NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Michigan Center, 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 Michigan Center, 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, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 74
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
50 deaths in all
What the records show for Michigan Center
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Michigan Center; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 24 miles away. The record near Michigan Center begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 5 systems, one has come since 2000. Michigan Center has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 48% of the 546 Michigan cities on this site. The highest rating among the 74 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 11, 1965, came within 22 miles. Of the 74, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 12 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 19. The most recent tornado was on May 15, 2025. Michigan Center has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 61% of the 546 Michigan cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 34 times since 1958, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 546 Michigan cities, 51% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Michigan Center.
Compare Michigan Center's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Michigan Center
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 4 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 14 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Michigan Center: 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 Michigan Center
By decade
- 2020s4
- 2010s5(1 EF3+)
- 2000s3
- 1990s9
- 1980s19(1 EF3+)
- 1970s19(1 EF3+)
- 1960s10(3 EF3+)
- 1950s5(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 22 mi | 90.3 mi | 23 / 294 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 21 mi | 80.5 mi | 21 / 293 |
| Jun 15, 1982 | F3 | 9 mi | 13 mi | 1 / 1 |
| May 11, 1974 | F3 | 21 mi | 0.9 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Jun 8, 1953 | F3 | 17 mi | 11.3 mi | 1 / 5 |
| Mar 15, 2012 | EF3 | 22 mi | 7.57 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 22, 1964 | F3 | 18 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F2 | 8 mi | 19.3 mi | 2 / 31 |
| Aug 14, 1988 | F2 | 21 mi | 26.6 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Jun 13, 1994 | F2 | 12 mi | 16 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Mar 27, 1991 | F2 | 16 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F2 | 14 mi | 15 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 Michigan Center
The Storm Prediction Center has 34 hail reports within 10 miles of Michigan Center since 1958, made on 33 separate days. Of these, 19 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on March 27, 1991. The most recent report is from March 30, 2025. June has the most reports, 8.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Michigan Center
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Jackson Reynolds Field, MI, 8 miles west of Michigan Center at 998 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 61°F; January is the coolest, at 31°F and 18°F. August is the wettest at 3.8 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.5 inches; the year adds up to 32.2 inches over 70 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 137 nights a year. That 32.2 inches is more than at 32 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (24%). Grass Lake, 8 miles northeast, has its own station (Chelsea, MI): 34.6 inches a year, 2.4 more than here, and a July average high of 82°F against 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31 | 18 | 1.7 | 4 |
| Feb | 35 | 19 | 1.5 | 4 |
| Mar | 45 | 27 | 1.9 | 5 |
| Apr | 59 | 37 | 2.9 | 7 |
| May | 70 | 48 | 3.4 | 8 |
| Jun | 79 | 57 | 3.6 | 7 |
| Jul | 83 | 61 | 3.4 | 6 |
| Aug | 80 | 59 | 3.8 | 7 |
| Sep | 74 | 52 | 3.0 | 6 |
| Oct | 61 | 41 | 2.9 | 6 |
| Nov | 48 | 32 | 2.3 | 5 |
| Dec | 36 | 24 | 1.8 | 5 |
| Year | 58 | 39 | 32.2 | 70 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Jackson Reynolds Field, MI (998 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 Michigan Center
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 68 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Michigan Center: 67 thunderstorm wind reports and 1 flood. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $986,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 96 mph, on March 30, 2025.
August 12, 2021: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Michigan Center — $200,000 damage.
August 26, 2000: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Michigan Center — $100,000 damage.
August 23, 2007: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Michigan Center — $100,000 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
Jackson County, which includes Michigan Center, has been named in 10 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 5 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 severe storms, 1 flood). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 27, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Jackson County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Moderate for hail, inland flooding and lightning; Relatively Low for heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $37.8 million a year, the 16th highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $18.2 million (48%), 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 Michigan Center
- Jackson, MI4 mi
- Clarklake, MI8 mi
- Grass Lake, MI8 mi
- Munith, MI10 mi
- Brooklyn, MI11 mi
- Cement City, MI11 mi
- Horton, MI12 mi
- Pleasant Lake, MI12 mi
- Spring Arbor, MI12 mi
- Rives Junction, MI13 mi
- Jerome, MI14 mi
- Parma, MI14 mi
All Michigan cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Michigan Center with another place →