NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Harrison, 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
3 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Harrison, Michigan since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1941. Since 1950, 33 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 33
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Harrison
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Harrison; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 63 mph winds when its centre passed 51 miles away. The record near Harrison begins with an unnamed storm in 1900; the most recent system was an unnamed storm in 1941, a tropical storm 40 miles away. Of the 546 Michigan cities on this site, 75% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Harrison. The highest rating among the 33 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2, reached 6 times; the most recent, on March 27, 1991, came within 12 miles. Of the 33, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 6 have come since 2000. June and July have had the most tornadoes, 10 each. The most recent tornado was on July 5, 2024. Of the 546 Michigan cities, 76% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Harrison. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 27 times since 1976, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 546 Michigan cities, 66% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Harrison.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Harrison
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Harrison: 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 Harrison
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2000s3
- 1990s11
- 1980s4
- 1970s7
- 1960s3
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 27, 1991 | F2 | 12 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 21, 1975 | F2 | 16 mi | 1.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 25, 1973 | F2 | 23 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 7, 1965 | F2 | 19 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 31, 1963 | F2 | 16 mi | 19.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 7, 1955 | F2 | 24 mi | 3.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 5, 2024 | EF1 | 6 mi | 12.11 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 22, 2024 | EF1 | 19 mi | 10.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 9, 2001 | F1 | 18 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 21, 1996 | F1 | 23 mi | 4.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 27, 1995 | F1 | 23 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 17, 1992 | F1 | 20 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 33, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Harrison
The Storm Prediction Center has 27 hail reports within 10 miles of Harrison since 1976, made on 25 separate days. Of these, 15 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 July 13, 2003. The most recent report is from September 21, 2022. May has the most reports, 8.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Harrison
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Houghton Lake 6 WSW, MI, 18 miles north of Harrison at 1,135 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 53°F; January is the coolest, at 28°F and 11°F. May and June are the wettest at 3.6 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.5 inches; the year adds up to 31.9 inches over 75 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 10 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 191 nights a year. Snowfall averages 66.0 inches a year, most of it in December. That 31.9 inches is more than at 26 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (20%). Marion, 14 miles west, has its own station (Lake City Exp Farm, MI): 33.4 inches a year, 1.5 more than here, and a July average high of 80°F against 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28 | 11 | 1.8 | 5 | 15.6 |
| Feb | 32 | 10 | 1.5 | 5 | 14.6 |
| Mar | 42 | 17 | 1.7 | 5 | 7.9 |
| Apr | 54 | 29 | 3.1 | 7 | 3.8 |
| May | 68 | 40 | 3.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 78 | 50 | 3.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 82 | 53 | 2.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 80 | 51 | 3.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 72 | 43 | 2.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 59 | 34 | 3.5 | 8 | 0.5 |
| Nov | 44 | 26 | 2.4 | 6 | 5.6 |
| Dec | 34 | 18 | 1.9 | 6 | 18.0 |
| Year | 56 | 32 | 31.9 | 75 | 66.0 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Houghton Lake 6 WSW, MI (1,135 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 Harrison
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 37 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Harrison: 35 thunderstorm wind reports and 2 floods. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $3.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 69 mph, on September 20, 1998.
November 17, 2013: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Harrison — 1 injured, $75,000 damage.
NWS: “Several trees and power lines were blown down and one person was injured by a falling tree. Part of US-10 was blocked by several downed large trees and one tree fell on a house.”
April 17, 2013: flood 6 miles from the centre of Harrison — $3.0 million damage.
NWS: “Significant flooding occurred on rivers and streams across Clare county.”
August 28, 2018: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Harrison — $200,000 damage.
NWS: “Numerous trees were uprooted or snapped and there was damage to buldings and vehicles due to fallen trees. Leota was especially hard hit.”
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
Clare County, which includes Harrison, has been named in 9 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1975, 4 of them major disasters (by incident: 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods, 2 snowstorms, 1 drought). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 27, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Clare County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for lightning; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail and inland flooding; Very Low for hurricanes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $9.5 million a year, the 54th highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.2 million (45%), 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 Harrison
- Marion, MI14 mi
- Farwell, MI15 mi
- Lake, MI15 mi
- Clare, MI16 mi
- Prudenville, MI17 mi
- Houghton Lake, MI18 mi
- Gladwin, MI19 mi
- Mc Bain, MI20 mi
- Evart, MI24 mi
- Beaverton, MI24 mi
- Coleman, MI25 mi
- Lake City, MI27 mi
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