NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Frankfort, 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 Frankfort, Michigan since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 6 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 6
- 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 Frankfort
The strongest of the 6 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 3, 1956; its path came within 9 miles, and it killed 1 person. Of the 6, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and one has come since 2000. The most recent tornado was on September 22, 2025. Of the 546 Michigan cities on this site, 97% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Frankfort. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 14 times since 1982, with stones up to 3.25 inches. Of the 546 Michigan cities, 92% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Frankfort.
Compare Frankfort's storm record with another city →
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Frankfort
By decade
- 2020s1
- 1980s3
- 1970s1
- 1950s1(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1956 | F4 | 9 mi | 50.3 mi | 1 / 25 |
| Oct 15, 1989 | F1 | 4 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 26, 1986 | F1 | 16 mi | 0.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 21, 1983 | F1 | 19 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 31, 1977 | F1 | 21 mi | 8.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 22, 2025 | Unrated | 23 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 6 of 6, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Frankfort
The Storm Prediction Center has 14 hail reports within 10 miles of Frankfort since 1982, made on 12 separate days. Of these, 7 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 3.25 inches, fell on October 3, 2006. The most recent report is from February 27, 2024. May and September have the most reports, 3 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Frankfort
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Frankfort 2NE, MI, 1 mile north of Frankfort at 948 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 77°F and low of 60°F; January is the coolest, at 29°F and 19°F. October is the wettest at 4.0 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.7 inches; the year adds up to 34.4 inches over 81 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 1 days a year. Lows fall below freezing on about 138 nights a year. Snowfall averages 93.0 inches a year, most of it in January. That 34.4 inches is more than at 71 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (54%). Benzonia, 7 miles east, has its own station (Beulah 7SSW, MI): 36.4 inches a year, 2.0 more than here, and a July average high of 80°F against 77°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 29 | 19 | 2.2 | 7 | 27.2 |
| Feb | 31 | 19 | 1.7 | 6 | 19.4 |
| Mar | 40 | 25 | 2.0 | 6 | 12.8 |
| Apr | 52 | 35 | 3.1 | 7 | 3.3 |
| May | 64 | 45 | 3.1 | 7 | 0.1 |
| Jun | 73 | 55 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 77 | 60 | 3.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 76 | 61 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 69 | 54 | 3.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 56 | 43 | 4.0 | 9 | 0.3 |
| Nov | 44 | 33 | 2.9 | 7 | 6.4 |
| Dec | 34 | 24 | 2.2 | 7 | 23.5 |
| Year | 54 | 39 | 34.4 | 81 | 93.0 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Frankfort 2NE, MI (948 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 Frankfort
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 14 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Frankfort: 14 thunderstorm wind reports. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $73,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 63 mph, on September 13, 2005.
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
Benzie County, which includes Frankfort, 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 flood, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on June 30, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Benzie County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail, coastal flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $7.4 million a year, the 63rd highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.1 million (55%), 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 Frankfort
- Benzonia, MI7 mi
- Beulah, MI8 mi
- Bear Lake, MI14 mi
- Thompsonville, MI15 mi
- Lake Ann, MI19 mi
- Interlochen, MI20 mi
- Maple City, MI24 mi
- Grawn, MI25 mi
- Cedar, MI27 mi
- Buckley, MI27 mi
- Manistee, MI28 mi
- Mesick, MI29 mi
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