NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Elsie, 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 Elsie, Michigan since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 78 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 78
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
5 deaths in all
What the records show for Elsie
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Elsie; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 63 mph winds when its centre passed 18 miles away. The record near Elsie begins with an unnamed storm in 1900; the most recent system was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm 74 miles away. Of the 5 systems, one has come since 2000. Elsie has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 48% of the 546 Michigan cities on this site. The highest rating among the 78 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 21, 1967, came within 12 miles. The deadliest, an EF2 on October 18, 2007, killed 2 people. Of the 78, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 30 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 21. The most recent tornado was on May 15, 2025. Elsie has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 68% of the 546 Michigan cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 22 times since 1980, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 546 Michigan cities, 77% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Elsie.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Elsie
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 4 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | overhead | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Elsie: 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 Elsie
By decade
- 2020s6
- 2010s11
- 2000s13
- 1990s8
- 1980s10
- 1970s12
- 1960s9(2 EF3+)
- 1950s9
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 13 mi | 21 mi | 1 / 8 |
| Apr 21, 1967 | F4 | 12 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Oct 18, 2007 | EF2 | 22 mi | 19 mi | 2 / 1 |
| Jun 11, 1968 | F2 | 9 mi | 0.1 mi | 1 / 0 |
| May 12, 1956 | F2 | 13 mi | 3.8 mi | 1 / 4 |
| Mar 14, 2019 | EF2 | 19 mi | 18.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 28, 1986 | F2 | 7 mi | 26.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 30, 1984 | F2 | 8 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 15, 1982 | F2 | 16 mi | 19 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jun 15, 1982 | F2 | 12 mi | 5.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 19, 1978 | F2 | 20 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Apr 2, 1977 | F2 | 15 mi | 3.3 mi | 0 / 6 |
The strongest 12 of 78, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Elsie
The Storm Prediction Center has 22 hail reports within 10 miles of Elsie since 1980, made on 19 separate days. Of these, 10 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on June 12, 2021, the most recent report. June has the most reports, 13.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Elsie
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Saint Johns, MI, 11 miles southwest of Elsie at 743 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 31°F and 18°F. May is the wettest at 3.8 inches of precipitation on average and February and December the driest at 1.8 inches; the year adds up to 34.1 inches over 72 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 11 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 144 nights a year. That 34.1 inches is more than at 63 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (48%). Owosso, 12 miles southeast, has its own station (Owosso Wwtp, MI): 34.5 inches a year, 0.4 more than here, and a July average high of 82°F against 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31 | 18 | 2.1 | 6 |
| Feb | 33 | 19 | 1.8 | 4 |
| Mar | 44 | 26 | 1.9 | 5 |
| Apr | 57 | 36 | 3.6 | 7 |
| May | 69 | 48 | 3.8 | 8 |
| Jun | 79 | 59 | 3.4 | 6 |
| Jul | 83 | 62 | 3.2 | 6 |
| Aug | 81 | 61 | 3.5 | 6 |
| Sep | 75 | 53 | 2.9 | 6 |
| Oct | 62 | 43 | 3.3 | 7 |
| Nov | 47 | 33 | 2.8 | 5 |
| Dec | 36 | 24 | 1.8 | 5 |
| Year | 58 | 40 | 34.1 | 72 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Saint Johns, MI (743 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 Elsie
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 48 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Elsie: 43 thunderstorm wind reports, 4 floods and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $1.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 89 mph, on May 31, 1998.
May 18, 2020: flood 2 miles from the centre of Elsie — $1.0 million damage.
NWS: “Widespread flooding closed over 100 roads across Bay, Midland, and Saginaw Counties. In Saginaw County, there were numerous structures that suffered flood damage.”
July 29, 2001: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Elsie — $175,000 damage.
May 31, 1998: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Elsie — $120,000 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
Clinton County, which includes Elsie, has been named in 10 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 6 of them major disasters (by incident: 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 severe storms, 1 flood). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 27, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Clinton County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes; Relatively Low for hail and inland flooding; Very Low for hurricanes, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $24.4 million a year, the 27th highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $11.4 million (47%), 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 Elsie
- Ovid, MI7 mi
- Saint Johns, MI12 mi
- Owosso, MI12 mi
- Chesaning, MI14 mi
- Laingsburg, MI15 mi
- Ithaca, MI16 mi
- Perrinton, MI16 mi
- Corunna, MI17 mi
- Saint Charles, MI18 mi
- Fowler, MI20 mi
- Bath, MI20 mi
- New Lothrop, MI20 mi
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