NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Gaylord, 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
1 tropical system has passed within 75 miles of Gaylord, Michigan since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Connie in 1955. Since 1950, 26 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 26
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Gaylord
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Gaylord; the strongest was Connie in 1955, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 73 miles away. Of the 546 Michigan cities on this site, 85% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Gaylord. The highest rating among the 26 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on May 20, 2022, came within 2 miles. Of the 26, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 8 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 7. Of the 546 Michigan cities, 82% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Gaylord. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 39 times since 1994, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Gaylord has more hail reports within 10 miles than 56% of the 546 Michigan cities.
Compare Gaylord's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Gaylord
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | ConnieAug 14 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Gaylord: 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 Gaylord
By decade
- 2020s1(1 EF3+)
- 2010s6
- 2000s1
- 1990s6
- 1980s5
- 1970s4(1 EF3+)
- 1960s1
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 20, 2022 | EF3 | 2 mi | 17.54 mi | 2 / 44 |
| Jul 3, 1974 | F3 | 7 mi | 11.9 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jul 31, 1977 | F2 | 14 mi | 19.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 19, 1975 | F2 | 16 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 14 |
| Sep 1, 2014 | EF1 | 10 mi | 7.21 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 1, 2014 | EF1 | 11 mi | 9.14 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 1, 2014 | EF1 | 17 mi | 4.02 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 1, 2002 | F1 | 20 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 3, 1999 | F1 | 21 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 31, 1998 | F1 | 24 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 9, 1993 | F1 | 6 mi | 11.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 24, 1993 | F1 | 21 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 26, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Gaylord
The Storm Prediction Center has 39 hail reports within 10 miles of Gaylord since 1994, made on 22 separate days. Of these, 19 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on May 20, 2022. The most recent report is from September 22, 2025.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Gaylord
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Gaylord Otsego Co Airport, MI, 2 miles northwest of Gaylord at 1,335 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 78°F and low of 55°F; January is the coolest, at 25°F and 11°F. September and October are the wettest at 3.6 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.1 inches; the year adds up to 29.4 inches over 71 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 171 nights a year. That 29.4 inches is more than at 5 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (4%). Elmira, 10 miles west, has its own station (Gaylord, MI): 37.0 inches a year, 7.6 more than here, and a July average high of 77°F against 78°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 25 | 11 | 1.2 | 4 |
| Feb | 27 | 10 | 1.1 | 4 |
| Mar | 38 | 18 | 1.4 | 4 |
| Apr | 51 | 30 | 2.7 | 7 |
| May | 65 | 42 | 3.0 | 7 |
| Jun | 74 | 51 | 2.8 | 6 |
| Jul | 78 | 55 | 2.8 | 5 |
| Aug | 76 | 53 | 3.3 | 6 |
| Sep | 68 | 47 | 3.6 | 7 |
| Oct | 55 | 37 | 3.6 | 9 |
| Nov | 41 | 27 | 2.3 | 6 |
| Dec | 30 | 18 | 1.6 | 4 |
| Year | 52 | 33 | 29.4 | 71 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Gaylord Otsego Co Airport, MI (1,335 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 Gaylord
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 51 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Gaylord: 48 thunderstorm wind reports, 2 floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $2.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on September 4, 2014.
August 28, 2018: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Gaylord — 1 injured, $1.2 million damage.
July 22, 2009: lightning strike 3 miles from the centre of Gaylord — $500,000 damage.
NWS: “A lightning strike ignited a rapidly-spreading fire that destroyed the Alpine Haus apartment complex. All residents were safely evacuated, but 52 people were left homeless.”
September 4, 2014: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Gaylord — $295,000 damage.
NWS: “Widespread tree damage, and spotty structural damage, occurred in far southern Otsego County, near and east of Waters. Some residential areas east of Waters were inaccessible for many hours after the event, until downed trees could be cleared off of roads.”
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
Otsego County, which includes Gaylord, has been named in 7 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 2 of them major disasters (by incident: 2 biological emergencies, 2 snowstorms, 1 drought, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on July 22, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Otsego County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for lightning; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail and strong wind; Very Low for hurricanes, inland flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $7.6 million a year, the 62nd highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.8 million (49%), 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 Gaylord
- Elmira, MI10 mi
- Johannesburg, MI12 mi
- Boyne Falls, MI18 mi
- Mancelona, MI18 mi
- Wolverine, MI20 mi
- Lewiston, MI21 mi
- Grayling, MI21 mi
- Boyne City, MI23 mi
- East Jordan, MI24 mi
- Atlanta, MI26 mi
- Bellaire, MI26 mi
- Kalkaska, MI26 mi
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