NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Sawyer, 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 Sawyer, Michigan since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 66 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 66
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Sawyer
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Sawyer; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 60 mph winds when its centre passed 72 miles away. The record near Sawyer begins with an unnamed storm in 1900; the most recent system was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm 72 miles away. Of the 5 systems, one has come since 2000. Sawyer has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 48% of the 546 Michigan cities on this site. The highest rating among the 66 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 4 times; the most recent, on October 24, 2001, came within 20 miles. Of the 66, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 20 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 18. The most recent tornado was on September 24, 2024. Sawyer has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 50% of the 546 Michigan cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 34 times since 1956, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 546 Michigan cities, 51% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Sawyer.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Sawyer
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 3 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Sawyer: 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 Sawyer
By decade
- 2020s4
- 2010s8
- 2000s8(1 EF3+)
- 1990s5
- 1980s9
- 1970s15(1 EF3+)
- 1960s10(2 EF3+)
- 1950s7
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 24, 2001 | F3 | 20 mi | 47 mi | 1 / 2 |
| Mar 12, 1976 | F3 | 19 mi | 12.6 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Nov 26, 1965 | F3 | 14 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 30, 1962 | F3 | 16 mi | 36.5 mi | 0 / 49 |
| Oct 24, 2001 | F2 | 16 mi | 35 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Jun 5, 2010 | EF2 | 8 mi | 3.38 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 25, 1998 | F2 | 18 mi | 26 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 13, 1992 | F2 | 24 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 25 |
| Jun 20, 1981 | F2 | 13 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 28, 1980 | F2 | 23 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 7, 1979 | F2 | 25 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 12, 1979 | F2 | 11 mi | 3.3 mi | 0 / 6 |
The strongest 12 of 66, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Sawyer
The Storm Prediction Center has 34 hail reports within 10 miles of Sawyer since 1956, made on 26 separate days. Of these, 14 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on May 5, 1969. The most recent report is from February 27, 2024. May has the most reports, 10.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Sawyer
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Niles, MI, 17 miles east of Sawyer at 650 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 61°F; January is the coolest, at 33°F and 19°F. August and October are the wettest at 4.4 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.3 inches; the year adds up to 41.5 inches over 87 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 12 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 124 nights a year. Snowfall averages 62.5 inches a year, most of it in January. That 41.5 inches is more than at 128 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (98%). Bridgman, 4 miles northeast, has its own station (Benton Harbor Airport, MI): 38.3 inches a year, 3.2 less than here, and the same July average high, 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 33 | 19 | 3.0 | 8 | 22.6 |
| Feb | 36 | 21 | 2.3 | 6 | 13.6 |
| Mar | 47 | 29 | 2.5 | 7 | 6.3 |
| Apr | 60 | 39 | 3.7 | 8 | 0.8 |
| May | 71 | 48 | 4.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 80 | 58 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 61 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 81 | 61 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 76 | 53 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 63 | 43 | 4.4 | 8 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 49 | 33 | 3.0 | 7 | 4.6 |
| Dec | 38 | 25 | 2.7 | 8 | 14.5 |
| Year | 60 | 41 | 41.5 | 87 | 62.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Niles, MI (650 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 Sawyer
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 77 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Sawyer: 71 thunderstorm wind reports, 4 flash floods and 2 floods. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $2.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on May 11, 2011.
October 11, 2021: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Sawyer — 1 injured.
August 10, 2021: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Sawyer — $1.3 million damage.
September 13, 2008: flash flood 2 miles from the centre of Sawyer — $600,000 damage.
NWS: “Emergency management officials reported numerous roads in the southern part of the county being flooded, some with water as deep as one foot flowing over the road. This resulted in the closure of some roads, especially in the Niles area.”
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
Berrien County, which includes Sawyer, has been named in 12 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 7 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 floods, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 27, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Berrien County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding and lightning; Relatively Low for heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and coastal flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $45.1 million a year, the 14th highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $27.1 million (60%), 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 Sawyer
- Bridgman, MI4 mi
- Three Oaks, MI5 mi
- Baroda, MI7 mi
- Stevensville, MI10 mi
- New Buffalo, MI11 mi
- Buchanan, MI12 mi
- Berrien Springs, MI13 mi
- New Carlisle, IN13 mi
- Saint Joseph, MI14 mi
- Rolling Prairie, IN15 mi
- Benton Harbor, MI18 mi
- Eau Claire, MI18 mi
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