NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Sandusky, 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
7 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Sandusky, Michigan since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 45 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 7
- Tornadoes
- 45
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Sandusky
None of the 7 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Sandusky; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 64 mph winds when its centre passed 16 miles away. The record near Sandusky begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm 46 miles away. Of the 7 systems, one has come since 2000. Sandusky is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 546 Michigan cities on this site. The strongest of the 45 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on June 8, 1953; its path came within 19 miles. Of the 45, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 17 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 14. The most recent tornado was on July 26, 2025. Of the 546 Michigan cities, 64% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Sandusky. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 15 times since 1977, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 546 Michigan cities, 91% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Sandusky.
Compare Sandusky's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Sandusky
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1955 | ConnieAug 14 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 4 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 12 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 14 | 21 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 Sandusky: 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 Sandusky
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s7
- 2000s8
- 1990s10
- 1980s6(1 EF3+)
- 1970s8
- 1960s1
- 1950s3(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 8, 1953 | F4 | 19 mi | 33.8 mi | 0 / 23 |
| Sep 2, 1984 | F3 | 15 mi | 15.6 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 21, 1996 | F2 | 20 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 30, 1984 | F2 | 21 mi | 5.6 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Jun 15, 1982 | F2 | 15 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 24, 1971 | F2 | 22 mi | 10.4 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jul 26, 2025 | EF1 | 13 mi | 1.67 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 6, 2015 | EF1 | 7 mi | 3.64 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 22, 2015 | EF1 | 6 mi | 22.94 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 18, 2007 | EF1 | 20 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 23, 2004 | F1 | 21 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 12, 2000 | F1 | 24 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 45, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Sandusky
The Storm Prediction Center has 15 hail reports within 10 miles of Sandusky since 1977, made on 14 separate days. Of these, 9 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on July 28, 1999. The most recent report is from August 11, 2017. May and July have the most reports, 4 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Sandusky
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Lexington Wtp, MI, 19 miles southeast of Sandusky at 622 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 78°F and low of 60°F; January is the coolest, at 30°F and 16°F. May is the wettest at 3.9 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.0 inches; the year adds up to 35.4 inches over 77 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 6 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 140 nights a year. That 35.4 inches is more than at 86 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (66%). Marlette, 11 miles southwest, has its own station (Yale 1 NNW, MI): 31.4 inches a year, 4.0 less than here, and a July average high of 82°F against 78°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30 | 16 | 2.6 | 6 |
| Feb | 32 | 16 | 2.0 | 6 |
| Mar | 40 | 24 | 2.1 | 6 |
| Apr | 52 | 34 | 3.4 | 7 |
| May | 63 | 45 | 3.9 | 8 |
| Jun | 73 | 55 | 3.7 | 7 |
| Jul | 78 | 60 | 3.2 | 6 |
| Aug | 78 | 60 | 3.1 | 6 |
| Sep | 72 | 53 | 3.3 | 6 |
| Oct | 59 | 42 | 3.3 | 8 |
| Nov | 47 | 32 | 2.5 | 6 |
| Dec | 35 | 23 | 2.3 | 6 |
| Year | 55 | 38 | 35.4 | 77 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Lexington Wtp, MI (622 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 Sandusky
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 31 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Sandusky: 30 thunderstorm wind reports and 1 lightning strike. They killed 1 person and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $226,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on May 17, 1999.
July 17, 2006: lightning strike 4 miles from the centre of Sandusky — 1 killed, 1 injured.
NWS: “A couple was struck by lightning after taking shelter from the rain under a tree at 2301 EST in Krainz Park near East Hildale and Justine on Detroit's east side. The pair was taken to Detroit Receiving Hospital, where the 44 year old woman was later pronounced dead.”
October 1, 2002: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Sandusky — 1 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
Sanilac County, which includes Sandusky, has been named in 12 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 7 of them major disasters (by incident: 3 floods, 3 severe storms, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 27, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Sanilac County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and coastal flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $22.8 million a year, the 29th highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $8.9 million (39%), 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.