NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Highland, 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
6 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Highland, Michigan since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 98 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 98
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
7 deaths in all
What the records show for Highland
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Highland; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 63 mph winds when its centre passed 57 miles away. The record near Highland begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm 27 miles away. Of the 6 systems, one has come since 2000. Highland has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 76% of the 546 Michigan cities on this site. The highest rating among the 98 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on March 20, 1976, came within 14 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on May 12, 1956, killed 3 people. Of the 98, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 25 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 20. The most recent tornado was on May 15, 2025. Highland has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 93% of the 546 Michigan cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 85 times since 1962, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Highland has more hail reports within 10 miles than 83% of the 546 Michigan cities.
Compare Highland's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Highland
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 4 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 12 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 14 | 41 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 Highland: 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 Highland
By decade
- 2020s7
- 2010s8
- 2000s10
- 1990s17(1 EF3+)
- 1980s24(1 EF3+)
- 1970s16(2 EF3+)
- 1960s5
- 1950s11(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 12, 1956 | F4 | 22 mi | 6.6 mi | 3 / 116 |
| Mar 20, 1976 | F4 | 14 mi | 3.8 mi | 1 / 55 |
| Jul 4, 1957 | F4 | 10 mi | 29.9 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Sep 14, 1990 | F3 | 14 mi | 24 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 8, 1984 | F3 | 24 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 2, 1972 | F3 | 11 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 8, 1953 | F3 | 5 mi | 9.1 mi | 0 / 11 |
| Jun 21, 1987 | F2 | 14 mi | 0.3 mi | 1 / 6 |
| Feb 28, 2024 | EF2 | 18 mi | 5.73 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 28, 2013 | EF2 | 16 mi | 4.61 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 28, 2013 | EF2 | 16 mi | 5.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 13, 2008 | EF2 | 21 mi | 2.65 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 98, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Highland
The Storm Prediction Center has 85 hail reports within 10 miles of Highland since 1962, made on 57 separate days. Of these, 42 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on July 27, 2014. The most recent report is from June 24, 2025. July has the most reports, 32.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Highland
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is White Lake 4E, MI, 8 miles east of Highland at 1,053 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 80°F and low of 57°F; January is the coolest, at 29°F and 13°F. May is the wettest at 3.9 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.8 inches; the year adds up to 35.5 inches over 78 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 151 nights a year. Snowfall averages 62.3 inches a year, most of it in February. That 35.5 inches is more than at 88 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (67%). Hartland, 5 miles west, has its own station (Howell Wwtp, MI): 32.9 inches a year, 2.6 less than here, and a July average high of 83°F against 80°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 29 | 13 | 2.6 | 6 | 14.7 |
| Feb | 32 | 14 | 1.8 | 5 | 16.6 |
| Mar | 42 | 23 | 2.3 | 6 | 7.7 |
| Apr | 55 | 33 | 3.3 | 7 | 3.6 |
| May | 67 | 44 | 3.9 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 76 | 53 | 3.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 80 | 57 | 3.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 78 | 55 | 3.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 71 | 49 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 58 | 39 | 3.0 | 7 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 45 | 29 | 2.6 | 6 | 5.0 |
| Dec | 33 | 20 | 2.3 | 6 | 14.6 |
| Year | 55 | 36 | 35.5 | 78 | 62.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at White Lake 4E, MI (1,053 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 Highland
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 193 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Highland: 185 thunderstorm wind reports, 5 lightning strikes, 2 flash floods and 1 flood. They killed 0 people and injured 4, and the NWS estimated $2.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on May 31, 1998.
May 31, 1998: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Highland — 2 injured, $40,000 damage.
June 5, 2024: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Highland — 2 injured.
NWS: “A tree landed onto two trucks located on South Duck Lake Road. Two men were injured and take to the hospital.”
June 8, 2008: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Highland — $600,000 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
Oakland County, which includes Highland, has been named in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1975, 9 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 severe storms, 3 floods, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on February 8, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Oakland County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively High for inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Moderate for hail; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $359.1 million a year, the 2nd highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $164.9 million (46%), 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.