NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Grass Lake, 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 Grass Lake, Michigan since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 78 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 78
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
52 deaths in all
What the records show for Grass Lake
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Grass Lake; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 63 mph winds when its centre passed 75 miles away. The record near Grass Lake begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm 23 miles away. Of the 6 systems, one has come since 2000. Grass Lake has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 76% of the 546 Michigan cities on this site. The highest rating among the 78 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 11, 1965, came within 24 miles. Of the 78, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 17 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 20. The most recent tornado was on May 15, 2025. Grass Lake has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 68% of the 546 Michigan cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 34 times since 1986, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 546 Michigan cities, 51% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Grass Lake.
Compare Grass Lake's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Grass Lake
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 4 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 14 | 61 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 Grass Lake: 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 Grass Lake
By decade
- 2020s4
- 2010s7(1 EF3+)
- 2000s6
- 1990s10
- 1980s19(1 EF3+)
- 1970s19(1 EF3+)
- 1960s7(3 EF3+)
- 1950s6(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 24 mi | 90.3 mi | 23 / 294 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 23 mi | 80.5 mi | 21 / 293 |
| Jun 15, 1982 | F3 | 7 mi | 13 mi | 1 / 1 |
| May 11, 1974 | F3 | 13 mi | 0.9 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Jun 8, 1953 | F3 | 11 mi | 11.3 mi | 1 / 5 |
| Mar 15, 2012 | EF3 | 14 mi | 7.57 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 22, 1964 | F3 | 20 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Oct 18, 2007 | EF2 | 23 mi | 19 mi | 2 / 1 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F2 | 15 mi | 19.3 mi | 2 / 31 |
| Aug 14, 1988 | F2 | 14 mi | 26.6 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Aug 21, 2003 | F2 | 24 mi | 4.7 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jun 13, 1994 | F2 | 8 mi | 16 mi | 0 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 78, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Grass Lake
The Storm Prediction Center has 34 hail reports within 10 miles of Grass Lake since 1986, made on 26 separate days. Of these, 20 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 4 days, most recently September 22, 2005. The most recent report is from March 30, 2025. May has the most reports, 10.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Grass Lake
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Chelsea, MI, 10 miles east of Grass Lake at 900 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 61°F; January is the coolest, at 31°F and 16°F. May is the wettest at 3.8 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.0 inches; the year adds up to 34.6 inches over 78 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 11 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 141 nights a year. Snowfall averages 32.9 inches a year, most of it in January. That 34.6 inches is more than at 76 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (58%). Munith, 7 miles northwest, has its own station (Jackson Reynolds Field, MI): 32.2 inches a year, 2.4 less than here, and a July average high of 83°F against 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31 | 16 | 2.4 | 6 | 10.9 |
| Feb | 34 | 17 | 2.0 | 5 | 8.6 |
| Mar | 44 | 25 | 2.2 | 6 | 4.7 |
| Apr | 58 | 37 | 3.0 | 7 | 0.9 |
| May | 70 | 48 | 3.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 79 | 57 | 3.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 82 | 61 | 3.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 80 | 59 | 3.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 74 | 51 | 2.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 61 | 40 | 3.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 47 | 31 | 2.6 | 7 | 1.8 |
| Dec | 36 | 23 | 2.1 | 6 | 6.0 |
| Year | 58 | 39 | 34.6 | 78 | 32.9 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Chelsea, MI (900 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 Grass Lake
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 62 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Grass Lake: 58 thunderstorm wind reports, 2 floods, 1 flash flood and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $7.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on June 24, 1998.
June 25, 2021: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Grass Lake — $7.5 million damage.
May 25, 2011: flood 10 miles from the centre of Grass Lake — $100,000 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
Jackson County, which includes Grass Lake, has been named in 10 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 5 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 severe storms, 1 flood). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 27, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Jackson County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Moderate for hail, inland flooding and lightning; Relatively Low for heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $37.8 million a year, the 16th highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $18.2 million (48%), 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 Grass Lake
- Munith, MI7 mi
- Michigan Center, MI8 mi
- Chelsea, MI8 mi
- Jackson, MI11 mi
- Pleasant Lake, MI11 mi
- Stockbridge, MI12 mi
- Manchester, MI12 mi
- Gregory, MI13 mi
- Brooklyn, MI14 mi
- Clarklake, MI14 mi
- Dexter, MI15 mi
- Rives Junction, MI16 mi
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