NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Pentwater, 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 Pentwater, Michigan since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 10 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 10
- 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 Pentwater
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Pentwater; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 61 mph winds when its centre passed 53 miles away. Of the 546 Michigan cities on this site, 85% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Pentwater. The highest rating among the 10 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2, reached 3 times; the most recent, on May 28, 1991, came within 5 miles. Of the 10, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and one has come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 3. The most recent tornado was on June 12, 2008. Of the 546 Michigan cities, 94% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Pentwater. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 12 times since 1975, with stones up to 1 inch (quarter size). Of the 546 Michigan cities, 94% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Pentwater.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Pentwater
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 53 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 Pentwater: 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 Pentwater
By decade
- 2000s1
- 1990s2
- 1970s5
- 1960s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 28, 1991 | F2 | 5 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 15, 1978 | F2 | 18 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 12, 1972 | F2 | 8 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Jun 12, 2008 | EF1 | 22 mi | 1.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 14, 1990 | F1 | 18 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 30, 1977 | F1 | 3 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 12, 1972 | F1 | 8 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 12, 1972 | F1 | 9 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 11, 1967 | F1 | 17 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 15, 1966 | F0 | 11 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 10 of 10, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Pentwater
The Storm Prediction Center has 12 hail reports within 10 miles of Pentwater since 1975. Of these, 6 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1 inch (quarter size), was reported on 6 days, most recently September 21, 2010. The most recent report is from May 15, 2012. July has the most reports, 4.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Pentwater
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Hart 3 WSW, MI, 8 miles south of Pentwater at 770 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 80°F and low of 58°F; January is the coolest, at 30°F and 16°F. May is the wettest at 4.5 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.0 inches; the year adds up to 39.0 inches over 84 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 152 nights a year. Snowfall averages 78.5 inches a year, most of it in January. That 39.0 inches is more than at 119 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (91%). Scottville, 12 miles northeast, has its own station (Manistee 3SE, MI): 36.4 inches a year, 2.6 less than here, and the same July average high, 80°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30 | 16 | 2.8 | 9 | 26.4 |
| Feb | 32 | 16 | 2.0 | 6 | 20.0 |
| Mar | 42 | 23 | 2.4 | 6 | 5.9 |
| Apr | 55 | 33 | 3.6 | 7 | 1.1 |
| May | 67 | 43 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 76 | 54 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 80 | 58 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 79 | 57 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 72 | 50 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 59 | 39 | 4.0 | 9 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 45 | 30 | 3.4 | 8 | 5.4 |
| Dec | 35 | 22 | 2.6 | 8 | 19.6 |
| Year | 56 | 37 | 39.0 | 84 | 78.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Hart 3 WSW, MI (770 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 Pentwater
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 27 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Pentwater: 26 thunderstorm wind reports and 1 flood. They killed 0 people and injured 37, and the NWS estimated $8.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on April 12, 2014.
May 31, 1998: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Pentwater — 37 injured, $4.0 million damage.
NWS: “Michigan State Police EMD Damage and Injury Assessment Report indicated $4,018,760 in public damage costs, 37 injuries, 26 homes destroyed, 1415 homes damaged, 6 businesses destroyed, and 109 businesses damaged. Private damage cost estimates were not available.”
April 17, 2013: flood 2 miles from the centre of Pentwater — $3.0 million damage.
NWS: “Heavy rain caused significant flooding on rivers and streams across Newaygo county.”
April 12, 2014: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Pentwater — $500,000 damage.
NWS: “Numerous trees were blown down and buildings and homes were damaged in Summit and Riverton townships.”
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
Oceana County, which includes Pentwater, has been named in 13 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1975, 7 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 floods, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on June 30, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Oceana County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, inland flooding and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes, hail, coastal flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $10.0 million a year, the 52nd highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $5.1 million (51%), 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 Pentwater
- Hart, MI8 mi
- Scottville, MI12 mi
- Ludington, MI12 mi
- Shelby, MI13 mi
- New Era, MI17 mi
- Rothbury, MI20 mi
- Hesperia, MI21 mi
- Montague, MI25 mi
- Baldwin, MI27 mi
- Whitehall, MI28 mi
- Holton, MI28 mi
- Manistee, MI31 mi
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