NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Escanaba, 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
1 tropical system has passed within 75 miles of Escanaba, Michigan since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Cristobal in 2020. Since 1950, 13 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 13
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Escanaba
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Escanaba; the strongest was Cristobal in 2020, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 70 miles away. Of the 546 Michigan cities on this site, 85% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Escanaba. The highest rating among the 13 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on July 11, 1987, came within 7 miles. Of the 13, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 3 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 8. The most recent tornado was on August 31, 2020. Of the 546 Michigan cities, 91% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Escanaba. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 36 times since 1980, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Escanaba has more hail reports within 10 miles than 50% of the 546 Michigan cities.
Compare Escanaba's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Escanaba
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | CristobalJun 10 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Escanaba: 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 Escanaba
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2000s2
- 1990s4
- 1980s2(2 EF3+)
- 1970s3
- 1960s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 11, 1987 | F3 | 7 mi | 71 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 4, 1986 | F3 | 18 mi | 24.3 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Jul 19, 1992 | F2 | 8 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 28, 1991 | F2 | 25 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 20, 1972 | F2 | 22 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Aug 31, 2020 | EF1 | 3 mi | 0.61 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 25, 1998 | F1 | 7 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 14, 1974 | F1 | in town | 5.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 16, 1968 | F1 | 22 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 25, 2008 | EF0 | 12 mi | 0.09 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 30, 2002 | F0 | 12 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 28, 1993 | F0 | 10 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 13, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Escanaba
The Storm Prediction Center has 36 hail reports within 10 miles of Escanaba since 1980, made on 23 separate days. Of these, 13 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on June 18, 2012. The most recent report is from May 22, 2019. July has the most reports, 15.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Escanaba
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Escanaba, MI, 2 miles south of Escanaba at 590 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 77°F and low of 56°F; January is the coolest, at 26°F and 8°F. June is the wettest at 3.5 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.0 inches; the year adds up to 28.9 inches over 65 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 2 days a year, almost all from July. Lows fall below freezing on about 176 nights a year. Snowfall averages 46.9 inches a year, most of it in January. That 28.9 inches is more than at 1 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (1%). Gladstone, 7 miles north, has its own station (Cornell 5SE, MI): 30.1 inches a year, 1.2 more than here, and a July average high of 82°F against 77°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26 | 8 | 1.2 | 3 | 13.7 |
| Feb | 28 | 8 | 1.0 | 3 | 10.2 |
| Mar | 37 | 18 | 1.6 | 4 | 6.1 |
| Apr | 47 | 29 | 2.3 | 6 | 4.4 |
| May | 60 | 41 | 3.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 71 | 51 | 3.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 77 | 56 | 2.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 76 | 55 | 3.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 68 | 49 | 3.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 55 | 37 | 3.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 42 | 27 | 2.4 | 5 | 2.3 |
| Dec | 31 | 16 | 1.4 | 4 | 10.2 |
| Year | 51 | 33 | 28.9 | 65 | 46.9 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Escanaba, MI (590 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 Escanaba
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 66 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Escanaba: 44 thunderstorm wind reports, 13 heavy rain events, 3 flash floods, 3 floods and 3 lightning strikes. 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 August 9, 2004.
July 5, 2021: lightning strike 2 miles from the centre of Escanaba — 1 injured, $100,000 damage.
NWS: “The Delta County Sherriff's Department reported two structures fires and a tree fire in Escanaba as a result of lightning strikes. It took over three and a half hours for firefighters to extinguish the first fire which occurred in the attic of a house at 514 South 12th Street.”
April 12, 2026: flood 7 miles from the centre of Escanaba — $550,000 damage.
NWS: “County emergency management reported Delta County Airport closed on the 13th due to water over the runways. Power was cut to the VOR facility and water was at least 3 feet deep.”
May 15, 2025: lightning strike in Escanaba — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Escanaba Public Safety investigator confirmed a lightning strike started a fire causing severe damage at the Bonifas Arts Center and Theater. The theater suffered heavy fire and water damage, with an estimated 6 to 9 months of closure.”
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
Flood insurance policyholders in Escanaba's ZIP code 49829 have filed 11 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1986, and were paid $154,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 9% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 160 Michigan cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 6 have fewer than Escanaba.
Delta County, which includes Escanaba, has been named in 6 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 2 of them major disasters (by incident: 2 biological emergencies, 1 drought, 1 hurricane, 1 snowstorm). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 27, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Delta County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hail and lightning; Relatively Low for inland flooding and strong wind; Very Low for tornadoes, coastal flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $14.7 million a year, the 42nd highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $7.7 million (53%), 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.