NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Grand Junction, 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 Grand Junction, Michigan since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1941. Since 1950, 56 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 56
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
23 deaths in all
What the records show for Grand Junction
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Grand Junction; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 61 mph winds when its centre passed 45 miles away. The record near Grand Junction begins with an unnamed storm in 1900; the most recent system was an unnamed storm in 1941, a tropical storm 7 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 Grand Junction. The strongest of the 56 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on April 3, 1956; its path came within 20 miles, and it killed 17 people. Of the 56, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 18 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 19. The most recent tornado was on May 15, 2025. Of the 546 Michigan cities, 58% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Grand Junction. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 22 times since 1970, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 546 Michigan cities, 77% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Grand Junction.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Grand Junction
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 3 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Grand Junction: 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 Grand Junction
By decade
- 2020s4
- 2010s7
- 2000s7
- 1990s6
- 1980s11(2 EF3+)
- 1970s9
- 1960s5(1 EF3+)
- 1950s7(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1956 | F5 | 20 mi | 58.8 mi | 17 / 292 |
| May 13, 1980 | F3 | 18 mi | 10.6 mi | 5 / 79 |
| May 13, 1980 | F3 | 10 mi | 21 mi | 0 / 15 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F3 | 23 mi | 14.2 mi | 0 / 17 |
| Apr 3, 1956 | F3 | 3 mi | 60.6 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Jul 21, 1983 | F2 | 13 mi | 13.6 mi | 1 / 1 |
| May 7, 2024 | EF2 | 24 mi | 10.86 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Jun 19, 2009 | EF2 | 6 mi | 5.88 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 13, 1992 | F2 | 23 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 25 |
| May 30, 1989 | F2 | 6 mi | 10.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 30, 1989 | F2 | 2 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 29, 1986 | F2 | 17 mi | 3.8 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 56, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Grand Junction
The Storm Prediction Center has 22 hail reports within 10 miles of Grand Junction since 1970, made on 20 separate days. Of these, 15 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on August 23, 2006. The most recent report is from August 27, 2024. June and August have the most reports, 5 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Grand Junction
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Bloomingdale, MI, 5 miles east of Grand Junction at 736 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 60°F; January is the coolest, at 32°F and 17°F. October is the wettest at 4.4 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.3 inches; the year adds up to 41.1 inches over 88 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 153 nights a year. Snowfall averages 109.0 inches a year, most of it in January. That 41.1 inches is more than at 127 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (97%). Covert, 13 miles southwest, has its own station (Benton Harbor Airport, MI): 38.3 inches a year, 2.8 less than here, and the same July average high, 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32 | 17 | 3.2 | 9 | 35.9 |
| Feb | 35 | 18 | 2.3 | 7 | 22.9 |
| Mar | 45 | 25 | 2.5 | 7 | 7.9 |
| Apr | 58 | 35 | 3.6 | 8 | 1.7 |
| May | 70 | 46 | 4.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 79 | 57 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 60 | 3.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 81 | 59 | 3.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 75 | 51 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 62 | 40 | 4.4 | 8 | 0.5 |
| Nov | 48 | 31 | 3.2 | 8 | 7.3 |
| Dec | 37 | 23 | 3.0 | 9 | 32.8 |
| Year | 59 | 38 | 41.1 | 88 | 109.0 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Bloomingdale, MI (736 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 Grand Junction
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 42 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Grand Junction: 41 thunderstorm wind reports and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 4, and the NWS estimated $825,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on July 2, 2008.
July 27, 2002: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Grand Junction — 2 injured, $220,000 damage.
July 27, 2011: lightning strike 4 miles from the centre of Grand Junction — 2 injured.
NWS: “Multiple media sources reported a lightning strike injured two males who were picking blueberries at the time.”
August 23, 2007: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Grand Junction — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “A 69 mph wind gust was measured in Bloomingdale. Numerous trees and power lines were blown down with some trees blocking 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
Van Buren County, which includes Grand Junction, has been named in 13 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 7 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 floods, 4 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 27, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Van Buren County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for hail and strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes; Relatively Low for inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and coastal flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $20.4 million a year, the 33rd highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $9.2 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.
Cities near Grand Junction
- Pullman, MI6 mi
- Bangor, MI7 mi
- South Haven, MI10 mi
- Gobles, MI10 mi
- Lawrence, MI12 mi
- Covert, MI13 mi
- Fennville, MI13 mi
- Allegan, MI13 mi
- Paw Paw, MI14 mi
- Hartford, MI15 mi
- Watervliet, MI18 mi
- Mattawan, MI18 mi
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