NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Mecosta, 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 Mecosta, Michigan since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1941. Since 1950, 33 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 33
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
17 deaths in all
What the records show for Mecosta
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Mecosta; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 62 mph winds when its centre passed 28 miles away. The record near Mecosta begins with an unnamed storm in 1900; the most recent system was an unnamed storm in 1941, a tropical storm 35 miles away. Of the 546 Michigan cities on this site, 75% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Mecosta. The strongest of the 33 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on April 3, 1956; its path came within 18 miles, and it killed 17 people. Of the 33, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 8 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 8. The most recent tornado was on June 26, 2021. Of the 546 Michigan cities, 76% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Mecosta. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 17 times since 1966, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 546 Michigan cities, 88% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Mecosta.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Mecosta
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Mecosta: 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 Mecosta
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s3
- 2000s4
- 1990s8
- 1980s4
- 1970s6
- 1960s4(1 EF3+)
- 1950s3(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1956 | F5 | 18 mi | 58.8 mi | 17 / 292 |
| Apr 23, 1968 | F3 | 8 mi | 60.9 mi | 0 / 11 |
| Jun 8, 1985 | F2 | 4 mi | 24 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 9, 1974 | F2 | 12 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 20, 1966 | F2 | 14 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 12, 1956 | F2 | 15 mi | 9.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 26, 2021 | EF1 | 5 mi | 2.86 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 8, 2008 | EF1 | 18 mi | 5.27 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 23, 2007 | EF1 | 18 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 6, 1998 | F1 | 12 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Jun 21, 1996 | F1 | 18 mi | 4.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 27, 1991 | F1 | 23 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 33, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Mecosta
The Storm Prediction Center has 17 hail reports within 10 miles of Mecosta since 1966, made on 15 separate days. Of these, 11 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on July 4, 2012. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. May has the most reports, 7.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Mecosta
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Big Rapids Wtp, MI, 13 miles northwest of Mecosta at 898 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 81°F and low of 57°F; January is the coolest, at 28°F and 13°F. August is the wettest at 4.2 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.0 inches; the year adds up to 38.1 inches over 80 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 8 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 168 nights a year. Snowfall averages 61.3 inches a year, most of it in January. That 38.1 inches is more than at 110 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (84%). Lakeview, 12 miles south, has its own station (Greenville 2 NNE, MI): 36.6 inches a year, 1.5 less than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 81°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28 | 13 | 2.4 | 6 | 17.8 |
| Feb | 31 | 12 | 2.0 | 5 | 16.0 |
| Mar | 42 | 20 | 2.6 | 6 | 7.7 |
| Apr | 55 | 31 | 4.0 | 8 | 1.5 |
| May | 68 | 43 | 3.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 77 | 53 | 3.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 81 | 57 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 79 | 55 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 72 | 47 | 3.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 58 | 36 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 44 | 28 | 3.1 | 7 | 3.8 |
| Dec | 33 | 19 | 2.3 | 6 | 14.3 |
| Year | 56 | 34 | 38.1 | 80 | 61.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Big Rapids Wtp, MI (898 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 Mecosta
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 20 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Mecosta: 19 thunderstorm wind reports and 1 flash flood. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $923,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on April 12, 2014.
April 12, 2014: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Mecosta — $500,000 damage.
NWS: “Emergency management reported that numerous trees were blown down with power outages in Big Rapids and that a trailer was blown over.”
August 29, 2022: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Mecosta — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Numerous trees were blown down across Mecosta county.”
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
Mecosta County, which includes Mecosta, has been named in 13 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1975, 7 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 floods, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on June 30, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Mecosta County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $23.7 million a year, the 28th highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $11.3 million (48%), is from strong wind.
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 Mecosta
- Stanwood, MI6 mi
- Remus, MI8 mi
- Big Rapids, MI12 mi
- Lakeview, MI12 mi
- Morley, MI12 mi
- Blanchard, MI13 mi
- Weidman, MI14 mi
- Hersey, MI17 mi
- Howard City, MI19 mi
- Evart, MI19 mi
- Edmore, MI19 mi
- Lake, MI21 mi
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