NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Indian River, 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
No tropical storm or hurricane has passed within 75 miles of Indian River, Michigan since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 16 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 16
- 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 Indian River
The strongest of the 16 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F2 on July 31, 1977; its path came within 24 miles. Of the 16, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 5 have come since 2000. August has had the most tornadoes, 6. The most recent tornado was on September 1, 2014. Of the 546 Michigan cities on this site, 90% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Indian River. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 13 times since 1992, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 546 Michigan cities, 94% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Indian River.
Compare Indian River's storm record with another city →
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Indian River
By decade
- 2010s1
- 2000s4
- 1990s1
- 1980s2
- 1970s3
- 1950s5
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 31, 1977 | F2 | 24 mi | 19.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 18, 2007 | EF1 | 11 mi | 10.21 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 1, 2002 | F1 | 25 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 9, 1993 | F1 | 18 mi | 11.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 12, 1988 | F1 | 15 mi | 5.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 16, 1978 | F1 | 14 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 4, 1957 | F1 | 16 mi | 6.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 19, 1955 | F1 | 21 mi | 2.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 6, 1955 | F1 | 18 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 20, 1953 | F1 | 18 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 1, 2014 | EF0 | 13 mi | 0.67 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 1, 2002 | F0 | 17 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 16, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Indian River
The Storm Prediction Center has 13 hail reports within 10 miles of Indian River since 1992, made on 11 separate days. Of these, 3 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on May 22, 2011. The most recent report is from March 6, 2016. June has the most reports, 5.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Indian River
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Pellston Regional Airport, MI, 14 miles northwest of Indian River at 705 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 79°F and low of 53°F; January is the coolest, at 27°F and 9°F. October is the wettest at 4.2 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.1 inches; the year adds up to 30.0 inches over 72 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 5 days a year, almost all from June to July. Lows fall below freezing on about 180 nights a year. That 30.0 inches is more than at 11 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (8%). Wolverine, 10 miles south, has its own station (Vanderbilt 11ENE, MI): 32.5 inches a year, 2.5 more than here, and a July average high of 80°F against 79°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27 | 9 | 1.6 | 5 |
| Feb | 29 | 7 | 1.1 | 4 |
| Mar | 39 | 16 | 1.7 | 5 |
| Apr | 52 | 27 | 2.4 | 6 |
| May | 66 | 38 | 2.8 | 6 |
| Jun | 76 | 48 | 2.6 | 6 |
| Jul | 79 | 53 | 2.7 | 6 |
| Aug | 78 | 52 | 2.9 | 6 |
| Sep | 70 | 45 | 3.4 | 8 |
| Oct | 57 | 35 | 4.2 | 9 |
| Nov | 44 | 27 | 2.7 | 7 |
| Dec | 33 | 18 | 1.9 | 6 |
| Year | 54 | 31 | 30.0 | 72 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Pellston Regional Airport, MI (705 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 Indian River
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 24 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Indian River: 21 thunderstorm wind reports, 2 lightning strikes and 1 flood. They killed 0 people and injured 4, and the NWS estimated $223,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 69 mph, on August 26, 2003.
August 2, 2015: lightning strike 4 miles from the centre of Indian River — 2 injured.
NWS: “Two people were injured by a lightning strike at a campground. They were treated and released from a local hospital later that same day.”
August 8, 2001: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Indian River — 1 injured.
May 14, 2007: lightning strike 3 miles from the centre of Indian River — 1 injured.
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
Cheboygan County, which includes Indian River, has been named in 8 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 4 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 Cheboygan County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for inland flooding; Relatively Low for hail, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, coastal flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $15.3 million a year, the 41st highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $13.0 million (85%), 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 Indian River
- Alanson, MI9 mi
- Wolverine, MI10 mi
- Cheboygan, MI13 mi
- Petoskey, MI17 mi
- Onaway, MI18 mi
- Boyne Falls, MI20 mi
- Harbor Springs, MI20 mi
- Boyne City, MI25 mi
- Elmira, MI29 mi
- Gaylord, MI30 mi
- East Jordan, MI32 mi
- Johannesburg, MI32 mi
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