NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Fort Gratiot, 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 Fort Gratiot, Michigan since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 33 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 33
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
4 deaths in all
What the records show for Fort Gratiot
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Fort Gratiot; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 66 mph winds when its centre passed 42 miles away. The record near Fort Gratiot begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm 17 miles away. Of the 5 systems, one has come since 2000. Fort Gratiot has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 48% of the 546 Michigan cities on this site. The highest rating among the 33 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on June 8, 1953, came within 3 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on May 21, 1953, killed 2 people. Of the 33, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 12 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 9. The most recent tornado was on July 14, 2023. Of the 546 Michigan cities, 76% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Fort Gratiot. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 37 times since 1978, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Fort Gratiot has more hail reports within 10 miles than 52% of the 546 Michigan cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Fort Gratiot
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1955 | ConnieAug 14 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 4 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 12 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 14 | 3 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 Fort Gratiot: 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 Fort Gratiot
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s5
- 2000s4
- 1990s9
- 1980s4(1 EF3+)
- 1970s6(1 EF3+)
- 1950s2(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 21, 1953 | F4 | 8 mi | 10 mi | 2 / 68 |
| Jun 8, 1953 | F4 | 3 mi | 33.8 mi | 0 / 23 |
| Mar 20, 1976 | F3 | 19 mi | 17.1 mi | 1 / 3 |
| Sep 2, 1984 | F3 | 2 mi | 15.6 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 21, 1996 | F2 | 15 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 21, 1975 | F2 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 27, 2010 | EF1 | 7 mi | 2.91 mi | 1 / 4 |
| Jul 24, 2021 | EF1 | 24 mi | 3.45 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 6, 2015 | EF1 | 20 mi | 3.64 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 31, 2004 | F1 | 5 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 23, 2004 | F1 | 11 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 28, 1999 | F1 | 6 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 33, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Fort Gratiot
The Storm Prediction Center has 37 hail reports within 10 miles of Fort Gratiot since 1978, made on 26 separate days. Of these, 15 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 4 days, most recently June 22, 2011. The most recent report is from July 14, 2023. June has the most reports, 12.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Fort Gratiot
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Port Huron, MI, 9 miles southeast of Fort Gratiot at 590 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 81°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 31°F and 20°F. June is the wettest at 3.6 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.1 inches; the year adds up to 34.9 inches over 78 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 10 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 122 nights a year. Snowfall averages 35.5 inches a year, most of it in February. That 34.9 inches is more than at 77 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (59%). Kenockee, 11 miles west, has its own station (Yale 1 NNW, MI): 31.4 inches a year, 3.5 less than here, and a July average high of 82°F against 81°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31 | 20 | 2.5 | 7 | 11.1 |
| Feb | 33 | 21 | 2.1 | 5 | 11.4 |
| Mar | 42 | 28 | 2.2 | 5 | 4.6 |
| Apr | 54 | 38 | 3.2 | 8 | 0.4 |
| May | 67 | 49 | 3.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 76 | 59 | 3.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 81 | 65 | 3.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 80 | 64 | 3.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 73 | 57 | 3.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 61 | 46 | 3.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 47 | 35 | 2.8 | 6 | 1.3 |
| Dec | 36 | 26 | 2.2 | 6 | 6.7 |
| Year | 57 | 42 | 34.9 | 78 | 35.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Port Huron, 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 Fort Gratiot
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 68 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Fort Gratiot: 63 thunderstorm wind reports, 3 floods, 1 flash flood and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $1.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on June 22, 2011.
June 22, 2011: lightning strike 5 miles from the centre of Fort Gratiot — 1 injured.
February 2, 2021: flood 7 miles from the centre of Fort Gratiot — $550,000 damage.
August 20, 2009: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Fort Gratiot — $175,000 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Fort Gratiot's ZIP code 48059 have filed 24 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1985, and were paid $173,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 8% 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, 55 have fewer than Fort Gratiot.
St. Clair County, which includes Fort Gratiot, has been named in 12 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 7 of them major disasters (by incident: 3 floods, 3 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 27, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives St. Clair County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and inland flooding; Relatively Low for hail, coastal flooding, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $49.4 million a year, the 13th highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $29.0 million (59%), 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 Fort Gratiot
- Clyde, MI7 mi
- Port Huron, MI8 mi
- Kimball, MI11 mi
- Kenockee, MI11 mi
- Lexington, MI11 mi
- Marysville, MI12 mi
- Wales, MI14 mi
- Croswell, MI15 mi
- Emmett, MI16 mi
- Brockway, MI17 mi
- Saint Clair, MI18 mi
- Columbus, MI19 mi
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