NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Iron Mountain, 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
1 tropical system has passed within 75 miles of Iron Mountain, Michigan since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Cristobal in 2020. Since 1950, 21 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 21
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Iron Mountain
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Iron Mountain; the strongest was Cristobal in 2020, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 27 miles away. Of the 546 Michigan cities on this site, 85% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Iron Mountain. The highest rating among the 21 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on July 11, 1987, came within 9 miles. Of the 21, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 10 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 8. The most recent tornado was on June 15, 2022. Of the 546 Michigan cities, 88% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Iron Mountain. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 64 times since 1963, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Iron Mountain has more hail reports within 10 miles than 76% of the 546 Michigan cities.
Compare Iron Mountain's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Iron Mountain
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | CristobalJun 10 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Iron Mountain: 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 Iron Mountain
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s3
- 2000s4
- 1990s2
- 1980s3(2 EF3+)
- 1970s3
- 1960s1
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 11, 1987 | F3 | 9 mi | 71 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 4, 1986 | F3 | 10 mi | 24.3 mi | 0 / 12 |
| May 28, 1991 | F2 | 16 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 14, 1981 | F2 | 17 mi | 2.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 8, 1959 | F2 | 6 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jun 15, 2022 | EF1 | 17 mi | 0.65 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 15, 2022 | EF1 | 23 mi | 8.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 9, 2020 | EF1 | 13 mi | 3.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 11, 2016 | EF1 | 20 mi | 1.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 30, 2002 | F1 | 4 mi | 5.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 10, 2000 | F1 | 24 mi | 7.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 20, 1979 | F1 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 21, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Iron Mountain
The Storm Prediction Center has 64 hail reports within 10 miles of Iron Mountain since 1963, made on 44 separate days. Of these, 24 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on June 9, 2000. The most recent report is from July 8, 2025. May and July have the most reports, 17 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Iron Mountain
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Iron Mountain Ford Airport, MI, 7 miles southwest of Iron Mountain at 1,149 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 80°F and low of 54°F; January is the coolest, at 24°F and 6°F. June is the wettest at 3.0 inches of precipitation on average and January and February the driest at 0.5 inches; the year adds up to 20.8 inches over 45 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 187 nights a year. That 20.8 inches is more than at 0 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (0%). Kingsford, 6 miles southwest, has its own station (Iron Mountain-Kingsford Wwtp, MI): 31.7 inches a year, 10.9 more than here, and the same July average high, 80°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 24 | 6 | 0.5 | 1 |
| Feb | 27 | 7 | 0.5 | 2 |
| Mar | 38 | 17 | 0.9 | 2 |
| Apr | 52 | 27 | 1.6 | 4 |
| May | 66 | 40 | 2.2 | 5 |
| Jun | 76 | 50 | 3.0 | 6 |
| Jul | 80 | 54 | 2.7 | 5 |
| Aug | 78 | 53 | 2.4 | 5 |
| Sep | 70 | 45 | 2.9 | 5 |
| Oct | 55 | 34 | 2.2 | 4 |
| Nov | 40 | 24 | 1.2 | 3 |
| Dec | 29 | 13 | 0.7 | 2 |
| Year | 53 | 31 | 20.8 | 45 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Iron Mountain Ford Airport, MI (1,149 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 Iron Mountain
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 96 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Iron Mountain: 77 thunderstorm wind reports, 9 heavy rain events, 7 flash floods and 3 lightning strikes. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $857,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on June 25, 1998. September has had the most flash floods, 3 of 7. Of the 376 Michigan cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 314 have had fewer than Iron Mountain.
October 17, 2016: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Iron Mountain — $200,000 damage.
July 18, 2013: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of Iron Mountain — $162,000 damage.
June 25, 1998: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Iron Mountain — $100,000 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
Dickinson County, which includes Iron Mountain, has been named in 5 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 1 of them major disasters (by incident: 2 biological emergencies, 1 drought, 1 hurricane, 1 snowstorm). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 27, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Dickinson County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hail and lightning; Relatively Low for inland flooding and strong wind; Very Low for tornadoes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $20.9 million a year, the 32nd highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.6 million (22%), 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.