NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Saint Helen, 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
4 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Saint Helen, Michigan since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Connie in 1955. Since 1950, 38 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 38
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Saint Helen
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Saint Helen; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 63 mph winds when its centre passed 67 miles away. The record near Saint Helen begins with an unnamed storm in 1900; the most recent system was Connie in 1955, a tropical storm 57 miles away. None of the 4 systems has come since 2000. Of the 546 Michigan cities on this site, 52% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Saint Helen. The highest rating among the 38 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 3 times; the most recent, on March 27, 1991, came within 23 miles. Of the 38, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 11 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 13. The most recent tornado was on June 22, 2024. Of the 546 Michigan cities, 71% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Saint Helen. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 17 times since 1976, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Of the 546 Michigan cities, 88% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Saint Helen.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Saint Helen
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | ConnieAug 14 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 12 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Saint Helen: 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 Saint Helen
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s4
- 2000s4
- 1990s17(2 EF3+)
- 1980s2
- 1970s6(1 EF3+)
- 1960s1
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 27, 1991 | F3 | 21 mi | 21 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 27, 1991 | F3 | 23 mi | 35 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 30, 1976 | F3 | 14 mi | 11.4 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Oct 18, 2007 | EF2 | 21 mi | 11.63 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 13, 1995 | F2 | 23 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 28, 1995 | F2 | 21 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 24, 1993 | F2 | 21 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Mar 27, 1991 | F2 | 11 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 21, 1975 | F2 | 24 mi | 1.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 10, 1974 | F2 | 16 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 25, 1973 | F2 | 14 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 22, 2024 | EF1 | 17 mi | 10.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 38, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Saint Helen
The Storm Prediction Center has 17 hail reports within 10 miles of Saint Helen since 1976, made on 16 separate days. Of these, 7 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on August 2, 2015. The most recent report is from August 14, 2017. August has the most reports, 5.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Saint Helen
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Houghton Lk Roscommon Airport, MI, 12 miles west of Saint Helen at 1,151 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 81°F and low of 55°F; January is the coolest, at 27°F and 11°F. May and June are the wettest at 3.2 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.4 inches; the year adds up to 29.7 inches over 69 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 4 days a year, almost all from July. Lows fall below freezing on about 169 nights a year. Snowfall averages 65.9 inches a year, most of it in January. That 29.7 inches is more than at 7 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (5%). West Branch, 12 miles southeast, has its own station (W Branch 3SE, MI): 33.6 inches a year, 3.9 more than here, and a July average high of 80°F against 81°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27 | 11 | 1.7 | 5 | 16.4 |
| Feb | 30 | 11 | 1.4 | 4 | 13.6 |
| Mar | 40 | 19 | 1.8 | 5 | 8.3 |
| Apr | 54 | 31 | 3.1 | 7 | 4.4 |
| May | 67 | 42 | 3.2 | 7 | 0.1 |
| Jun | 77 | 51 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 81 | 55 | 2.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 78 | 53 | 2.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 71 | 46 | 2.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 57 | 37 | 3.1 | 7 | 0.5 |
| Nov | 43 | 28 | 2.2 | 6 | 7.5 |
| Dec | 32 | 19 | 1.8 | 5 | 15.1 |
| Year | 55 | 34 | 29.7 | 69 | 65.9 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Houghton Lk Roscommon Airport, MI (1,151 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 Saint Helen
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 13 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Saint Helen: 12 thunderstorm wind reports and 1 flood. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $319,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 69 mph, on August 28, 2018.
May 18, 2020: flood 5 miles from the centre of Saint Helen — $240,000 damage.
NWS: “Areal flooding developed in central and southeast Roscommon County on the 18th. Some creeks and rivers rose out of their banks.”
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
Roscommon County, which includes Saint Helen, has been named in 7 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1976, 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 Roscommon County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail and inland flooding; Very Low for hurricanes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $13.4 million a year, the 46th highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $9.9 million (74%), 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 Saint Helen
- West Branch, MI12 mi
- Prudenville, MI12 mi
- Roscommon, MI14 mi
- Rose City, MI14 mi
- Houghton Lake, MI16 mi
- Alger, MI21 mi
- Gladwin, MI22 mi
- Grayling, MI24 mi
- Prescott, MI24 mi
- Mio, MI26 mi
- Sterling, MI28 mi
- Harrison, MI29 mi
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