NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Hartford, 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 Hartford, Michigan since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1941. Since 1950, 61 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 61
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
6 deaths in all
What the records show for Hartford
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Hartford; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 60 mph winds when its centre passed 57 miles away. The record near Hartford begins with an unnamed storm in 1900; the most recent system was an unnamed storm in 1941, a tropical storm 5 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 Hartford. The highest rating among the 61 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 4 times; the most recent, on October 24, 2001, came within 23 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on May 13, 1980, killed 5 people. Of the 61, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 23 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 17. The most recent tornado was on March 30, 2025. Of the 546 Michigan cities, 54% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Hartford. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 36 times since 1970, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Hartford has more hail reports within 10 miles than 50% of the 546 Michigan cities.
Compare Hartford's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Hartford
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 3 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Hartford: 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 Hartford
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s12
- 2000s8(1 EF3+)
- 1990s4
- 1980s15(2 EF3+)
- 1970s11
- 1960s4
- 1950s4(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 13, 1980 | F3 | 24 mi | 10.6 mi | 5 / 79 |
| Oct 24, 2001 | F3 | 23 mi | 47 mi | 1 / 2 |
| May 13, 1980 | F3 | 2 mi | 21 mi | 0 / 15 |
| Apr 3, 1956 | F3 | 5 mi | 60.6 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Aug 6, 2024 | EF2 | 24 mi | 8.46 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 5, 2010 | EF2 | 17 mi | 2.73 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 5, 2010 | EF2 | 20 mi | 3.38 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 19, 2009 | EF2 | 21 mi | 5.88 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 13, 1992 | F2 | 10 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 25 |
| May 30, 1989 | F2 | 14 mi | 10.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 30, 1989 | F2 | 14 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 29, 1986 | F2 | 16 mi | 3.8 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 61, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Hartford
The Storm Prediction Center has 36 hail reports within 10 miles of Hartford since 1970, made on 31 separate days. Of these, 21 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2 inches (hen egg size), was reported on 2 days, most recently June 21, 2011. The most recent report is from May 7, 2024. June has the most reports, 13.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Hartford
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Eau Claire 4 NE, MI, 13 miles south of Hartford at 840 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 33°F and 20°F. August is the wettest at 4.5 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.9 inches; the year adds up to 38.5 inches over 81 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 17 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 122 nights a year. Snowfall averages 86.6 inches a year, most of it in January. That 38.5 inches is more than at 116 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (89%). Watervliet, 5 miles west, has its own station (Benton Harbor Airport, MI): 38.3 inches a year, 0.2 less than here, and a July average high of 83°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 33 | 20 | 2.4 | 7 | 30.5 |
| Feb | 37 | 22 | 1.9 | 5 | 17.0 |
| Mar | 48 | 30 | 2.0 | 6 | 8.1 |
| Apr | 61 | 40 | 3.6 | 8 | 1.4 |
| May | 73 | 51 | 3.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 81 | 60 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 85 | 64 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 83 | 63 | 4.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 76 | 56 | 3.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 64 | 45 | 4.3 | 8 | 0.4 |
| Nov | 49 | 35 | 3.0 | 8 | 6.6 |
| Dec | 38 | 25 | 2.4 | 7 | 22.6 |
| Year | 61 | 43 | 38.5 | 81 | 86.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Eau Claire 4 NE, MI (840 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 Hartford
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 73 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Hartford: 69 thunderstorm wind reports, 3 floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 7, and the NWS estimated $6.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on June 26, 2020.
May 21, 2004: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Hartford — 7 injured, $50,000 damage.
June 13, 2022: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Hartford — $3.0 million damage.
May 18, 1997: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Hartford — $1.5 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
Van Buren County, which includes Hartford, has been named in 13 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 7 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 floods, 4 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 27, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Van Buren County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for hail and strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes; Relatively Low for inland flooding, 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 $20.4 million a year, the 33rd highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $9.2 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.