NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Grand Ledge, 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
5 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Grand Ledge, Michigan since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 83 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 83
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
8 deaths in all
What the records show for Grand Ledge
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Grand Ledge; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 62 mph winds when its centre passed 37 miles away. The record near Grand Ledge begins with an unnamed storm in 1900; the most recent system was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm 65 miles away. Of the 5 systems, one has come since 2000. Grand Ledge has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 48% of the 546 Michigan cities on this site. The highest rating among the 83 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on April 2, 1977, came within 15 miles. The deadliest, an EF2 on August 24, 2023, killed 2 people. Of the 83, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 26 have come since 2000. May and August have had the most tornadoes, 15 each. The most recent tornado was on May 15, 2025. Grand Ledge has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 75% of the 546 Michigan cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 25 times since 1961, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 546 Michigan cities, 71% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Grand Ledge.
Compare Grand Ledge's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Grand Ledge
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 4 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Grand Ledge: 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 Ledge
By decade
- 2020s5
- 2010s8
- 2000s13(1 EF3+)
- 1990s7
- 1980s15
- 1970s15(1 EF3+)
- 1960s14(3 EF3+)
- 1950s6
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 2, 1977 | F4 | 15 mi | 16.6 mi | 1 / 44 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 9 mi | 21 mi | 1 / 8 |
| Apr 21, 1967 | F4 | 13 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Aug 24, 2007 | EF3 | 8 mi | 6.5 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F3 | 16 mi | 14.1 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Aug 24, 2023 | EF2 | 23 mi | 12.02 mi | 2 / 4 |
| Oct 18, 2007 | EF2 | 25 mi | 19 mi | 2 / 1 |
| Aug 14, 1988 | F2 | 15 mi | 26.6 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Nov 27, 1989 | F2 | 10 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 26, 1986 | F2 | 10 mi | 10.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 15, 1985 | F2 | 14 mi | 15.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 30, 1984 | F2 | 25 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 83, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Grand Ledge
The Storm Prediction Center has 25 hail reports within 10 miles of Grand Ledge since 1961, made on 22 separate days. Of these, 13 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2 inches (hen egg size), was reported on 3 days, most recently June 25, 1998. The most recent report is from April 17, 2024. June has the most reports, 9.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Grand Ledge
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Lansing Capital City Airport, MI, 9 miles east of Grand Ledge at 841 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 17°F. June is the wettest at 3.8 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.7 inches; the year adds up to 33.5 inches over 71 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 9 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 143 nights a year. Snowfall averages 50.2 inches a year, most of it in January. That 33.5 inches is more than at 53 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (40%). Potterville, 8 miles south, has its own station (Charlotte, MI): 35.8 inches a year, 2.3 more than here, and a July average high of 82°F against 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31 | 17 | 2.1 | 5 | 14.3 |
| Feb | 34 | 18 | 1.7 | 5 | 12.9 |
| Mar | 44 | 26 | 2.1 | 6 | 5.9 |
| Apr | 58 | 36 | 3.3 | 8 | 1.7 |
| May | 69 | 48 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 79 | 57 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 61 | 2.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 81 | 60 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 74 | 52 | 2.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 61 | 41 | 3.2 | 7 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 47 | 32 | 2.5 | 5 | 3.9 |
| Dec | 36 | 23 | 1.9 | 5 | 11.3 |
| Year | 58 | 39 | 33.5 | 71 | 50.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Lansing Capital City Airport, MI (841 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 Ledge
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 70 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Grand Ledge: 67 thunderstorm wind reports and 3 flash floods. They killed 2 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $20.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on August 24, 2023.
August 24, 2023: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Grand Ledge — 2 killed, $10.0 million damage.
August 27, 2024: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Grand Ledge — 1 injured.
July 27, 2011: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Grand Ledge — $5.0 million 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Grand Ledge's ZIP code 48837 have filed 21 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1982, and were paid $118,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 10% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 160 Michigan cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 48 have fewer than Grand Ledge.
Eaton County, which includes Grand Ledge, has been named in 14 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 8 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 snowstorms, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on June 30, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Eaton County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and hail; Relatively Low for inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $30.0 million a year, the 22nd highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $16.0 million (53%), 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.