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Storms That Hit

NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database

Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Johannesburg, 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

3 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Johannesburg, Michigan since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Connie in 1955. Since 1950, 24 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.

Hurricanes
0

within 75 mi, since 1851

Tropical storms
3

below hurricane strength

Tornadoes
24

within 25 mi, since 1950

EF3 or stronger
2

2 deaths in all

What the records show for Johannesburg

None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Johannesburg; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1941, a tropical storm with 55 mph winds when its centre passed 68 miles away. The record near Johannesburg begins with an unnamed storm in 1923; the most recent system was Connie in 1955, a tropical storm 61 miles away. Of the 546 Michigan cities on this site, 75% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Johannesburg. The highest rating among the 24 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on May 20, 2022, came within 8 miles. Of the 24, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 8 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 9. Of the 546 Michigan cities, 85% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Johannesburg. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 18 times since 1993, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 546 Michigan cities, 86% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Johannesburg.

Compare Johannesburg's storm record with another city →

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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Johannesburg

Tropical systems that passed within 75 miles of Johannesburg, Michigan, newest first
YearStormClosestStrength when closestPeak
1955ConnieAug 1461 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 4
1941Unnamed 1941 stormSep 2568 miTropical storm (55 mph)Category 3
1923Unnamed 1923 stormOct 1974 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm

Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Johannesburg: 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 Johannesburg

By decade

  • 2020s1(1 EF3+)
  • 2010s5
  • 2000s2
  • 1990s5
  • 1980s5
  • 1970s4(1 EF3+)
  • 1960s1
  • 1950s1
Strongest tornadoes near Johannesburg, Michigan
DateRatingDistancePathKilled / injured
May 20, 2022EF38 mi17.54 mi2 / 44
Jul 3, 1974F319 mi11.9 mi0 / 2
Oct 18, 2007EF220 mi11.63 mi0 / 0
Jul 31, 1977F224 mi19.4 mi0 / 0
Apr 19, 1975F221 mi1.5 mi0 / 14
Sep 1, 2014EF11 mi7.21 mi0 / 0
Sep 1, 2014EF113 mi9.14 mi0 / 0
Jun 13, 2004F123 mi7.2 mi0 / 0
Jul 3, 1999F110 mi12 mi0 / 2
Jul 9, 1993F113 mi11.8 mi0 / 0
Apr 24, 1993F111 mi0.1 mi0 / 0
Aug 12, 1988F124 mi5.1 mi0 / 0

The strongest 12 of 24, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.

Hail in Johannesburg

The Storm Prediction Center has 18 hail reports within 10 miles of Johannesburg since 1993, made on 13 separate days. Of these, 8 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 25, 2023. The most recent report is from June 25, 2023. April has the most reports, 6.

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.

Weather by month in Johannesburg

The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Gaylord Otsego Co Airport, MI, 14 miles west of Johannesburg at 1,335 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 78°F and low of 55°F; January is the coolest, at 25°F and 11°F. September and October are the wettest at 3.6 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.1 inches; the year adds up to 29.4 inches over 71 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 3 days a year, almost all from July. Lows fall below freezing on about 171 nights a year. That 29.4 inches is more than at 5 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (4%). Lewiston, 10 miles southeast, has its own station (Mio Wwtp, MI): 32.0 inches a year, 2.6 more than here, and a July average high of 81°F against 78°F.

Monthly climate normals 1991–2020 at Gaylord Otsego Co Airport, MI
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. inDays ≥ 0.1"
Jan25111.24
Feb27101.14
Mar38181.44
Apr51302.77
May65423.07
Jun74512.86
Jul78552.85
Aug76533.36
Sep68473.67
Oct55373.69
Nov41272.36
Dec30181.64
Year523329.471

Averages for 1991–2020 at Gaylord Otsego Co Airport, MI (1,335 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.

Michigan weather by month, station by station →

Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Johannesburg

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 23 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Johannesburg: 23 thunderstorm wind reports. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $282,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 76 mph, on June 28, 1999.

  • June 5, 2005: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Johannesburg — 1 injured, $40,000 damage.

  • July 19, 2020: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Johannesburg — $150,000 damage.

    NWS: “An estimated 350 to 400 trees were downed in and around the Louis M. Groen Nature Preserve.”

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

Otsego County, which includes Johannesburg, has been named in 7 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 2 of them major disasters (by incident: 2 biological emergencies, 2 snowstorms, 1 drought, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on July 22, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Otsego County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for lightning; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail and strong wind; Very Low for hurricanes, inland flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $7.6 million a year, the 62nd highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.8 million (49%), 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 Johannesburg

All Michigan cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Johannesburg with another place →

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