.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 74 | 51 | 2.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 61 | 40 | 3.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 47 | 31 | 2.6 | 7 | 1.8 |
| Dec | 36 | 23 | 2.1 | 6 | 6.0 |
| Year | 58 | 39 | 34.6 | 78 | 32.9 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Chelsea, MI (900 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 Chelsea
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 132 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Chelsea: 121 thunderstorm wind reports, 5 floods, 3 flash floods and 3 lightning strikes. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $8.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on June 24, 1998.
June 18, 2010: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Chelsea — 1 killed, $25,000 damage.
June 25, 2021: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Chelsea — $7.5 million damage.
NWS: “Numerous roads became impassable due to flash flooding. 76 inches.”
June 3, 2007: flood 10 miles from the centre of Chelsea — $400,000 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
Washtenaw County, which includes Chelsea, has been named in 12 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 6 of them major disasters (by incident: 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods, 2 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on June 30, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Washtenaw County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for hail, inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $92.7 million a year, the 6th highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $46.6 million (50%), 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 Chelsea
- Dexter, MI7 mi
- Grass Lake, MI8 mi
- Gregory, MI9 mi
- Pinckney, MI11 mi
- Manchester, MI12 mi
- Munith, MI12 mi
- Stockbridge, MI13 mi
- Whitmore Lake, MI15 mi
- Ann Arbor, MI15 mi
- Michigan Center, MI16 mi
- Saline, MI17 mi
- Pleasant Lake, MI17 mi
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