NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Muskegon, 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
2 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Muskegon, Michigan since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1941. Since 1950, 26 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 2
- Tornadoes
- 26
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
5 deaths in all
What the records show for Muskegon
None of the 2 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Muskegon; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 61 mph winds when its centre passed 13 miles away. The record near Muskegon begins with an unnamed storm in 1900; the most recent system was an unnamed storm in 1941, a tropical storm 52 miles away. Of the 546 Michigan cities on this site, 82% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Muskegon. The strongest of the 26 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 11, 1965; its path came within 21 miles, and it killed 5 people. Of the 26, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 7 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 5. The most recent tornado was on March 30, 2025. Of the 546 Michigan cities, 82% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Muskegon. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 45 times since 1956, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Muskegon has more hail reports within 10 miles than 62% of the 546 Michigan cities.
Compare Muskegon's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Muskegon
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 13 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 Muskegon: 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 Muskegon
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s1
- 2000s4
- 1990s4
- 1980s1
- 1970s3
- 1960s8(1 EF3+)
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 21 mi | 20.6 mi | 5 / 142 |
| Jul 12, 1966 | F2 | 18 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 4, 1965 | F2 | 11 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 4, 1965 | F2 | 13 mi | 4.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 22, 1961 | F2 | 24 mi | 2.7 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 6, 1956 | F2 | 20 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 30, 2025 | EF1 | 25 mi | 1.66 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 30, 1991 | F1 | 11 mi | 0.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 14, 1990 | F1 | 25 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 9, 1979 | F1 | 23 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 9, 1979 | F1 | 11 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 11, 1967 | F1 | 25 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 26, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Muskegon
The Storm Prediction Center has 45 hail reports within 10 miles of Muskegon since 1956, made on 35 separate days. Of these, 21 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on May 13, 1956. The most recent report is from June 25, 2024. July has the most reports, 11.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Muskegon
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Muskegon Co Airport, MI, 4 miles south of Muskegon at 625 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 33°F and 21°F. October is the wettest at 3.8 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.1 inches; the year adds up to 35.2 inches over 76 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 130 nights a year. Snowfall averages 87.2 inches a year, most of it in January. That 35.2 inches is more than at 84 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (64%). Whitehall, 13 miles northwest, has its own station (Montague 4 NW, MI): 35.4 inches a year, 0.2 more than here, and a July average high of 79°F against 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 33 | 21 | 2.4 | 7 | 29.1 |
| Feb | 35 | 21 | 2.1 | 5 | 20.0 |
| Mar | 44 | 27 | 2.4 | 6 | 7.5 |
| Apr | 57 | 37 | 3.5 | 7 | 1.8 |
| May | 68 | 48 | 3.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 78 | 57 | 3.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 82 | 62 | 2.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 80 | 61 | 3.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 73 | 54 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 61 | 43 | 3.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 48 | 34 | 2.9 | 7 | 6.5 |
| Dec | 37 | 26 | 2.4 | 7 | 22.3 |
| Year | 58 | 41 | 35.2 | 76 | 87.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Muskegon Co Airport, MI (625 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 Muskegon
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 73 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Muskegon: 65 thunderstorm wind reports, 6 flash floods, 1 flood and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 0 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $11.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on April 12, 2014. May has had the most flash floods, 6 of 6. Of the 376 Michigan cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 300 have had fewer than Muskegon.
August 21, 2002: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Muskegon — 2 injured, $10,000 damage.
NWS: “An isolated severe thunderstorm blew down a tree in Norton Shores. The tree fell down on and injured two people who were taking a walk through woods near Lake Michigan.”
June 28, 2008: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Muskegon — 1 injured.
April 17, 2013: flood 10 miles from the centre of Muskegon — $5.0 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Muskegon's 5 ZIP codes have filed 104 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $678,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1985: 30 claims (29% of all) and $141,000. 29% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 160 Michigan cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 135 have fewer than Muskegon.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1985 | 30 | $141,000 |
Muskegon County, which includes Muskegon, has been named in 14 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1975, 9 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 floods, 3 severe storms, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on June 30, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Muskegon County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, inland flooding and lightning; Relatively Low for hail and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and coastal flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $27.7 million a year, the 24th highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $17.1 million (62%), 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.