NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Hamilton, 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 Hamilton, Michigan since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1941. Since 1950, 66 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 66
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
24 deaths in all
What the records show for Hamilton
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Hamilton; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 61 mph winds when its centre passed 26 miles away. The record near Hamilton begins with an unnamed storm in 1900; the most recent system was an unnamed storm in 1941, a tropical storm 17 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 Hamilton. The strongest of the 66 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on April 3, 1956; its path came within 7 miles, and it killed 17 people. Of the 66, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 26 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 17. The most recent tornado was on May 15, 2025. Hamilton has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 50% of the 546 Michigan cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 37 times since 1955, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Hamilton has more hail reports within 10 miles than 52% of the 546 Michigan cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Hamilton
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 3 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 26 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 Hamilton: 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 Hamilton
By decade
- 2020s8
- 2010s12
- 2000s6
- 1990s5
- 1980s9
- 1970s10
- 1960s9(2 EF3+)
- 1950s7(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1956 | F5 | 7 mi | 58.8 mi | 17 / 292 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 24 mi | 20.6 mi | 5 / 142 |
| Apr 21, 1967 | F3 | 19 mi | 13.6 mi | 0 / 32 |
| Apr 3, 1956 | F3 | 14 mi | 60.6 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Jul 21, 1983 | F2 | 9 mi | 13.6 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Jun 19, 2009 | EF2 | 14 mi | 5.88 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 30, 1989 | F2 | 11 mi | 10.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 30, 1989 | F2 | 21 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 20, 1975 | F2 | 16 mi | 2.3 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 20, 1974 | F2 | 3 mi | 5.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 24, 1967 | F2 | 9 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 21, 1967 | F2 | 3 mi | 18.6 mi | 0 / 4 |
The strongest 12 of 66, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Hamilton
The Storm Prediction Center has 37 hail reports within 10 miles of Hamilton since 1955, made on 31 separate days. Of these, 18 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on October 23, 1955. The most recent report is from April 7, 2020. April has the most reports, 11.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Hamilton
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Holland Tulip City Airport, MI, 7 miles northwest of Hamilton at 689 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 32°F and 20°F. October is the wettest at 4.2 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.8 inches; the year adds up to 35.0 inches over 74 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 123 nights a year. That 35.0 inches is more than at 79 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (60%). Allegan, 12 miles southeast, has its own station (Bloomingdale, MI): 41.1 inches a year, 6.1 more than here, and a July average high of 83°F against 82°F.
Water temperature at the NOAA tide station Holland, MI, 13 miles northwest, averaged 71°F in July and 34°F in February over 2021–2025. No month averaged 80°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Water °F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32 | 20 | 1.9 | 5 | 34 |
| Feb | 34 | 21 | 1.8 | 5 | 34 |
| Mar | 44 | 28 | 2.1 | 5 | 38 |
| Apr | 57 | 37 | 3.5 | 8 | 48 |
| May | 69 | 48 | 3.8 | 8 | 55 |
| Jun | 78 | 58 | 3.5 | 6 | 65 |
| Jul | 82 | 62 | 2.8 | 5 | 71 |
| Aug | 80 | 60 | 3.1 | 6 | 70 |
| Sep | 74 | 52 | 3.0 | 6 | 68 |
| Oct | 61 | 43 | 4.2 | 8 | 59 |
| Nov | 48 | 34 | 3.2 | 7 | 49 |
| Dec | 37 | 26 | 2.1 | 6 | 37 |
| Year | 58 | 41 | 35.0 | 74 | 52 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Holland Tulip City Airport, MI (689 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals; water temperature: average of hourly readings 2021–2025 at the NOAA tide station Holland, MI, from NOAA Tides & Currents. 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 Hamilton
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 67 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Hamilton: 64 thunderstorm wind reports, 2 flash floods and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $38.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on May 15, 2025.
June 19, 2009: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Hamilton — $34.0 million damage.
June 19, 2009: flash flood 10 miles from the centre of Hamilton — $4.0 million damage.
June 10, 2020: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Hamilton — $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
Allegan County, which includes Hamilton, has been named in 17 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 floods, 5 snowstorms, 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 Allegan County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail and inland flooding; Relatively Low for 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 $32.0 million a year, the 19th highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $22.1 million (69%), 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 Hamilton
- Fennville, MI10 mi
- Saugatuck, MI10 mi
- Holland, MI10 mi
- Zeeland, MI10 mi
- Dorr, MI11 mi
- Allegan, MI12 mi
- Hopkins, MI12 mi
- Pullman, MI14 mi
- Hudsonville, MI15 mi
- Byron Center, MI16 mi
- Jenison, MI18 mi
- Wayland, MI18 mi
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