NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Hale, 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 Hale, Michigan since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Connie in 1955. Since 1950, 37 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 37
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
5 deaths in all
What the records show for Hale
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Hale; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 64 mph winds when its centre passed 61 miles away. The record near Hale begins with an unnamed storm in 1900; the most recent system was Connie in 1955, a tropical storm 28 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 Hale. The highest rating among the 37 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 4 times; the most recent, on March 27, 1991, passed within a mile of the city centre. The deadliest, an F2 on June 8, 1953, killed 4 people. Of the 37, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 8 have come since 2000. June and July have had the most tornadoes, 9 each. The most recent tornado was on August 28, 2018. Of the 546 Michigan cities, 72% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Hale. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 32 times since 1976, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 546 Michigan cities, 55% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Hale.
Compare Hale's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Hale
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | ConnieAug 14 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 12 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Hale: 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 Hale
By decade
- 2010s6
- 2000s2
- 1990s13(2 EF3+)
- 1980s5
- 1970s9(2 EF3+)
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 30, 1976 | F3 | 4 mi | 6.4 mi | 1 / 7 |
| Mar 27, 1991 | F3 | 11 mi | 21 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 27, 1991 | F3 | in town | 35 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 30, 1976 | F3 | 16 mi | 11.4 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Jun 8, 1953 | F2 | 11 mi | 16.6 mi | 4 / 13 |
| Jul 13, 1995 | F2 | 17 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 28, 1995 | F2 | 20 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 24, 1993 | F2 | 12 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Mar 27, 1991 | F2 | 13 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 4, 1977 | F2 | 24 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 30, 1976 | F2 | 17 mi | 4.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 12, 1974 | F2 | 15 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 37, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Hale
The Storm Prediction Center has 32 hail reports within 10 miles of Hale since 1976, made on 22 separate days. Of these, 10 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on July 14, 1976. The most recent report is from October 17, 2016. July has the most reports, 11.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Hale
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Hale Loud Dam, MI, 8 miles northeast of Hale at 728 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 81°F and low of 57°F; January is the coolest, at 28°F and 11°F. July is the wettest at 3.7 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.5 inches; the year adds up to 32.7 inches over 71 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 6 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 173 nights a year. That 32.7 inches is more than at 38 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (29%). Prescott, 14 miles southwest, has its own station (W Branch 3SE, MI): 33.6 inches a year, 0.9 more than here, and a July average high of 80°F against 81°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28 | 11 | 1.8 | 5 |
| Feb | 30 | 10 | 1.5 | 4 |
| Mar | 41 | 18 | 2.0 | 5 |
| Apr | 53 | 30 | 3.1 | 6 |
| May | 66 | 42 | 3.3 | 7 |
| Jun | 76 | 52 | 3.5 | 7 |
| Jul | 81 | 57 | 3.7 | 7 |
| Aug | 79 | 56 | 3.3 | 7 |
| Sep | 71 | 48 | 2.9 | 6 |
| Oct | 58 | 37 | 3.2 | 7 |
| Nov | 45 | 27 | 2.5 | 6 |
| Dec | 34 | 18 | 1.9 | 5 |
| Year | 55 | 34 | 32.7 | 71 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Hale Loud Dam, MI (728 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 Hale
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 24 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Hale: 23 thunderstorm wind reports and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 7, and the NWS estimated $82,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 69 mph, on September 3, 2001.
June 28, 2014: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of Hale — 6 injured.
NWS: “A lightning strike injured six people at the Rifle River State Recreation Area. All were transported to a hospital in West Branch, where they were treated and released.”
July 27, 2019: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of Hale — 1 injured, $18,000 damage.
NWS: “Multiple trees were downed. One tree was downed onto an occupied vehicle, injuring an occupant.”
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
Iosco County, which includes Hale, has been named in 11 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 6 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 snowstorms, 1 drought). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on June 30, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Iosco County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail and inland flooding; Very Low for hurricanes, coastal flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $8.3 million a year, the 58th highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $5.1 million (61%), 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 Hale
- Prescott, MI14 mi
- Tawas City, MI16 mi
- East Tawas, MI18 mi
- Rose City, MI19 mi
- West Branch, MI20 mi
- Oscoda, MI21 mi
- Alger, MI22 mi
- Sterling, MI23 mi
- Mio, MI23 mi
- Au Gres, MI23 mi
- Standish, MI28 mi
- Saint Helen, MI30 mi
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