NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Rothbury, 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
2 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Rothbury, Michigan since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1941. Since 1950, 19 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 2
- Tornadoes
- 19
- 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 Rothbury
None of the 2 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Rothbury; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 61 mph winds when its centre passed 33 miles away. The record near Rothbury begins with an unnamed storm in 1900; the most recent system was an unnamed storm in 1941, a tropical storm 67 miles away. Of the 546 Michigan cities on this site, 82% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Rothbury. The highest rating among the 19 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2, reached 3 times; the most recent, on May 28, 1991, came within 12 miles. Of the 19, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 2 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 7. The most recent tornado was on June 29, 2005. Of the 546 Michigan cities, 89% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Rothbury. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 37 times since 1968, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Rothbury has more hail reports within 10 miles than 52% of the 546 Michigan cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Rothbury
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 33 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 Rothbury: 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 Rothbury
By decade
- 2000s2
- 1990s5
- 1980s2
- 1970s5
- 1960s4
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 28, 1991 | F2 | 12 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 15, 1978 | F2 | 13 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 12, 1972 | F2 | 21 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Sep 14, 1990 | F1 | 6 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 24, 1989 | F1 | 20 mi | 0.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 30, 1980 | F1 | 21 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Mar 30, 1977 | F1 | 18 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 12, 1972 | F1 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 12, 1972 | F1 | 20 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 11, 1967 | F1 | 5 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 16, 1967 | F1 | 10 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 28, 1964 | F1 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 19, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Rothbury
The Storm Prediction Center has 37 hail reports within 10 miles of Rothbury since 1968, made on 33 separate days. Of these, 18 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on June 17, 1978. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. May has the most reports, 11.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Rothbury
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Montague 4 NW, MI, 8 miles southwest of Rothbury at 650 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 79°F and low of 58°F; January is the coolest, at 30°F and 19°F. October is the wettest at 4.1 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.4 inches; the year adds up to 35.4 inches over 75 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 2 days a year. Lows fall below freezing on about 145 nights a year. Snowfall averages 68.9 inches a year, most of it in January. That 35.4 inches is more than at 86 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (66%). Shelby, 8 miles northwest, has its own station (Hart 3 WSW, MI): 39.0 inches a year, 3.6 more than here, and a July average high of 80°F against 79°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30 | 19 | 2.6 | 6 | 26.0 |
| Feb | 32 | 19 | 1.4 | 4 | 13.8 |
| Mar | 42 | 25 | 2.3 | 6 | 6.7 |
| Apr | 55 | 34 | 3.8 | 7 | 1.7 |
| May | 67 | 44 | 3.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 75 | 53 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 79 | 58 | 3.0 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 78 | 57 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 72 | 51 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 59 | 41 | 4.1 | 8 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 45 | 32 | 3.2 | 7 | 4.7 |
| Dec | 35 | 25 | 1.8 | 6 | 15.9 |
| Year | 56 | 38 | 35.4 | 75 | 68.9 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Montague 4 NW, MI (650 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 Rothbury
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 31 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Rothbury: 28 thunderstorm wind reports, 2 floods and 1 flash flood. They killed 0 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $41.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 70 mph, on June 25, 2024.
May 31, 1998: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Rothbury — 2 injured, $29.2 million damage.
July 17, 2006: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Rothbury — 1 injured, $55,000 damage.
May 18, 2020: flood 9 miles from the centre of Rothbury — $6.0 million 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
Oceana County, which includes Rothbury, 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 Rothbury
- New Era, MI7 mi
- Montague, MI8 mi
- Shelby, MI8 mi
- Whitehall, MI10 mi
- Holton, MI10 mi
- Hesperia, MI11 mi
- Twin Lake, MI12 mi
- Hart, MI13 mi
- Fremont, MI17 mi
- Pentwater, MI20 mi
- Muskegon, MI21 mi
- White Cloud, MI26 mi
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