NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Ironwood, 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 Ironwood, Michigan since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 8 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 8
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Ironwood
The strongest of the 8 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F3 on July 7, 1970; its path came within 18 miles. Of the 8, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 3 have come since 2000. The most recent tornado was on September 25, 2020. Of the 546 Michigan cities on this site, 95% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Ironwood. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 32 times since 1965, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 546 Michigan cities, 55% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Ironwood.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Ironwood
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s2
- 1990s1
- 1980s2
- 1970s1(1 EF3+)
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 7, 1970 | F3 | 18 mi | 37.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 14, 1958 | F2 | 21 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 11, 2016 | EF1 | 5 mi | 2.44 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 11, 2016 | EF1 | 7 mi | 2.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 1984 | F1 | 4 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 25, 2020 | EF0 | 16 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 16, 1992 | F0 | 20 mi | 6.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 3, 1988 | F0 | 11 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 8 of 8, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Ironwood
The Storm Prediction Center has 32 hail reports within 10 miles of Ironwood since 1965, made on 20 separate days. Of these, 18 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 May 18, 2024. The most recent report is from August 8, 2025. May has the most reports, 13.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Ironwood
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Ironwood, MI, 2 miles west of Ironwood at 1,430 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 76°F and low of 56°F; January is the coolest, at 20°F and 4°F. July is the wettest at 4.2 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.5 inches; the year adds up to 37.5 inches over 85 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 2 days a year. Lows fall below freezing on about 187 nights a year. Snowfall averages 185.5 inches a year, most of it in December. That 37.5 inches is more than at 107 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (82%). Hurley, WI, 6 miles southwest, has its own station (Hurley, WI): 37.4 inches a year, the same as here, and a July average high of 77°F against 76°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 20 | 4 | 2.0 | 6 | 43.1 |
| Feb | 25 | 5 | 1.5 | 5 | 30.9 |
| Mar | 36 | 14 | 2.0 | 5 | 23.9 |
| Apr | 48 | 28 | 3.1 | 7 | 11.7 |
| May | 63 | 41 | 3.8 | 8 | 1.9 |
| Jun | 72 | 51 | 3.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 76 | 56 | 4.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 75 | 54 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 67 | 46 | 3.8 | 8 | 0.3 |
| Oct | 53 | 35 | 4.1 | 9 | 6.0 |
| Nov | 37 | 23 | 2.9 | 7 | 24.1 |
| Dec | 25 | 11 | 2.4 | 7 | 43.6 |
| Year | 50 | 31 | 37.5 | 85 | 185.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Ironwood, MI (1,430 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 Ironwood
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 64 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Ironwood: 55 thunderstorm wind reports, 4 floods, 3 flash floods and 2 heavy rain events. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $21.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on July 28, 2006.
April 12, 2023: flood 5 miles from the centre of Ironwood — $20.0 million damage.
NWS: “The Gogebic County Road Commission reported numerous secondary roads and a few county roads impassable from the 13th into the 17th. Highway M-28 east of Sunday Lake in Wakefield was closed from the 16th into the 21st due to high water.”
April 28, 2013: flood 2 miles from the centre of Ironwood — $1.0 million damage.
NWS: “Rapid melting of significant late season snow pack caused moderate flooding of roads in the Ironwood, Bessemer, Wakefield and Marenisco areas from the 28th into the 30th. Minor flooding continued into early May.”
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
Gogebic County, which includes Ironwood, has been named in 9 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 5 of them major disasters (by incident: 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 1 drought, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 27, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Gogebic County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Low for hail and strong wind; Very Low for tornadoes, inland flooding, coastal flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $5.7 million a year, the 69th highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $2.3 million (41%), 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 Ironwood
- Bessemer, MI5 mi
- Hurley, WI6 mi
- Wakefield, MI11 mi
- Ashland, WI36 mi
- Lac Du Flambeau, WI37 mi
- Park Falls, WI39 mi
- Washburn, WI40 mi
- Bayfield, WI42 mi
- Woodruff, WI44 mi
- Minocqua, WI45 mi
- Ontonagon, MI46 mi
- Saint Germain, WI50 mi
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