NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Eau Claire, 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 Eau Claire, Michigan since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 67 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 67
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Eau Claire
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Eau Claire; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 60 mph winds when its centre passed 67 miles away. The record near Eau Claire begins with an unnamed storm in 1900; the most recent system was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm 70 miles away. Of the 5 systems, one has come since 2000. Eau Claire has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 48% of the 546 Michigan cities on this site. The highest rating among the 67 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 5 times; the most recent, on October 24, 2001, came within 17 miles. Of the 67, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 23 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 22. The most recent tornado was on March 30, 2025. Eau Claire has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 51% of the 546 Michigan cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 51 times since 1955, with stones up to 2.25 inches. Eau Claire has more hail reports within 10 miles than 68% of the 546 Michigan cities.
Compare Eau Claire's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Eau Claire
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 3 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Eau Claire: 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 Eau Claire
By decade
- 2020s5
- 2010s11
- 2000s7(1 EF3+)
- 1990s6
- 1980s9(1 EF3+)
- 1970s15
- 1960s8(2 EF3+)
- 1950s6(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 24, 2001 | F3 | 17 mi | 47 mi | 1 / 2 |
| May 13, 1980 | F3 | 14 mi | 21 mi | 0 / 15 |
| Nov 26, 1965 | F3 | 25 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 30, 1962 | F3 | 22 mi | 36.5 mi | 0 / 49 |
| Apr 3, 1956 | F3 | 19 mi | 60.6 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Jun 5, 2010 | EF2 | 11 mi | 2.73 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 5, 2010 | EF2 | 8 mi | 3.38 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 25, 1998 | F2 | 13 mi | 26 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 13, 1992 | F2 | 6 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 25 |
| Jun 19, 1986 | F2 | 17 mi | 1.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 20, 1981 | F2 | 6 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 28, 1980 | F2 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 67, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Eau Claire
The Storm Prediction Center has 51 hail reports within 10 miles of Eau Claire since 1955, made on 34 separate days. Of these, 28 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.25 inches, fell on July 2, 1997. The most recent report is from September 21, 2025. June has the most reports, 15.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Eau Claire
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Eau Claire 4 NE, MI, 3 miles east of Eau Claire at 840 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 33°F and 20°F. August is the wettest at 4.5 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.9 inches; the year adds up to 38.5 inches over 81 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 17 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 122 nights a year. Snowfall averages 86.6 inches a year, most of it in January. That 38.5 inches is more than at 116 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (89%). Dowagiac, 9 miles east, has its own station (Dowagiac 1 W, MI): 41.7 inches a year, 3.2 more than here, and a July average high of 82°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 33 | 20 | 2.4 | 7 | 30.5 |
| Feb | 37 | 22 | 1.9 | 5 | 17.0 |
| Mar | 48 | 30 | 2.0 | 6 | 8.1 |
| Apr | 61 | 40 | 3.6 | 8 | 1.4 |
| May | 73 | 51 | 3.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 81 | 60 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 85 | 64 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 83 | 63 | 4.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 76 | 56 | 3.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 64 | 45 | 4.3 | 8 | 0.4 |
| Nov | 49 | 35 | 3.0 | 8 | 6.6 |
| Dec | 38 | 25 | 2.4 | 7 | 22.6 |
| Year | 61 | 43 | 38.5 | 81 | 86.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Eau Claire 4 NE, MI (840 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 Eau Claire
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 101 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Eau Claire: 90 thunderstorm wind reports, 7 floods, 2 heavy rain events, 1 flash flood and 1 lightning strike. They killed 1 person and injured 8, and the NWS estimated $3.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 96 mph, on June 5, 2010.
August 3, 2022: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Eau Claire — 1 killed.
May 21, 2004: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Eau Claire — 7 injured, $50,000 damage.
March 15, 2000: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Eau Claire — 1 injured, $10,000 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
Berrien County, which includes Eau Claire, has been named in 12 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 7 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 floods, 3 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 Berrien County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding and lightning; Relatively Low for heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and coastal flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $45.1 million a year, the 14th highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $27.1 million (60%), 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 Eau Claire
- Berrien Springs, MI6 mi
- Dowagiac, MI9 mi
- Benton Harbor, MI9 mi
- Saint Joseph, MI10 mi
- Stevensville, MI11 mi
- Baroda, MI11 mi
- Watervliet, MI12 mi
- Coloma, MI13 mi
- Niles, MI14 mi
- Hartford, MI14 mi
- Buchanan, MI14 mi
- Bridgman, MI15 mi
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