NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Lawton, 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
5 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Lawton, Michigan since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 74 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 74
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
6 deaths in all
What the records show for Lawton
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Lawton; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 61 mph winds when its centre passed 64 miles away. The record near Lawton begins with an unnamed storm in 1900; the most recent system was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm 64 miles away. Of the 5 systems, one has come since 2000. Lawton has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 48% of the 546 Michigan cities on this site. The strongest of the 74 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 2, 1977; its path came within 18 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on May 13, 1980, killed 5 people. Of the 74, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 28 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 20. The most recent tornado was on May 15, 2025. Lawton has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 61% of the 546 Michigan cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 35 times since 1977, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 546 Michigan cities, 49% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Lawton.
Compare Lawton's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Lawton
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 3 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Lawton: 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 Lawton
By decade
- 2020s6
- 2010s11
- 2000s11(1 EF3+)
- 1990s5
- 1980s11(2 EF3+)
- 1970s14(1 EF3+)
- 1960s6(1 EF3+)
- 1950s10(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 2, 1977 | F4 | 18 mi | 12.4 mi | 0 / 10 |
| May 13, 1980 | F3 | 12 mi | 10.6 mi | 5 / 79 |
| Oct 24, 2001 | F3 | 10 mi | 47 mi | 1 / 2 |
| May 13, 1980 | F3 | 10 mi | 21 mi | 0 / 15 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F3 | 20 mi | 14.2 mi | 0 / 17 |
| Apr 3, 1956 | F3 | 17 mi | 60.6 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Aug 6, 2024 | EF2 | 9 mi | 8.46 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 7, 2024 | EF2 | 9 mi | 10.86 mi | 0 / 12 |
| May 7, 2024 | EF2 | 23 mi | 19.53 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 5, 2010 | EF2 | 24 mi | 10.65 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 5, 2010 | EF2 | 17 mi | 2.73 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 19, 2009 | EF2 | 24 mi | 0.86 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 74, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Lawton
The Storm Prediction Center has 35 hail reports within 10 miles of Lawton since 1977, made on 29 separate days. Of these, 19 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on May 9, 2000. The most recent report is from September 20, 2025. May has the most reports, 10.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Lawton
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Kalamazoo Battle Ck International Airport, MI, 16 miles northeast of Lawton at 868 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 32°F and 18°F. Highs reach 90°F on about 13 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 129 nights a year. That 33.3 inches is more than at 48 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (37%). Paw Paw, 6 miles northwest, has its own station (Bloomingdale, MI): 41.1 inches a year, 7.8 more than here, and the same July average high, 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32 | 18 | 1.7 | 4 |
| Feb | 35 | 20 | 1.3 | 4 |
| Mar | 46 | 27 | 2.0 | 5 |
| Apr | 59 | 38 | 3.1 | 7 |
| May | 70 | 49 | 3.7 | 9 |
| Jun | 80 | 58 | 3.2 | 6 |
| Jul | 83 | 62 | 3.4 | 6 |
| Aug | 81 | 60 | 3.7 | 6 |
| Sep | 74 | 53 | 3.3 | 6 |
| Oct | 61 | 42 | 3.7 | 7 |
| Nov | 48 | 33 | 2.5 | 6 |
| Dec | 37 | 24 | 1.7 | 4 |
| Year | 59 | 40 | 33.3 | 69 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Kalamazoo Battle Ck International Airport, MI (868 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 Lawton
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 67 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Lawton: 65 thunderstorm wind reports, 1 flash flood and 1 flood. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $5.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on May 15, 2007.
June 13, 2022: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Lawton — $2.0 million damage.
NWS: “Wind gusts up to 75 mph brought down numerous trees, tree limbs and power lines in Texas township and to the southeast near Schoolcraft and Vicksburg.”
July 11, 2011: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Lawton — $1.0 million damage.
July 1, 2014: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Lawton — $1.0 million 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
Van Buren County, which includes Lawton, has been named in 13 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 7 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 floods, 4 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 27, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Van Buren County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for hail and strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes; Relatively Low for inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and coastal flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $20.4 million a year, the 33rd highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $9.2 million (45%), 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.