NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Harper Woods, 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 Harper Woods, Michigan since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 49 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 49
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
15 deaths in all
What the records show for Harper Woods
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Harper Woods; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1892, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 4 miles away. The record near Harper Woods begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm 6 miles away. Of the 4 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 546 Michigan cities on this site, 52% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Harper Woods. The highest rating among the 49 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 4 times; the most recent, on March 20, 1976, came within 22 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on May 8, 1964, killed 11 people. Of the 49, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 9 have come since 2000. June and July have had the most tornadoes, 11 each. The most recent tornado was on June 18, 2025. Of the 546 Michigan cities, 62% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Harper Woods. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 90 times since 1955, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Harper Woods has more hail reports within 10 miles than 86% of the 546 Michigan cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Harper Woods
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 4 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 22 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 14 | 4 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 Harper Woods: 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 Harper Woods
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s5
- 2000s2
- 1990s5(1 EF3+)
- 1980s12(1 EF3+)
- 1970s16(2 EF3+)
- 1960s2(1 EF3+)
- 1950s5(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 8, 1964 | F4 | 17 mi | 3.3 mi | 11 / 224 |
| Mar 20, 1976 | F4 | 22 mi | 3.8 mi | 1 / 55 |
| Jul 4, 1957 | F4 | 11 mi | 29.9 mi | 0 / 6 |
| May 12, 1956 | F4 | 17 mi | 6.8 mi | 0 / 22 |
| Mar 20, 1976 | F3 | 18 mi | 17.1 mi | 1 / 3 |
| Nov 20, 1957 | F3 | 9 mi | 1.5 mi | 1 / 12 |
| Sep 14, 1990 | F3 | 3 mi | 24 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 2, 1983 | F3 | 1 mi | 23 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Sep 13, 2008 | EF2 | 25 mi | 2.65 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 2, 1997 | F2 | 7 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 90 |
| Sep 10, 1986 | F2 | 23 mi | 7.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 30, 1984 | F2 | 21 mi | 5.6 mi | 0 / 4 |
The strongest 12 of 49, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Harper Woods
The Storm Prediction Center has 90 hail reports within 10 miles of Harper Woods since 1955, made on 58 separate days. Of these, 47 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on November 13, 1955. The most recent report is from July 20, 2023. July has the most reports, 30.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Harper Woods
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Grosse Pointe Farms, MI, 3 miles southeast of Harper Woods at 613 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 17°F. May is the wettest at 3.9 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 2.1 inches; the year adds up to 36.0 inches over 79 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 11 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 124 nights a year. Snowfall averages 27.9 inches a year, most of it in January. That 36.0 inches is more than at 92 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (70%). Center Line, 6 miles northwest, has its own station (Detroit City Airport, MI): 29.9 inches a year, 6.1 less than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 82°F.
Water temperature at the NOAA tide station Algonac, MI, 24 miles northeast, averaged 73°F in August and 33°F in February over 2021–2025. No month averaged 80°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in | Water °F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32 | 17 | 2.1 | 7 | 9.4 | 36 |
| Feb | 34 | 18 | 2.2 | 5 | 7.4 | 33 |
| Mar | 43 | 25 | 2.6 | 5 | 3.5 | 36 |
| Apr | 56 | 36 | 3.4 | 7 | 0.3 | 42 |
| May | 67 | 48 | 3.9 | 8 | 0.0 | 51 |
| Jun | 77 | 58 | 3.6 | 8 | 0.0 | 62 |
| Jul | 82 | 62 | 3.4 | 7 | 0.0 | 70 |
| Aug | 80 | 61 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 | 73 |
| Sep | 73 | 54 | 3.3 | 7 | 0.0 | 69 |
| Oct | 60 | 43 | 2.8 | 6 | 0.0 | 61 |
| Nov | 47 | 32 | 2.8 | 6 | 0.4 | 51 |
| Dec | 37 | 24 | 2.4 | 6 | 6.9 | 42 |
| Year | 57 | 40 | 36.0 | 79 | 27.9 | 52 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Grosse Pointe Farms, MI (613 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals; water temperature: average of hourly readings 2021–2025 at the NOAA tide station Algonac, 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 Harper Woods
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 204 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Harper Woods: 166 thunderstorm wind reports, 19 flash floods, 18 floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 5 people and injured 9, and the NWS estimated $722.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on July 2, 1997. August has had the most flash floods, 9 of 19. Of the 376 Michigan cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 359 have had fewer than Harper Woods.
July 2, 1997: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Harper Woods — 5 killed, 8 injured, $10.0 million damage.
September 12, 2013: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Harper Woods — 1 injured.
August 11, 2014: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Harper Woods — $400.0 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
Wayne County, which includes Harper Woods, has been named in 17 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 severe storms, 5 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on February 8, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Wayne County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for tornadoes, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively High for heat waves; Relatively Low for hail and coastal flooding; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $401.5 million a year, the highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $237.3 million (59%), 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 Harper Woods
- Eastpointe, MI2 mi
- Grosse Pointe, MI4 mi
- Saint Clair Shores, MI4 mi
- Roseville, MI5 mi
- Center Line, MI6 mi
- Warren, MI6 mi
- Fraser, MI7 mi
- Hamtramck, MI7 mi
- Hazel Park, MI9 mi
- Detroit, MI10 mi
- Madison Heights, MI10 mi
- Clinton Township, MI10 mi
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