NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Columbus, 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 Columbus, Michigan since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 45 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 45
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
15 deaths in all
What the records show for Columbus
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Columbus; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 64 mph winds when its centre passed 56 miles away. The record near Columbus begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm 10 miles away. Of the 5 systems, one has come since 2000. Columbus has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 48% of the 546 Michigan cities on this site. The highest rating among the 45 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on May 8, 1964, came within 13 miles. Of the 45, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 14 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 13. The most recent tornado was on June 18, 2025. Of the 546 Michigan cities, 64% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Columbus. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 30 times since 1958, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Of the 546 Michigan cities, 59% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Columbus.
Compare Columbus's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Columbus
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1955 | ConnieAug 14 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 4 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 12 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 14 | 1 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 Columbus: 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 Columbus
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s6
- 2000s5
- 1990s10
- 1980s7(2 EF3+)
- 1970s11(1 EF3+)
- 1960s1(1 EF3+)
- 1950s2(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 8, 1964 | F4 | 13 mi | 3.3 mi | 11 / 224 |
| May 21, 1953 | F4 | 6 mi | 10 mi | 2 / 68 |
| Jun 8, 1953 | F4 | 19 mi | 33.8 mi | 0 / 23 |
| Mar 20, 1976 | F3 | 3 mi | 17.1 mi | 1 / 3 |
| Sep 2, 1984 | F3 | 21 mi | 15.6 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 2, 1983 | F3 | 18 mi | 23 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jun 21, 1996 | F2 | 20 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 19, 1983 | F2 | 10 mi | 1.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 21, 1975 | F2 | 19 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 15, 1974 | F2 | 20 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 27, 2010 | EF1 | 10 mi | 2.91 mi | 1 / 4 |
| Jul 24, 2021 | EF1 | 9 mi | 3.45 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 45, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Columbus
The Storm Prediction Center has 30 hail reports within 10 miles of Columbus since 1958, made on 26 separate days. Of these, 16 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on July 26, 1978. The most recent report is from August 30, 2024. July has the most reports, 10.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Columbus
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Richmond 4 NNW, MI, 6 miles west of Columbus at 765 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 30°F and 16°F. July is the wettest at 3.9 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.9 inches; the year adds up to 36.1 inches over 81 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 14 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 143 nights a year. Snowfall averages 46.6 inches a year, most of it in February. That 36.1 inches is more than at 95 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (73%). Kimball, 9 miles northeast, has its own station (Port Huron, MI): 34.9 inches a year, 1.2 less than here, and a July average high of 81°F against 83°F.
Water temperature at the NOAA tide station Algonac, MI, 18 miles southeast, averaged 73°F in August and 33°F in February over 2021–2025. No month averaged 80°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in | Water °F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30 | 16 | 2.4 | 7 | 10.8 | 36 |
| Feb | 33 | 16 | 1.9 | 5 | 13.3 | 33 |
| Mar | 42 | 25 | 2.1 | 6 | 6.1 | 36 |
| Apr | 56 | 36 | 3.2 | 7 | 2.6 | 42 |
| May | 69 | 47 | 3.8 | 9 | 0.0 | 51 |
| Jun | 78 | 58 | 3.6 | 7 | 0.0 | 62 |
| Jul | 83 | 62 | 3.9 | 6 | 0.0 | 70 |
| Aug | 80 | 59 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 | 73 |
| Sep | 73 | 52 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 | 69 |
| Oct | 60 | 41 | 3.0 | 8 | 0.0 | 61 |
| Nov | 47 | 32 | 3.0 | 7 | 3.5 | 51 |
| Dec | 35 | 23 | 2.4 | 7 | 10.3 | 42 |
| Year | 57 | 39 | 36.1 | 81 | 46.6 | 52 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Richmond 4 NNW, MI (765 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals; water temperature: average of hourly readings 2021–2025 at the NOAA tide station Algonac, MI, from NOAA Tides & Currents. 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 Columbus
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 73 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Columbus: 73 thunderstorm wind reports. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $736,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on May 31, 1998.
May 31, 1998: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Columbus — $405,000 damage.
May 31, 1998: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Columbus — $125,000 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
St. Clair County, which includes Columbus, has been named in 12 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 7 of them major disasters (by incident: 3 floods, 3 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 27, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives St. Clair County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and inland flooding; Relatively Low for hail, coastal flooding, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $49.4 million a year, the 13th highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $29.0 million (59%), 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.