NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Gaines, 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
6 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Gaines, Michigan since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 119 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 119
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
125 deaths in all
What the records show for Gaines
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Gaines; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 63 mph winds when its centre passed 39 miles away. The record near Gaines begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm 47 miles away. Of the 6 systems, one has come since 2000. Gaines has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 76% of the 546 Michigan cities on this site. The strongest of the 119 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on June 8, 1953; its path came within 16 miles, and it killed 116 people. Of the 119, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 44 have come since 2000. May and August have had the most tornadoes, 25 each. The most recent tornado was on May 15, 2025. Gaines has more tornadoes within 25 miles than any other of the 546 Michigan cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 38 times since 1977, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Gaines has more hail reports within 10 miles than 54% of the 546 Michigan cities.
Compare Gaines's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Gaines
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 4 | overhead | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 12 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 14 | 59 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 Gaines: 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 Gaines
By decade
- 2020s12
- 2010s16
- 2000s16
- 1990s23(1 EF3+)
- 1980s17(1 EF3+)
- 1970s20(1 EF3+)
- 1960s4(1 EF3+)
- 1950s11(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 8, 1953 | F5 | 16 mi | 18.9 mi | 116 / 844 |
| May 12, 1956 | F4 | 14 mi | 6.6 mi | 3 / 116 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 18 mi | 21 mi | 1 / 8 |
| Jul 2, 1997 | F3 | 22 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 8, 1984 | F3 | 13 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 14, 1974 | F3 | 21 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 8, 1953 | F3 | 22 mi | 9.1 mi | 0 / 11 |
| Aug 24, 2023 | EF2 | 19 mi | 12.02 mi | 2 / 4 |
| Oct 18, 2007 | EF2 | 17 mi | 19 mi | 2 / 1 |
| Feb 28, 2024 | EF2 | 12 mi | 5.73 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 14, 2019 | EF2 | 8 mi | 18.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 28, 2013 | EF2 | 16 mi | 4.61 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 119, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Gaines
The Storm Prediction Center has 38 hail reports within 10 miles of Gaines since 1977, made on 26 separate days. Of these, 19 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on May 25, 1994. The most recent report is from April 24, 2022. July has the most reports, 13.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Gaines
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Durand Wwtp, MI, 6 miles northwest of Gaines at 770 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 61°F; January is the coolest, at 31°F and 15°F. May is the wettest at 4.1 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.5 inches; the year adds up to 33.7 inches over 75 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 148 nights a year. That 33.7 inches is more than at 55 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (42%). Linden, 6 miles southeast, has its own station (Flint Bishop International Airport, MI): 32.1 inches a year, 1.6 less than here, and a July average high of 82°F against 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31 | 15 | 2.2 | 6 |
| Feb | 34 | 15 | 1.5 | 5 |
| Mar | 44 | 24 | 2.0 | 5 |
| Apr | 57 | 34 | 3.3 | 7 |
| May | 69 | 47 | 4.1 | 9 |
| Jun | 79 | 57 | 3.9 | 7 |
| Jul | 83 | 61 | 3.2 | 6 |
| Aug | 81 | 58 | 3.2 | 6 |
| Sep | 75 | 50 | 3.0 | 6 |
| Oct | 61 | 39 | 3.1 | 7 |
| Nov | 47 | 30 | 2.3 | 6 |
| Dec | 36 | 21 | 1.9 | 5 |
| Year | 58 | 37 | 33.7 | 75 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Durand Wwtp, MI (770 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 Gaines
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 142 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Gaines: 136 thunderstorm wind reports, 3 flash floods, 2 floods and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $1.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 82 mph, on June 8, 2008.
June 8, 2008: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Gaines — $750,000 damage.
June 8, 2008: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Gaines — $250,000 damage.
June 17, 2009: flood 4 miles from the centre of Gaines — $200,000 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
Genesee County, which includes Gaines, has been named in 14 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1975, 8 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 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 Genesee County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for hail, inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $113.1 million a year, the 5th highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $50.9 million (45%), 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.