NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Houghton Lake, 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 Houghton Lake, Michigan since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Connie in 1955. Since 1950, 31 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 31
- 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 Houghton Lake
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Houghton Lake; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 63 mph winds when its centre passed 67 miles away. The record near Houghton Lake begins with an unnamed storm in 1900; the most recent system was Connie in 1955, a tropical storm 73 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 Houghton Lake. The highest rating among the 31 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2, reached 6 times; the most recent, on March 27, 1991, came within 24 miles. Of the 31, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 6 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 11. The most recent tornado was on July 5, 2024. Of the 546 Michigan cities, 78% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Houghton Lake. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 24 times since 1964, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 546 Michigan cities, 72% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Houghton Lake.
Compare Houghton Lake's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Houghton Lake
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | ConnieAug 14 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 67 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 Houghton Lake: 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 Houghton Lake
By decade
- 2020s4
- 2010s1
- 2000s1
- 1990s13
- 1980s3
- 1970s6
- 1960s2
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 27, 1991 | F2 | 24 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 27, 1991 | F2 | 24 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 21, 1975 | F2 | 23 mi | 1.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 10, 1974 | F2 | 11 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 25, 1973 | F2 | 5 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 3, 1964 | F2 | 22 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 5, 2024 | EF1 | 23 mi | 12.11 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 22, 2024 | EF1 | 20 mi | 10.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 18, 2012 | EF1 | 22 mi | 1.29 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 9, 2001 | F1 | 21 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 2, 1997 | F1 | 19 mi | 13 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 27, 1995 | F1 | 5 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 31, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Houghton Lake
The Storm Prediction Center has 24 hail reports within 10 miles of Houghton Lake since 1964, made on 23 separate days. Of these, 7 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 3 days, most recently June 17, 1992. The most recent report is from June 12, 2021. June has the most reports, 10.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Houghton Lake
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Houghton Lake 2NW, MI, 1 mile northwest of Houghton Lake at 1,161 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 81°F and low of 55°F; January is the coolest, at 28°F and 10°F. October is the wettest at 3.5 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.5 inches; the year adds up to 32.6 inches over 73 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 8 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 176 nights a year. Snowfall averages 74.7 inches a year, most of it in December. That 32.6 inches is more than at 37 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (28%). Prudenville, 6 miles southeast, has its own station (Houghton Lk Roscommon Airport, MI): 29.7 inches a year, 2.9 less than here, and the same July average high, 81°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28 | 10 | 2.0 | 5 | 17.7 |
| Feb | 31 | 9 | 1.5 | 5 | 17.3 |
| Mar | 41 | 17 | 2.0 | 5 | 11.4 |
| Apr | 54 | 29 | 3.3 | 7 | 3.3 |
| May | 67 | 41 | 3.3 | 7 | 0.1 |
| Jun | 77 | 51 | 3.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 81 | 55 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 79 | 54 | 3.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 71 | 46 | 2.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 57 | 36 | 3.5 | 7 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 44 | 27 | 2.5 | 6 | 3.8 |
| Dec | 33 | 18 | 2.0 | 7 | 21.0 |
| Year | 55 | 33 | 32.6 | 73 | 74.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Houghton Lake 2NW, MI (1,161 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 Houghton Lake
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 48 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Houghton Lake: 47 thunderstorm wind reports and 1 flash flood. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $353,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 69 mph, on June 24, 1997.
July 18, 2010: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Houghton Lake — 1 injured, $20,000 damage.
NWS: “Several trees were downed, and many others were damaged, along the northeast shore of Houghton Lake, and extending inland a bit from Prudenville. One home east of Prudenville was struck by a falling tree.”
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
Roscommon County, which includes Houghton Lake, has been named in 7 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1976, 3 of them major disasters (by incident: 2 biological emergencies, 1 drought, 1 flood, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on June 30, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Roscommon County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind and 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 $13.4 million a year, the 46th highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $9.9 million (74%), 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 Houghton Lake
- Prudenville, MI6 mi
- Roscommon, MI13 mi
- Saint Helen, MI16 mi
- Harrison, MI18 mi
- Lake City, MI20 mi
- Mc Bain, MI22 mi
- Marion, MI23 mi
- Gladwin, MI23 mi
- Grayling, MI27 mi
- West Branch, MI27 mi
- Fife Lake, MI29 mi
- Rose City, MI30 mi
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