NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Sanford, 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 Sanford, Michigan since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1941. Since 1950, 45 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 45
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Sanford
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Sanford; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 63 mph winds when its centre passed 22 miles away. The record near Sanford begins with an unnamed storm in 1900; the most recent system was an unnamed storm in 1941, a tropical storm 7 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 Sanford. The strongest of the 45 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F3 on June 12, 1984; its path came within 24 miles. Of the 45, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 13 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 17. The most recent tornado was on June 26, 2021. Of the 546 Michigan cities, 64% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Sanford. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 67 times since 1970, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Sanford has more hail reports within 10 miles than 78% of the 546 Michigan cities.
Compare Sanford's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Sanford
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 4 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 22 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 Sanford: 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 Sanford
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s4
- 2000s8
- 1990s5
- 1980s4(1 EF3+)
- 1970s15
- 1960s5
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 12, 1984 | F3 | 24 mi | 48 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 31, 1999 | F2 | 9 mi | 1.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 21, 1975 | F2 | 23 mi | 1.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 14, 1974 | F2 | 18 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jul 31, 1973 | F2 | 23 mi | 2.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 7, 1965 | F2 | 19 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F2 | 25 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F2 | 25 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F2 | 25 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 22, 1957 | F2 | 25 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 7, 1955 | F2 | 10 mi | 3.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 12, 2012 | EF1 | 6 mi | 5.11 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 Sanford
The Storm Prediction Center has 67 hail reports within 10 miles of Sanford since 1970, made on 32 separate days. Of these, 41 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2 inches (hen egg size), was reported on 3 days, most recently April 7, 2020. The most recent report is from August 29, 2022. July has the most reports, 19.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Sanford
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Midland, MI, 11 miles southeast of Sanford at 640 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 29°F and 17°F. May and June are the wettest at 3.7 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.9 inches; the year adds up to 33.4 inches over 70 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 10 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 136 nights a year. That 33.4 inches is more than at 52 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (40%). Coleman, 9 miles west, has its own station (Gladwin, MI): 34.1 inches a year, 0.7 more than here, and the same July average high, 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 29 | 17 | 2.0 | 5 |
| Feb | 32 | 18 | 1.9 | 5 |
| Mar | 43 | 25 | 2.0 | 5 |
| Apr | 56 | 36 | 3.5 | 7 |
| May | 68 | 48 | 3.7 | 7 |
| Jun | 78 | 57 | 3.7 | 6 |
| Jul | 82 | 62 | 2.8 | 6 |
| Aug | 80 | 60 | 3.2 | 6 |
| Sep | 73 | 52 | 2.8 | 5 |
| Oct | 60 | 42 | 3.1 | 6 |
| Nov | 46 | 32 | 2.7 | 5 |
| Dec | 34 | 23 | 2.0 | 5 |
| Year | 57 | 39 | 33.4 | 70 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Midland, MI (640 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 Sanford
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 89 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Sanford: 77 thunderstorm wind reports, 7 floods and 5 flash floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $210.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on July 2, 1997. May has had the most flash floods, 3 of 5. Of the 376 Michigan cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 280 have had fewer than Sanford.
May 19, 2020: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Sanford — $100.0 million damage.
May 19, 2020: flash flood 2 miles from the centre of Sanford — $100.0 million damage.
NWS: “The Sanford Dam failed due to the failure of the Edenville Dam upstream in response to widespread heavy rain. 05 feet on May 20th.”
May 18, 2020: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Sanford — $6.5 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Sanford's ZIP code 48657 have filed 35 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 2014, and were paid $2.2 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2020, with 17. Of the 160 Michigan cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 79 have fewer than Sanford.
Midland County, which includes Sanford, has been named in 14 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1975, 9 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 floods, 3 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Flooding, on July 9, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Midland County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail and inland flooding; Relatively Low for lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $32.2 million a year, the 18th highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $18.3 million (57%), 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 Sanford
- Midland, MI9 mi
- Coleman, MI9 mi
- Beaverton, MI13 mi
- Auburn, MI17 mi
- Freeland, MI18 mi
- Shepherd, MI18 mi
- Linwood, MI19 mi
- Breckenridge, MI19 mi
- Clare, MI20 mi
- Merrill, MI20 mi
- Kawkawlin, MI21 mi
- Mt Pleasant, MI21 mi
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