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NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database

Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Fowler, 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 Fowler, Michigan since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1941. Since 1950, 75 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.

Hurricanes
0

within 75 mi, since 1851

Tropical storms
4

below hurricane strength

Tornadoes
75

within 25 mi, since 1950

EF3 or stronger
4

4 deaths in all

What the records show for Fowler

None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Fowler; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 62 mph winds when its centre passed 19 miles away. The record near Fowler begins with an unnamed storm in 1900; the most recent system was an unnamed storm in 1941, a tropical storm 13 miles away. None of the 4 systems has come since 2000. Of the 546 Michigan cities on this site, 52% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Fowler. The highest rating among the 75 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 21, 1967, came within 4 miles. The deadliest, an EF1 on June 8, 2008, killed 1 person. Of the 75, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 21 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 19. The most recent tornado was on May 15, 2025. Fowler has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 63% of the 546 Michigan cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 18 times since 1976, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 546 Michigan cities, 86% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Fowler.

Compare Fowler's storm record with another city →

Tropical storms and hurricanes near Fowler

Tropical systems that passed within 75 miles of Fowler, Michigan, newest first
YearStormClosestStrength when closestPeak
1941Unnamed 1941 stormSep 2513 miTropical storm (49 mph)Category 3
1932Unnamed 1932 stormSep 435 miTropical storm (47 mph)Category 1
1923Unnamed 1923 stormOct 1912 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
1900Unnamed 1900 stormSep 1119 miTropical storm (62 mph)Category 4

Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Fowler: 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 Fowler

By decade

  • 2020s5
  • 2010s6
  • 2000s10
  • 1990s6
  • 1980s10
  • 1970s12
  • 1960s16(4 EF3+)
  • 1950s10
Strongest tornadoes near Fowler, Michigan
DateRatingDistancePathKilled / injured
Apr 11, 1965F412 mi21 mi1 / 8
Apr 21, 1967F44 mi12 mi0 / 8
Apr 23, 1968F318 mi60.9 mi0 / 11
Apr 11, 1965F323 mi14.1 mi0 / 5
Jun 11, 1968F214 mi0.1 mi1 / 0
May 12, 1956F222 mi3.8 mi1 / 4
Jul 4, 1994F218 mi0.3 mi0 / 0
Nov 27, 1989F29 mi6 mi0 / 0
Jul 15, 1985F224 mi15.6 mi0 / 0
Aug 30, 1984F212 mi2.5 mi0 / 0
Jun 15, 1982F216 mi5.9 mi0 / 0
Apr 2, 1977F217 mi3.3 mi0 / 6

The strongest 12 of 75, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.

Hail in Fowler

The Storm Prediction Center has 18 hail reports within 10 miles of Fowler since 1976, made on 17 separate days. Of these, 9 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently May 10, 2003. The most recent report is from July 20, 2023. May has the most reports, 7.

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.

Weather by month in Fowler

The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Saint Johns, MI, 10 miles east of Fowler 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%). Lyons, 11 miles west, has its own station (Ionia 2SSW, MI): 36.0 inches a year, 1.9 more than here, and a July average high of 81°F against 83°F.

Monthly climate normals 1991–2020 at Saint Johns, MI
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. inDays ≥ 0.1"
Jan31182.16
Feb33191.84
Mar44261.95
Apr57363.67
May69483.88
Jun79593.46
Jul83623.26
Aug81613.56
Sep75532.96
Oct62433.37
Nov47332.85
Dec36241.85
Year584034.172

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.

Michigan weather by month, station by station →

Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Fowler

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 55 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Fowler: 53 thunderstorm wind reports and 2 floods. They killed 2 people and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $11.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on April 12, 2014.

  • May 31, 1998: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Fowler — 1 killed, $503,000 damage.

  • October 24, 2001: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Fowler — 1 killed, $20,000 damage.

  • April 17, 2013: flood 7 miles from the centre of Fowler — $5.0 million damage.

    NWS: “Significant flooding occurred on rivers and streams across Clinton county.”

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 Fowler, 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 Fowler