NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Ferndale, 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
4 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Ferndale, Michigan since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 74 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 9 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 74
- EF3 or stronger
- 9
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
16 deaths in all
What the records show for Ferndale
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Ferndale; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 1 mile away. The record near Ferndale begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 4 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 546 Michigan cities on this site, 52% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Ferndale. The highest rating among the 74 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 4 times; the most recent, on March 20, 1976, came within 12 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on May 8, 1964, killed 11 people. Of the 74, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 14 have come since 2000. June and July have had the most tornadoes, 15 each. The most recent tornado was on June 18, 2025. Ferndale has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 61% of the 546 Michigan cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 148 times since 1955, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Ferndale has more hail reports within 10 miles than 99% of the 546 Michigan cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Ferndale
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 4 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 22 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 14 | 14 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 Ferndale: 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 Ferndale
By decade
- 2020s5
- 2010s6
- 2000s3
- 1990s8(1 EF3+)
- 1980s19(1 EF3+)
- 1970s18(3 EF3+)
- 1960s4(1 EF3+)
- 1950s11(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 8, 1964 | F4 | 21 mi | 3.3 mi | 11 / 224 |
| Mar 20, 1976 | F4 | 12 mi | 3.8 mi | 1 / 55 |
| Jul 4, 1957 | F4 | 4 mi | 29.9 mi | 0 / 6 |
| May 12, 1956 | F4 | 15 mi | 6.8 mi | 0 / 22 |
| Mar 20, 1976 | F3 | 19 mi | 17.1 mi | 1 / 3 |
| Nov 20, 1957 | F3 | 5 mi | 1.5 mi | 1 / 12 |
| Sep 14, 1990 | F3 | 1 mi | 24 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 2, 1983 | F3 | 9 mi | 23 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Aug 2, 1972 | F3 | 17 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 21, 1987 | F2 | 17 mi | 0.3 mi | 1 / 6 |
| Sep 13, 2008 | EF2 | 15 mi | 2.65 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 2, 1997 | F2 | 5 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 90 |
The strongest 12 of 74, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Ferndale
The Storm Prediction Center has 148 hail reports within 10 miles of Ferndale since 1955, made on 85 separate days. Of these, 72 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on November 13, 1955. The most recent report is from March 15, 2025. July has the most reports, 41.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Ferndale
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Detroit City Airport, MI, 7 miles southeast of Ferndale at 626 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 32°F and 20°F. May is the wettest at 3.5 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.4 inches; the year adds up to 29.9 inches over 67 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 13 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 112 nights a year. That 29.9 inches is more than at 9 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (7%). Oak Park, 2 miles west, has its own station (Farmington, MI): 33.2 inches a year, 3.3 more than here, and a July average high of 83°F against 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32 | 20 | 1.5 | 4 |
| Feb | 35 | 21 | 1.4 | 4 |
| Mar | 45 | 28 | 2.0 | 5 |
| Apr | 58 | 39 | 2.8 | 6 |
| May | 70 | 50 | 3.5 | 8 |
| Jun | 79 | 60 | 3.1 | 6 |
| Jul | 84 | 65 | 3.2 | 7 |
| Aug | 81 | 64 | 3.1 | 6 |
| Sep | 74 | 56 | 3.1 | 6 |
| Oct | 61 | 45 | 2.3 | 6 |
| Nov | 48 | 34 | 2.2 | 5 |
| Dec | 37 | 26 | 1.7 | 5 |
| Year | 59 | 42 | 29.9 | 67 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Detroit City Airport, MI (626 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 Ferndale
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 267 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Ferndale: 235 thunderstorm wind reports, 21 flash floods, 9 floods and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 2 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $431.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 109 mph, on July 7, 1996. August has had the most flash floods, 10 of 21. Of the 376 Michigan cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 365 have had fewer than Ferndale.
June 27, 2007: lightning strike 10 miles from the centre of Ferndale — 1 killed.
July 18, 2011: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Ferndale — 1 killed.
July 7, 1996: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Ferndale — 1 injured, $3.0 million 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
Oakland County, which includes Ferndale, has been named in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1975, 9 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 severe storms, 3 floods, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on February 8, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Oakland County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively High for inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Moderate for hail; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $359.1 million a year, the 2nd highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $164.9 million (46%), 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 Ferndale
- Pleasant Ridge, MIunder 1 mi
- Hazel Park, MI2 mi
- Huntington Woods, MI2 mi
- Oak Park, MI2 mi
- Madison Heights, MI3 mi
- Royal Oak, MI3 mi
- Berkley, MI4 mi
- Detroit, MI5 mi
- Clawson, MI5 mi
- Hamtramck, MI5 mi
- Center Line, MI6 mi
- Southfield, MI6 mi
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