NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Decatur, 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 Decatur, Michigan since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 77 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 77
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
6 deaths in all
What the records show for Decatur
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Decatur; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 61 mph winds when its centre passed 65 miles away. The record near Decatur begins with an unnamed storm in 1900; the most recent system was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm 66 miles away. Of the 5 systems, one has come since 2000. Decatur has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 48% of the 546 Michigan cities on this site. The highest rating among the 77 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 5 times; the most recent, on October 24, 2001, came within 12 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on May 13, 1980, killed 5 people. Of the 77, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 29 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 19. The most recent tornado was on March 30, 2025. Decatur has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 67% of the 546 Michigan cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 31 times since 1974, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 546 Michigan cities, 57% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Decatur.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Decatur
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 3 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Decatur: 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 Decatur
By decade
- 2020s5
- 2010s14
- 2000s10(1 EF3+)
- 1990s5
- 1980s14(2 EF3+)
- 1970s13
- 1960s6(1 EF3+)
- 1950s10(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 13, 1980 | F3 | 19 mi | 10.6 mi | 5 / 79 |
| Oct 24, 2001 | F3 | 12 mi | 47 mi | 1 / 2 |
| May 13, 1980 | F3 | 11 mi | 21 mi | 0 / 15 |
| Apr 30, 1962 | F3 | 24 mi | 36.5 mi | 0 / 49 |
| Apr 3, 1956 | F3 | 13 mi | 60.6 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Aug 6, 2024 | EF2 | 13 mi | 8.46 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 7, 2024 | EF2 | 18 mi | 10.86 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Jun 5, 2010 | EF2 | 11 mi | 2.73 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 5, 2010 | EF2 | 24 mi | 3.38 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 25, 1998 | F2 | 22 mi | 26 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 13, 1992 | F2 | 6 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 25 |
| May 30, 1989 | F2 | 23 mi | 10.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 77, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Decatur
The Storm Prediction Center has 31 hail reports within 10 miles of Decatur since 1974, made on 28 separate days. Of these, 18 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2 inches (hen egg size), was reported on 3 days, most recently June 21, 2011. The most recent report is from February 27, 2024. June has the most reports, 10.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Decatur
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Dowagiac 1 W, MI, 11 miles southwest of Decatur at 740 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 60°F; January is the coolest, at 31°F and 16°F. June and October are the wettest at 4.3 inches of precipitation on average and February and March the driest at 2.4 inches; the year adds up to 41.7 inches over 87 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 145 nights a year. That 41.7 inches is more than at 129 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (98%). Lawrence, 8 miles north, has its own station (Bloomingdale, MI): 41.1 inches a year, 0.6 less than here, and a July average high of 83°F against 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31 | 16 | 3.1 | 9 |
| Feb | 34 | 18 | 2.4 | 7 |
| Mar | 44 | 25 | 2.4 | 6 |
| Apr | 57 | 36 | 3.7 | 7 |
| May | 69 | 47 | 4.2 | 8 |
| Jun | 78 | 57 | 4.3 | 7 |
| Jul | 82 | 60 | 4.1 | 7 |
| Aug | 80 | 58 | 4.1 | 7 |
| Sep | 74 | 51 | 3.4 | 6 |
| Oct | 61 | 40 | 4.3 | 8 |
| Nov | 47 | 31 | 2.9 | 7 |
| Dec | 36 | 23 | 2.8 | 8 |
| Year | 58 | 38 | 41.7 | 87 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Dowagiac 1 W, MI (740 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 Decatur
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 61 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Decatur: 61 thunderstorm wind reports. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $1.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on February 27, 2024.
March 15, 2000: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Decatur — 1 injured, $10,000 damage.
February 27, 2024: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Decatur — $250,000 damage.
June 16, 2024: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Decatur — $200,000 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
Van Buren County, which includes Decatur, has been named in 13 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 7 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 floods, 4 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 27, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Van Buren County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for hail and strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes; Relatively Low for inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and coastal flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $20.4 million a year, the 33rd highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $9.2 million (45%), 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 Decatur
- Lawrence, MI8 mi
- Lawton, MI8 mi
- Dowagiac, MI10 mi
- Paw Paw, MI10 mi
- Hartford, MI11 mi
- Marcellus, MI11 mi
- Cassopolis, MI14 mi
- Mattawan, MI14 mi
- Vandalia, MI14 mi
- Watervliet, MI15 mi
- Bangor, MI15 mi
- Eau Claire, MI16 mi
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