NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit River Rouge, 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 River Rouge, Michigan since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 74 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 9 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 74
- EF3 or stronger
- 9
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
48 deaths in all
What the records show for River Rouge
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed River Rouge; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 10 miles away. The record near River Rouge begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 5 systems, one has come since 2000. River Rouge has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 48% of the 546 Michigan cities on this site. The highest rating among the 74 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 5 times; the most recent, on March 20, 1976, came within 22 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on April 11, 1965, killed 23 people. Of the 74, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 20 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 23. The most recent tornado was on June 18, 2025. River Rouge has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 61% of the 546 Michigan cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 88 times since 1956, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). River Rouge has more hail reports within 10 miles than 85% of the 546 Michigan cities.
Compare River Rouge's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near River Rouge
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 4 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 22 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 14 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in River Rouge: 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 River Rouge
By decade
- 2020s8
- 2010s9
- 2000s3
- 1990s7(1 EF3+)
- 1980s13(1 EF3+)
- 1970s19(1 EF3+)
- 1960s7(3 EF3+)
- 1950s8(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 21 mi | 90.3 mi | 23 / 294 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 21 mi | 80.5 mi | 21 / 293 |
| Mar 20, 1976 | F4 | 22 mi | 3.8 mi | 1 / 55 |
| Jul 4, 1957 | F4 | 17 mi | 29.9 mi | 0 / 6 |
| May 12, 1956 | F4 | 3 mi | 6.8 mi | 0 / 22 |
| Nov 20, 1957 | F3 | 9 mi | 1.5 mi | 1 / 12 |
| Sep 14, 1990 | F3 | 15 mi | 24 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 2, 1983 | F3 | 16 mi | 23 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jul 4, 1969 | F3 | 14 mi | 13.9 mi | 0 / 54 |
| Jun 21, 1987 | F2 | 22 mi | 0.3 mi | 1 / 6 |
| Sep 13, 2008 | EF2 | 16 mi | 2.65 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 2, 1997 | F2 | 8 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 90 |
The strongest 12 of 74, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in River Rouge
The Storm Prediction Center has 88 hail reports within 10 miles of River Rouge since 1956, made on 54 separate days. Of these, 41 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on May 23, 1962. The most recent report is from July 20, 2023. May has the most reports, 30.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in River Rouge
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Dearborn, MI, 6 miles northwest of River Rouge at 605 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 32°F and 18°F. May is the wettest at 3.6 inches of precipitation on average and February and March the driest at 2.3 inches; the year adds up to 35.1 inches over 78 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 16 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 136 nights a year. Snowfall averages 30.8 inches a year, most of it in January. That 35.1 inches is more than at 80 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (61%). Wyandotte, 5 miles south, has its own station (Detroit Metro Airport, MI): 34.4 inches a year, 0.7 less than here, and the same July average high, 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32 | 18 | 2.5 | 6 | 11.7 |
| Feb | 35 | 19 | 2.3 | 6 | 7.3 |
| Mar | 45 | 26 | 2.3 | 6 | 5.7 |
| Apr | 58 | 37 | 3.3 | 8 | 0.6 |
| May | 70 | 48 | 3.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 79 | 58 | 3.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 84 | 62 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 61 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 75 | 53 | 3.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 62 | 42 | 2.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 48 | 32 | 2.7 | 7 | 0.9 |
| Dec | 37 | 24 | 2.5 | 6 | 4.6 |
| Year | 59 | 40 | 35.1 | 78 | 30.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Dearborn, MI (605 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 River Rouge
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 193 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of River Rouge: 184 thunderstorm wind reports, 4 flash floods, 3 floods, 1 heavy rain event and 1 lightning strike. They killed 1 person and injured 19, and the NWS estimated $69.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on May 23, 2004.
June 27, 2007: lightning strike 5 miles from the centre of River Rouge — 1 killed.
September 3, 2011: thunderstorm wind in River Rouge — 10 injured, $10,000 damage.
NWS: “Wind damage reported to structures at the River Rouge Days Festival, minor injuries occurred. Multiple trees and festival tents blown down.”
September 5, 2014: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of River Rouge — 5 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
Wayne County, which includes River Rouge, has been named in 17 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 severe storms, 5 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on February 8, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Wayne County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for tornadoes, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively High for heat waves; Relatively Low for hail and coastal flooding; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $401.5 million a year, the highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $237.3 million (59%), 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.