NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit South Haven, 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 South Haven, Michigan since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1941. Since 1950, 38 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 38
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
18 deaths in all
What the records show for South Haven
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed South Haven; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 60 mph winds when its centre passed 42 miles away. The record near South Haven begins with an unnamed storm in 1900; the most recent system was an unnamed storm in 1941, a tropical storm 16 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 South Haven. The strongest of the 38 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on April 3, 1956; its path came within 17 miles, and it killed 17 people. Of the 38, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 11 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 11. The most recent tornado was on June 30, 2017. Of the 546 Michigan cities, 71% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than South Haven. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 17 times since 1976, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 546 Michigan cities, 88% have more hail reports within 10 miles than South Haven.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near South Haven
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 3 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 42 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 South Haven: 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 South Haven
By decade
- 2010s7
- 2000s4
- 1990s4
- 1980s9(1 EF3+)
- 1970s6
- 1960s2
- 1950s6(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1956 | F5 | 17 mi | 58.8 mi | 17 / 292 |
| May 13, 1980 | F3 | 13 mi | 21 mi | 0 / 15 |
| Apr 3, 1956 | F3 | 11 mi | 60.6 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Jul 21, 1983 | F2 | 14 mi | 13.6 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Jun 19, 2009 | EF2 | 13 mi | 5.88 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 13, 1992 | F2 | 24 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 25 |
| May 30, 1989 | F2 | 3 mi | 10.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 30, 1989 | F2 | 11 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 29, 1986 | F2 | 25 mi | 3.8 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 7, 1979 | F2 | 23 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 4, 1976 | F2 | 20 mi | 44.8 mi | 0 / 9 |
| Jun 20, 1974 | F2 | 25 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 38, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in South Haven
The Storm Prediction Center has 17 hail reports within 10 miles of South Haven since 1976, made on 16 separate days. Of these, 14 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on August 23, 2006. The most recent report is from August 27, 2024. August has the most reports, 5.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in South Haven
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Bloomingdale, MI, 15 miles east of South Haven at 736 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 60°F; January is the coolest, at 32°F and 17°F. October is the wettest at 4.4 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.3 inches; the year adds up to 41.1 inches over 88 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 13 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 153 nights a year. Snowfall averages 109.0 inches a year, most of it in January. That 41.1 inches is more than at 127 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (97%). Covert, 7 miles south, has its own station (Benton Harbor Airport, MI): 38.3 inches a year, 2.8 less than here, and the same July average high, 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32 | 17 | 3.2 | 9 | 35.9 |
| Feb | 35 | 18 | 2.3 | 7 | 22.9 |
| Mar | 45 | 25 | 2.5 | 7 | 7.9 |
| Apr | 58 | 35 | 3.6 | 8 | 1.7 |
| May | 70 | 46 | 4.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 79 | 57 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 60 | 3.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 81 | 59 | 3.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 75 | 51 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 62 | 40 | 4.4 | 8 | 0.5 |
| Nov | 48 | 31 | 3.2 | 8 | 7.3 |
| Dec | 37 | 23 | 3.0 | 9 | 32.8 |
| Year | 59 | 38 | 41.1 | 88 | 109.0 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Bloomingdale, MI (736 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 South Haven
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 53 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of South Haven: 49 thunderstorm wind reports, 2 floods, 1 flash flood and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $9.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on June 26, 2020.
July 27, 2011: lightning strike 6 miles from the centre of South Haven — 2 injured.
April 17, 2013: flood 8 miles from the centre of South Haven — $5.0 million damage.
April 17, 2013: flood 1 mile from the centre of South Haven — $3.0 million damage.
NWS: “Significant flooding occurred on rivers and streams across Van Buren county due to heavy rainfall from early to mid April.”
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 South Haven's ZIP code 49090 have filed 20 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $130,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 15% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 160 Michigan cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 45 have fewer than South Haven.
Van Buren County, which includes South Haven, has been named in 13 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 7 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 floods, 4 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 Van Buren County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for hail and strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes; Relatively Low for 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 $20.4 million a year, the 33rd highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $9.2 million (45%), 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 South Haven
- Covert, MI7 mi
- Bangor, MI9 mi
- Grand Junction, MI10 mi
- Pullman, MI10 mi
- Fennville, MI13 mi
- Coloma, MI14 mi
- Hartford, MI15 mi
- Watervliet, MI15 mi
- Lawrence, MI17 mi
- Saugatuck, MI19 mi
- Gobles, MI20 mi
- Allegan, MI21 mi
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