NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Ishpeming, 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 Ishpeming, Michigan since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Cristobal in 2020. Since 1950, 10 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 10
- 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 Ishpeming
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Ishpeming; the strongest was Cristobal in 2020, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 20 miles away. Of the 546 Michigan cities on this site, 85% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Ishpeming. The highest rating among the 10 tornadoes within 25 miles is F1 or EF1, reached 5 times; the most recent, on May 24, 2016, came within 15 miles. Of the 10, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 6 have come since 2000. June and August have had the most tornadoes, 3 each. Of the 546 Michigan cities, 94% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Ishpeming. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 62 times since 1956, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Ishpeming has more hail reports within 10 miles than 75% of the 546 Michigan cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Ishpeming
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | CristobalJun 10 | 20 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 Ishpeming: 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 Ishpeming
By decade
- 2010s5
- 2000s1
- 1980s2
- 1970s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 24, 2016 | EF1 | 3 mi | 3.87 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 24, 2016 | EF1 | 15 mi | 3.78 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 8, 2012 | EF1 | 21 mi | 7.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 10, 2000 | F1 | 20 mi | 7.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 19, 1973 | F1 | 12 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 6, 2014 | EF0 | 19 mi | 5.65 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 11, 2011 | EF0 | 10 mi | 0.05 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 18, 1987 | F0 | 16 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 8, 1980 | F0 | 21 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 20, 1979 | F0 | 19 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 10 of 10, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Ishpeming
The Storm Prediction Center has 62 hail reports within 10 miles of Ishpeming since 1956, made on 35 separate days. Of these, 39 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on May 14, 2007. The most recent report is from August 5, 2025. May has the most reports, 19.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Ishpeming
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Ishpeming Wwtp, MI, 3 miles northeast of Ishpeming at 1,406 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 78°F and low of 53°F; January is the coolest, at 22°F and 6°F. July is the wettest at 3.9 inches of precipitation on average and March the driest at 1.2 inches; the year adds up to 30.3 inches over 77 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 4 days a year, almost all from July to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 191 nights a year. That 30.3 inches is more than at 15 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (11%). Negaunee, 8 miles northeast, has its own station (Marquette, MI): 36.8 inches a year, 6.5 more than here, and a July average high of 76°F against 78°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 22 | 6 | 1.6 | 4 |
| Feb | 25 | 6 | 1.3 | 5 |
| Mar | 36 | 12 | 1.2 | 4 |
| Apr | 47 | 25 | 2.4 | 6 |
| May | 62 | 38 | 3.0 | 6 |
| Jun | 72 | 49 | 3.1 | 8 |
| Jul | 78 | 53 | 3.9 | 7 |
| Aug | 76 | 51 | 2.4 | 7 |
| Sep | 68 | 44 | 3.6 | 9 |
| Oct | 53 | 33 | 3.6 | 10 |
| Nov | 38 | 23 | 2.2 | 5 |
| Dec | 27 | 12 | 2.0 | 7 |
| Year | 50 | 29 | 30.3 | 77 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Ishpeming Wwtp, MI (1,406 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 Ishpeming
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 68 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Ishpeming: 54 thunderstorm wind reports, 5 lightning strikes, 4 heavy rain events, 3 floods and 2 flash floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $4.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 96 mph, on April 10, 2017.
May 12, 2022: flash flood 3 miles from the centre of Ishpeming — $3.0 million damage.
NWS: “Heavy rainfall of three to four inches from thunderstorms over an approximate three-hour time period caused flooding from downtown Ishpeming across County Road 510 at the Noquemanon 510 Trailhead to County Road 550 near Wetmore Landing and Harlow Lake. S.”
April 10, 2017: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Ishpeming — $1.0 million damage.
NWS: “Law enforcement reported multiple large trees and power lines down in the city of Ishpeming.”
April 10, 2017: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Ishpeming — $200,000 damage.
NWS: “Thunderstorm winds peeled a metal roof was peeled off a commercial building in downtown Ishpeming. Numerous commercial signs and billboards were also torn down or damaged.”
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
Marquette County, which includes Ishpeming, has been named in 11 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 5 of them major disasters (by incident: 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 snowstorms, 1 drought). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on June 30, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Marquette County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for hail; Relatively Moderate for strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for inland flooding; Very Low for tornadoes, coastal flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $26.0 million a year, the 26th highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $8.0 million (31%), 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 Ishpeming
- Negaunee, MI8 mi
- Marquette, MI16 mi
- Gwinn, MI18 mi
- Lanse, MI38 mi
- Crystal Falls, MI38 mi
- Iron Mountain, MI43 mi
- Baraga, MI45 mi
- Norway, MI47 mi
- Florence, WI48 mi
- Kingsford, MI49 mi
- Vulcan, MI49 mi
- Munising, MI49 mi
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