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NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database

Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Richmond, 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

5 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Richmond, Michigan since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 52 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.

Hurricanes
0

within 75 mi, since 1851

Tropical storms
5

below hurricane strength

Tornadoes
52

within 25 mi, since 1950

EF3 or stronger
6

15 deaths in all

What the records show for Richmond

None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Richmond; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 64 mph winds when its centre passed 56 miles away. The record near Richmond begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm 11 miles away. Of the 5 systems, one has come since 2000. Richmond has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 48% of the 546 Michigan cities on this site. The highest rating among the 52 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on May 8, 1964, came within 11 miles. Of the 52, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 15 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 14. The most recent tornado was on June 18, 2025. Of the 546 Michigan cities, 60% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Richmond. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 29 times since 1958, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Of the 546 Michigan cities, 62% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Richmond.

Compare Richmond's storm record with another city →

Tropical storms and hurricanes near Richmond

Tropical systems that passed within 75 miles of Richmond, Michigan, newest first
YearStormClosestStrength when closestPeak
2008IkeSep 1411 miTropical storm (58 mph)Category 4
1955ConnieAug 1454 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 4
1932Unnamed 1932 stormSep 438 miTropical storm (49 mph)Category 1
1900Unnamed 1900 stormSep 1256 miTropical storm (64 mph)Category 4
1892Unnamed 1892 stormSep 145 miTropical storm (58 mph)Tropical storm

Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Richmond: 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 Richmond

By decade

  • 2020s3
  • 2010s7
  • 2000s5
  • 1990s12
  • 1980s9(2 EF3+)
  • 1970s13(1 EF3+)
  • 1960s1(1 EF3+)
  • 1950s2(2 EF3+)
Strongest tornadoes near Richmond, Michigan
DateRatingDistancePathKilled / injured
May 8, 1964F411 mi3.3 mi11 / 224
May 21, 1953F411 mi10 mi2 / 68
Jun 8, 1953F421 mi33.8 mi0 / 23
Mar 20, 1976F3in town17.1 mi1 / 3
Sep 2, 1984F324 mi15.6 mi0 / 1
May 2, 1983F319 mi23 mi0 / 3
Jun 21, 1996F221 mi0.2 mi0 / 0
May 19, 1983F25 mi1.8 mi0 / 0
May 21, 1975F218 mi0.1 mi0 / 0
Jun 15, 1974F216 mi2 mi0 / 0
Jun 27, 2010EF114 mi2.91 mi1 / 4
Jul 24, 2021EF16 mi3.45 mi0 / 0

The strongest 12 of 52, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.

Hail in Richmond

The Storm Prediction Center has 29 hail reports within 10 miles of Richmond since 1958, made on 25 separate days. Of these, 15 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on July 26, 1978. The most recent report is from August 30, 2024. July has the most reports, 8.

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.

Weather by month in Richmond

The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Richmond 4 NNW, MI, 4 miles north of Richmond at 765 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 30°F and 16°F. July is the wettest at 3.9 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.9 inches; the year adds up to 36.1 inches over 81 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 14 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 143 nights a year. Snowfall averages 46.6 inches a year, most of it in February. That 36.1 inches is more than at 95 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (73%). New Haven, 6 miles south, has its own station (Mt Clemens Ang Base, MI): 35.1 inches a year, 1.0 less than here, and a July average high of 82°F against 83°F.

Water temperature at the NOAA tide station Algonac, MI, 19 miles southeast, averaged 73°F in August and 33°F in February over 2021–2025. No month averaged 80°F.

Monthly climate normals 1991–2020 at Richmond 4 NNW, MI
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. inDays ≥ 0.1"Snow inWater °F
Jan30162.4710.836
Feb33161.9513.333
Mar42252.166.136
Apr56363.272.642
May69473.890.051
Jun78583.670.062
Jul83623.960.070
Aug80593.360.073
Sep73523.560.069
Oct60413.080.061
Nov47323.073.551
Dec35232.4710.342
Year573936.18146.652

Averages for 1991–2020 at Richmond 4 NNW, MI (765 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals; water temperature: average of hourly readings 2021–2025 at the NOAA tide station Algonac, MI, from NOAA Tides & Currents. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.

Michigan weather by month, station by station →

Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Richmond

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 77 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Richmond: 77 thunderstorm wind reports. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $563,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on May 31, 1998.

  • May 31, 1998: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Richmond — $405,000 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

Macomb County, which includes Richmond, has been named in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 floods, 5 severe storms, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on February 8, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Macomb County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively High for inland flooding and lightning; Relatively Moderate for hail and heat waves; Relatively Low for coastal flooding; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $268.0 million a year, the 3rd highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $145.9 million (54%), 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 Richmond