NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Saint Johns, 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 Saint Johns, Michigan since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 91 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 91
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
7 deaths in all
What the records show for Saint Johns
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Saint Johns; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 62 mph winds when its centre passed 22 miles away. The record near Saint Johns begins with an unnamed storm in 1900; the most recent system was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm 74 miles away. Of the 5 systems, one has come since 2000. Saint Johns has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 48% of the 546 Michigan cities on this site. The highest rating among the 91 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 21, 1967, came within 1 mile. The deadliest, an EF2 on October 18, 2007, killed 2 people. Of the 91, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 31 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 18. The most recent tornado was on May 15, 2025. Saint Johns has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 86% of the 546 Michigan cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 21 times since 1976, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 546 Michigan cities, 79% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Saint Johns.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Saint Johns
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 4 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Saint Johns: 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 Johns
By decade
- 2020s6
- 2010s11
- 2000s14
- 1990s7
- 1980s15
- 1970s13
- 1960s14(2 EF3+)
- 1950s11
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 9 mi | 21 mi | 1 / 8 |
| Apr 21, 1967 | F4 | 1 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Oct 18, 2007 | EF2 | 23 mi | 19 mi | 2 / 1 |
| Aug 14, 1988 | F2 | 21 mi | 26.6 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Jun 11, 1968 | F2 | 12 mi | 0.1 mi | 1 / 0 |
| May 12, 1956 | F2 | 20 mi | 3.8 mi | 1 / 4 |
| Mar 14, 2019 | EF2 | 21 mi | 18.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 27, 1989 | F2 | 16 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 26, 1986 | F2 | 25 mi | 10.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 28, 1986 | F2 | 17 mi | 26.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 15, 1985 | F2 | 19 mi | 15.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 30, 1984 | F2 | 5 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 91, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Saint Johns
The Storm Prediction Center has 21 hail reports within 10 miles of Saint Johns since 1976, made on 20 separate days. Of these, 11 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 3 days, most recently May 10, 2003. The most recent report is from July 20, 2023. June has the most reports, 7.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Saint Johns
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Saint Johns, MI, 1 mile northeast of Saint Johns at 743 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 31°F and 18°F. May is the wettest at 3.8 inches of precipitation on average and February and December the driest at 1.8 inches; the year adds up to 34.1 inches over 72 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 11 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 144 nights a year. That 34.1 inches is more than at 63 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (48%). Dewitt, 11 miles south, has its own station (Lansing Capital City Airport, MI): 33.5 inches a year, 0.6 less than here, and the same July average high, 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31 | 18 | 2.1 | 6 |
| Feb | 33 | 19 | 1.8 | 4 |
| Mar | 44 | 26 | 1.9 | 5 |
| Apr | 57 | 36 | 3.6 | 7 |
| May | 69 | 48 | 3.8 | 8 |
| Jun | 79 | 59 | 3.4 | 6 |
| Jul | 83 | 62 | 3.2 | 6 |
| Aug | 81 | 61 | 3.5 | 6 |
| Sep | 75 | 53 | 2.9 | 6 |
| Oct | 62 | 43 | 3.3 | 7 |
| Nov | 47 | 33 | 2.8 | 5 |
| Dec | 36 | 24 | 1.8 | 5 |
| Year | 58 | 40 | 34.1 | 72 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Saint Johns, MI (743 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 Johns
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 54 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Saint Johns: 54 thunderstorm wind reports. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $5.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on April 12, 2014.
October 24, 2001: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Saint Johns — 1 killed, $20,000 damage.
August 24, 2023: thunderstorm wind in Saint Johns — $5.0 million damage.
NWS: “There were numerous reports of downed power lines, trees and tree limbs across portions of Clinton county.”
July 29, 2001: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Saint Johns — $175,000 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
Clinton County, which includes Saint Johns, has been named in 10 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 6 of them major disasters (by incident: 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 severe storms, 1 flood). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 27, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Clinton County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes; Relatively Low for hail and inland flooding; Very Low for hurricanes, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $24.4 million a year, the 27th highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $11.4 million (47%), 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 Johns
- Fowler, MI9 mi
- Ovid, MI10 mi
- Dewitt, MI11 mi
- Elsie, MI12 mi
- Westphalia, MI12 mi
- Perrinton, MI12 mi
- Bath, MI14 mi
- Laingsburg, MI14 mi
- Eagle, MI15 mi
- East Lansing, MI18 mi
- Ithaca, MI19 mi
- Carson City, MI19 mi
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