NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Fife Lake, 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
No tropical storm or hurricane has passed within 75 miles of Fife Lake, Michigan since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 27 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 27
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Fife Lake
The strongest of the 27 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F3 on June 26, 1969; its path came within 25 miles. The deadliest, an EF2 on October 18, 2007, killed 1 person. Of the 27, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 3 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 10. The most recent tornado was on September 1, 2014. Of the 546 Michigan cities on this site, 81% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Fife Lake. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 18 times since 1980, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 546 Michigan cities, 86% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Fife Lake.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Fife Lake
By decade
- 2010s1
- 2000s2
- 1990s11
- 1980s5
- 1970s3
- 1960s4(1 EF3+)
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 26, 1969 | F3 | 25 mi | 6.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 18, 2007 | EF2 | 8 mi | 4.45 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Jul 23, 1976 | F2 | 1 mi | 3.3 mi | 0 / 5 |
| May 25, 1973 | F2 | 25 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 3, 1964 | F2 | 16 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 31, 1963 | F2 | 20 mi | 19.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 13, 1961 | F2 | 15 mi | 14.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 1, 2014 | EF1 | 20 mi | 4.02 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 31, 1998 | F1 | 14 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 27, 1995 | F1 | 24 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 5, 1994 | F1 | 23 mi | 2.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 8, 1990 | F1 | 21 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 27, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Fife Lake
The Storm Prediction Center has 18 hail reports within 10 miles of Fife Lake since 1980, made on 13 separate days. Of these, 10 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on July 7, 1980. The most recent report is from April 27, 2024. June has the most reports, 7.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Fife Lake
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Kalkaska 11SE, MI, 9 miles east of Fife Lake at 1,083 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 77°F and low of 53°F; January is the coolest, at 24°F and 10°F. October is the wettest at 3.8 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.0 inches; the year adds up to 36.6 inches over 89 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 3 days a year, almost all from July. Lows fall below freezing on about 188 nights a year. Snowfall averages 126.3 inches a year, most of it in December. That 36.6 inches is more than at 102 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (78%). South Boardman, 7 miles north, has its own station (Kalkaska, MI): 33.8 inches a year, 2.8 less than here, and a July average high of 79°F against 77°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 24 | 10 | 2.3 | 7 | 28.5 |
| Feb | 27 | 8 | 2.0 | 7 | 25.3 |
| Mar | 37 | 16 | 2.1 | 6 | 15.4 |
| Apr | 51 | 28 | 3.5 | 8 | 9.5 |
| May | 65 | 40 | 3.7 | 8 | 0.5 |
| Jun | 74 | 49 | 3.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 77 | 53 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 76 | 52 | 3.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 68 | 43 | 3.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 55 | 34 | 3.8 | 10 | 2.6 |
| Nov | 41 | 25 | 3.0 | 7 | 14.0 |
| Dec | 30 | 18 | 2.2 | 8 | 30.5 |
| Year | 52 | 31 | 36.6 | 89 | 126.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Kalkaska 11SE, MI (1,083 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 Fife Lake
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 12 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Fife Lake: 12 thunderstorm wind reports. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $162,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 64 mph, on June 8, 2007.
June 8, 2007: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Fife Lake — $110,000 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
Kalkaska County, which includes Fife Lake, has been named in 7 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 3 of them major disasters (by incident: 2 biological emergencies, 1 drought, 1 flood, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on June 30, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Kalkaska County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes, inland flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $6.5 million a year, the 66th highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.1 million (48%), 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 Fife Lake
- South Boardman, MI7 mi
- Manton, MI12 mi
- Lake City, MI13 mi
- Kingsley, MI15 mi
- Kalkaska, MI15 mi
- Williamsburg, MI18 mi
- Rapid City, MI19 mi
- Buckley, MI23 mi
- Traverse City, MI23 mi
- Grawn, MI24 mi
- Cadillac, MI24 mi
- Mc Bain, MI24 mi
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