NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Montrose, 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
6 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Montrose, Michigan since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 96 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 96
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
121 deaths in all
What the records show for Montrose
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Montrose; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 63 mph winds when its centre passed 18 miles away. The record near Montrose begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm 64 miles away. Of the 6 systems, one has come since 2000. Montrose has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 76% of the 546 Michigan cities on this site. The strongest of the 96 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on June 8, 1953; its path came within 6 miles, and it killed 116 people. Of the 96, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 35 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 23. The most recent tornado was on May 15, 2025. Montrose has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 90% of the 546 Michigan cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 55 times since 1962, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Montrose has more hail reports within 10 miles than 70% of the 546 Michigan cities.
Compare Montrose's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Montrose
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 4 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 12 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 14 | 66 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 Montrose: 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 Montrose
By decade
- 2020s7
- 2010s13
- 2000s15
- 1990s19(3 EF3+)
- 1980s16(1 EF3+)
- 1970s15(1 EF3+)
- 1960s4(1 EF3+)
- 1950s7(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 8, 1953 | F5 | 6 mi | 18.9 mi | 116 / 844 |
| May 12, 1956 | F4 | 17 mi | 6.6 mi | 3 / 116 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 24 mi | 21 mi | 1 / 8 |
| Jul 2, 1997 | F3 | 14 mi | 1.7 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Jul 2, 1997 | F3 | 9 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 21, 1996 | F3 | 13 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 8, 1984 | F3 | 16 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 14, 1974 | F3 | 20 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 28, 2024 | EF2 | 21 mi | 5.73 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 14, 2019 | EF2 | 14 mi | 18.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 22, 2015 | EF2 | 9 mi | 11.27 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 28, 2013 | EF2 | 22 mi | 5.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 96, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Montrose
The Storm Prediction Center has 55 hail reports within 10 miles of Montrose since 1962, made on 37 separate days. Of these, 36 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2 inches (hen egg size), was reported on 2 days, most recently August 28, 2020. The most recent report is from August 11, 2023. June has the most reports, 17.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Montrose
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Flint 7W, MI, 12 miles southeast of Montrose at 679 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 60°F; January is the coolest, at 30°F and 16°F. May is the wettest at 3.7 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.7 inches; the year adds up to 33.1 inches over 71 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 148 nights a year. Snowfall averages 40.4 inches a year, most of it in January. That 33.1 inches is more than at 44 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (34%). New Lothrop, 6 miles southwest, has its own station (Corunna 2 NE, MI): 33.7 inches a year, 0.6 more than here, and a July average high of 83°F against 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30 | 16 | 2.2 | 6 | 13.1 |
| Feb | 33 | 16 | 1.7 | 4 | 10.4 |
| Mar | 43 | 24 | 1.9 | 5 | 4.3 |
| Apr | 56 | 35 | 3.4 | 7 | 1.2 |
| May | 68 | 46 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 78 | 56 | 3.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 82 | 60 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 79 | 59 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 73 | 51 | 2.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 60 | 40 | 3.0 | 7 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 47 | 30 | 2.4 | 6 | 1.7 |
| Dec | 35 | 22 | 2.1 | 6 | 9.6 |
| Year | 57 | 38 | 33.1 | 71 | 40.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Flint 7W, MI (679 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 Montrose
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 96 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Montrose: 88 thunderstorm wind reports, 5 flash floods, 2 floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $1.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on September 25, 2007. May has had the most flash floods, 2 of 5. Of the 376 Michigan cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 280 have had fewer than Montrose.
September 21, 2010: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Montrose — 1 injured.
August 2, 2006: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Montrose — $1.3 million damage.
May 31, 1998: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Montrose — $125,000 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
Genesee County, which includes Montrose, has been named in 14 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1975, 8 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 floods, 3 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 27, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Genesee County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for hail, inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $113.1 million a year, the 5th highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $50.9 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).
Montrose in the notable storm records: The June 8, 1953 F5 Tornado in Michigan, near Flushing
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.