NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Sault Sainte Marie, 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
No tropical storm or hurricane has passed within 75 miles of Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 3 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 3
- 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 Sault Sainte Marie
The strongest of the 3 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F1 on August 5, 1977; its path came within 3 miles. The most recent tornado was on August 11, 2021. Of the 546 Michigan cities on this site, 98% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Sault Sainte Marie. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 16 times since 1961, with stones up to 1.5 inches (ping pong ball size). Of the 546 Michigan cities, 90% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Sault Sainte Marie.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Sault Sainte Marie
By decade
- 2020s1
- 1980s1
- 1970s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 5, 1977 | F1 | 3 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 11, 2021 | EF0 | 17 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 1, 1987 | F0 | 17 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 3 of 3, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Sault Sainte Marie
The Storm Prediction Center has 16 hail reports within 10 miles of Sault Sainte Marie since 1961, made on 15 separate days. Of these, 9 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.5 inches (ping pong ball size), was reported on 3 days, most recently September 12, 2010. The most recent report is from June 8, 2024. July and August have the most reports, 5 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Sault Sainte Marie
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Sault Ste Marie Sanderson Field, MI, 2 miles northwest of Sault Sainte Marie at 722 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 77°F and low of 55°F; January is the coolest, at 24°F and 8°F. October is the wettest at 4.4 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.5 inches; the year adds up to 34.4 inches over 84 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 1 days a year. Lows fall below freezing on about 164 nights a year. Snowfall averages 120.1 inches a year, most of it in December. That 34.4 inches is more than at 68 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (52%). Kincheloe, 15 miles southwest, has its own station (Rudyard 4N, MI): 35.9 inches a year, 1.5 more than here, and a July average high of 79°F against 77°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 24 | 8 | 2.2 | 7 | 30.3 |
| Feb | 26 | 9 | 1.5 | 5 | 20.7 |
| Mar | 36 | 18 | 1.8 | 5 | 13.0 |
| Apr | 49 | 30 | 2.6 | 7 | 7.6 |
| May | 63 | 41 | 2.6 | 6 | 0.4 |
| Jun | 73 | 50 | 2.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 77 | 55 | 3.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 76 | 55 | 3.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 68 | 49 | 3.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 54 | 39 | 4.4 | 10 | 1.7 |
| Nov | 41 | 28 | 3.4 | 9 | 16.0 |
| Dec | 31 | 17 | 2.8 | 8 | 30.4 |
| Year | 51 | 33 | 34.4 | 84 | 120.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Sault Ste Marie Sanderson Field, MI (722 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 Sault Sainte Marie
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 8 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Sault Sainte Marie: 7 thunderstorm wind reports and 1 flash flood. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $133,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 60 mph, on August 23, 1998.
September 10, 2013: flash flood 4 miles from the centre of Sault Sainte Marie — $125,000 damage.
NWS: “Radar estimated that 3 to 5 inches of rain fell in a few hours beginning late in the evening of the 9th, resulting in flash flood in the pre-dawn hours of the 10th. A number of roads were washed out and/or otherwise rendered impassable, in some cases for several days.”
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
Chippewa County, which includes Sault Sainte Marie, has been named in 7 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 2 of them major disasters (by incident: 2 biological emergencies, 2 snowstorms, 1 drought, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 27, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Chippewa County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for inland flooding, coastal flooding and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail, strong wind and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $7.8 million a year, the 61st highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.0 million (76%), 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 Sault Sainte Marie
- Kincheloe, MI15 mi
- Brimley, MI17 mi
- Saint Ignace, MI42 mi
- Newberry, MI58 mi
- Cheboygan, MI61 mi
- Indian River, MI73 mi
- Harbor Springs, MI74 mi
- Alanson, MI74 mi
- Rogers City, MI76 mi
- Onaway, MI77 mi
- Petoskey, MI82 mi
- Wolverine, MI83 mi
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