NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Shepherd, 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 Shepherd, 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, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 45
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Shepherd
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Shepherd; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 63 mph winds when its centre passed 15 miles away. The record near Shepherd begins with an unnamed storm in 1900; the most recent system was an unnamed storm in 1941, a tropical storm 10 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 Shepherd. The highest rating among the 45 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2, reached 13 times; the most recent, on May 31, 1999, came within 24 miles. The deadliest, an F2 on May 12, 1956, killed 1 person. Of the 45, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 14 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 14. The most recent tornado was on November 10, 2024. Of the 546 Michigan cities, 64% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Shepherd. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 39 times since 1968, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Shepherd has more hail reports within 10 miles than 56% of the 546 Michigan cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Shepherd
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 4 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 15 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 Shepherd: 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 Shepherd
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s3
- 2000s9
- 1990s6
- 1980s6
- 1970s7
- 1960s7
- 1950s5
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 12, 1956 | F2 | 18 mi | 3.8 mi | 1 / 4 |
| May 31, 1999 | F2 | 24 mi | 1.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 15, 1982 | F2 | 24 mi | 19 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jun 15, 1982 | F2 | 22 mi | 5.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 14, 1974 | F2 | 7 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Oct 7, 1965 | F2 | 17 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F2 | 12 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F2 | 11 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F2 | 11 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F2 | 11 mi | 15.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 26, 1956 | F2 | 19 mi | 9.2 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 12, 1956 | F2 | 14 mi | 9.1 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 Shepherd
The Storm Prediction Center has 39 hail reports within 10 miles of Shepherd since 1968, made on 26 separate days. Of these, 24 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on October 4, 2006. The most recent report is from April 7, 2020. July has the most reports, 13.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Shepherd
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Alma, MI, 10 miles south of Shepherd at 729 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 59°F; January is the coolest, at 29°F and 15°F. May and August are the wettest at 3.7 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.8 inches; the year adds up to 34.5 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 156 nights a year. Snowfall averages 39.3 inches a year, most of it in January. That 34.5 inches is more than at 72 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (55%). Coleman, 16 miles northeast, has its own station (Gladwin, MI): 34.1 inches a year, 0.4 less than here, and the same July average high, 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 29 | 15 | 2.2 | 6 | 10.7 |
| Feb | 32 | 15 | 1.8 | 4 | 9.9 |
| Mar | 43 | 23 | 2.1 | 5 | 5.4 |
| Apr | 56 | 35 | 3.5 | 7 | 2.1 |
| May | 69 | 46 | 3.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 78 | 56 | 3.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 82 | 59 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 80 | 58 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 73 | 50 | 2.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 60 | 39 | 3.2 | 7 | 0.3 |
| Nov | 46 | 30 | 2.7 | 6 | 2.7 |
| Dec | 35 | 22 | 2.0 | 5 | 8.2 |
| Year | 57 | 37 | 34.5 | 72 | 39.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Alma, MI (729 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 Shepherd
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 53 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Shepherd: 48 thunderstorm wind reports, 3 floods and 2 flash floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $106.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on July 10, 2007.
June 23, 2017: flood 8 miles from the centre of Shepherd — $91.0 million damage.
May 18, 2020: flood 6 miles from the centre of Shepherd — $10.0 million damage.
August 11, 2010: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Shepherd — $4.0 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
Isabella County, which includes Shepherd, has been named in 11 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1975, 6 of them major disasters (by incident: 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 severe storms, 2 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 27, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Isabella County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and hail; Relatively Low for inland flooding and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $22.4 million a year, the 30th highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $12.3 million (55%), 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 Shepherd
- Mt Pleasant, MI7 mi
- Saint Louis, MI9 mi
- Alma, MI11 mi
- Riverdale, MI12 mi
- Breckenridge, MI13 mi
- Vestaburg, MI15 mi
- Coleman, MI16 mi
- Weidman, MI17 mi
- Blanchard, MI18 mi
- Sanford, MI18 mi
- Ithaca, MI19 mi
- Merrill, MI19 mi
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