NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit New Buffalo, 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
4 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of New Buffalo, Michigan since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 64 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 64
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for New Buffalo
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed New Buffalo; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 71 miles away. The record near New Buffalo begins with an unnamed storm in 1923; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 4 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 546 Michigan cities on this site, 52% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than New Buffalo. The highest rating among the 64 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 5 times; the most recent, on October 24, 2001, came within 20 miles. Of the 64, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 21 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 15. The most recent tornado was on September 7, 2024. Of the 546 Michigan cities, 51% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than New Buffalo. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 34 times since 1965, with stones up to 3.5 inches. Of the 546 Michigan cities, 51% have more hail reports within 10 miles than New Buffalo.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near New Buffalo
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 3 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in New Buffalo: 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 New Buffalo
By decade
- 2020s4
- 2010s8
- 2000s9(1 EF3+)
- 1990s3
- 1980s8
- 1970s14(1 EF3+)
- 1960s12(3 EF3+)
- 1950s6
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 24, 2001 | F3 | 20 mi | 47 mi | 1 / 2 |
| Mar 12, 1976 | F3 | 10 mi | 12.6 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Nov 26, 1965 | F3 | 14 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F3 | 22 mi | 33.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 30, 1962 | F3 | 15 mi | 36.5 mi | 0 / 49 |
| Oct 24, 2001 | F2 | 15 mi | 35 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Jun 5, 2010 | EF2 | 19 mi | 3.38 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 19, 2009 | EF2 | 17 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 20, 1981 | F2 | 24 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 12, 1979 | F2 | 20 mi | 3.3 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Mar 12, 1976 | F2 | 2 mi | 10.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 4, 1976 | F2 | 15 mi | 44.8 mi | 0 / 9 |
The strongest 12 of 64, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in New Buffalo
The Storm Prediction Center has 34 hail reports within 10 miles of New Buffalo since 1965, made on 22 separate days. Of these, 26 were 1 inch across or larger, and 6 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3.5 inches, fell on May 7, 2024. The most recent report is from May 20, 2024. May has the most reports, 17.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in New Buffalo
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Laporte, IN, 12 miles south of New Buffalo at 809 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 31°F and 17°F. June is the wettest at 4.4 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 42.5 inches over 87 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 10 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 119 nights a year. Snowfall averages 65.2 inches a year, most of it in January. That 42.5 inches is more than at 130 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (99%). Sawyer, 11 miles northeast, has its own station (Niles, MI): 41.5 inches a year, 1.0 less 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 | 31 | 17 | 3.0 | 8 | 23.0 |
| Feb | 35 | 20 | 2.5 | 6 | 16.0 |
| Mar | 46 | 29 | 2.7 | 7 | 7.1 |
| Apr | 59 | 39 | 3.8 | 8 | 1.1 |
| May | 70 | 50 | 4.3 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 79 | 60 | 4.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 82 | 64 | 4.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 80 | 63 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 74 | 55 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 62 | 44 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 48 | 33 | 3.2 | 7 | 4.0 |
| Dec | 36 | 24 | 2.9 | 7 | 13.8 |
| Year | 59 | 41 | 42.5 | 87 | 65.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Laporte, IN (809 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 New Buffalo
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 112 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of New Buffalo: 107 thunderstorm wind reports, 3 flash floods, 1 flood and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 1 person and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $10.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on August 23, 2006.
August 4, 2008: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of New Buffalo — 1 killed, $25,000 damage.
June 12, 2001: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of New Buffalo — 1 injured, $15,000 damage.
July 20, 2018: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of New Buffalo — 1 injured.
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 New Buffalo's ZIP code 49117 have filed 19 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $22,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 5% 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, 43 have fewer than New Buffalo.
Berrien County, which includes New Buffalo, has been named in 12 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 7 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 floods, 3 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 Berrien County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding and lightning; Relatively Low for heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and coastal flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $45.1 million a year, the 14th highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $27.1 million (60%), 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 New Buffalo
- Three Oaks, MI7 mi
- Michigan City, IN8 mi
- Rolling Prairie, IN11 mi
- Sawyer, MI11 mi
- La Porte, IN12 mi
- New Carlisle, IN14 mi
- Bridgman, MI15 mi
- Baroda, MI18 mi
- Westville, IN18 mi
- Buchanan, MI19 mi
- Chesterton, IN20 mi
- Stevensville, MI20 mi
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