NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Onaway, 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
1 tropical system has passed within 75 miles of Onaway, Michigan since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Connie in 1955. Since 1950, 13 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 13
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Onaway
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Onaway; the strongest was Connie in 1955, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 58 miles away. Of the 546 Michigan cities on this site, 85% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Onaway. The highest rating among the 13 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2, reached 2 times; the most recent, on May 8, 1964, came within 18 miles. Of the 13, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 4 have come since 2000. August has had the most tornadoes, 5. The most recent tornado was on September 1, 2014. Of the 546 Michigan cities, 91% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Onaway. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 7 times since 2003, with stones up to 1.5 inches (ping pong ball size). Of the 546 Michigan cities, 99% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Onaway.
Compare Onaway's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Onaway
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | ConnieAug 14 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Onaway: 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 Onaway
By decade
- 2010s1
- 2000s3
- 1990s1
- 1980s2
- 1970s2
- 1960s2
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 8, 1964 | F2 | 18 mi | 17.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 4, 1957 | F2 | 17 mi | 4.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 18, 2007 | EF1 | 6 mi | 10.21 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 9, 1993 | F1 | 16 mi | 11.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 12, 1988 | F1 | 4 mi | 5.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 8, 1986 | F1 | 20 mi | 1.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 16, 1978 | F1 | 17 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 28, 1964 | F1 | 22 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Sep 1, 2014 | EF0 | 17 mi | 0.67 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 1, 2002 | F0 | 8 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 1, 2002 | F0 | 8 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 2, 1970 | F0 | 19 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 13, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Onaway
The Storm Prediction Center has 7 hail reports within 10 miles of Onaway since 2003, made on 6 separate days. Of these, 2 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest, 1.5 inches (ping pong ball size), fell on June 4, 2011. The most recent report is from September 3, 2019.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Onaway
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Onaway 4N, MI, 4 miles north of Onaway at 745 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 80°F and low of 56°F; January is the coolest, at 27°F and 12°F. October is the wettest at 3.5 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.5 inches; the year adds up to 31.9 inches over 76 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 9 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 167 nights a year. Snowfall averages 86.9 inches a year, most of it in December. That 31.9 inches is more than at 27 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (21%). Indian River, 18 miles west, has its own station (Pellston Regional Airport, MI): 30.0 inches a year, 1.9 less than here, and a July average high of 79°F against 80°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27 | 12 | 2.0 | 7 | 21.3 |
| Feb | 30 | 11 | 1.5 | 5 | 17.7 |
| Mar | 41 | 19 | 1.8 | 5 | 11.3 |
| Apr | 53 | 30 | 3.0 | 7 | 6.9 |
| May | 67 | 41 | 3.1 | 7 | 0.1 |
| Jun | 77 | 51 | 2.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 80 | 56 | 3.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 79 | 55 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 71 | 48 | 3.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 57 | 38 | 3.5 | 8 | 0.7 |
| Nov | 44 | 29 | 2.4 | 6 | 7.3 |
| Dec | 32 | 19 | 2.1 | 6 | 21.6 |
| Year | 55 | 34 | 31.9 | 76 | 86.9 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Onaway 4N, MI (745 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 Onaway
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 13 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Onaway: 13 thunderstorm wind reports. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $197,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on July 17, 2006.
July 18, 2020: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Onaway — 1 injured, $95,000 damage.
NWS: “Areas of wind damage, mainly downed trees, occurred just east and southeast of Black Lake. A number of trees were downed at Onaway State Park, damaging multiple camping trailers.”
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
Presque Isle County, which includes Onaway, has been named in 7 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 3 of them major disasters (by incident: 2 biological emergencies, 1 drought, 1 flood, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on June 30, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Presque Isle County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for lightning; Relatively Low for hail and inland flooding; Very Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, coastal flooding, strong wind and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $5.4 million a year, the 70th highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.9 million (72%), 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 Onaway
- Indian River, MI18 mi
- Wolverine, MI19 mi
- Cheboygan, MI20 mi
- Rogers City, MI20 mi
- Atlanta, MI24 mi
- Hillman, MI24 mi
- Alanson, MI27 mi
- Johannesburg, MI29 mi
- Boyne Falls, MI32 mi
- Gaylord, MI33 mi
- Petoskey, MI34 mi
- Lewiston, MI36 mi
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