NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Spring Arbor, 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 Spring Arbor, Michigan since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 65 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 65
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
48 deaths in all
What the records show for Spring Arbor
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Spring Arbor; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 29 miles away. The record near Spring Arbor begins with an unnamed storm in 1923; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 4 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 546 Michigan cities on this site, 52% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Spring Arbor. The highest rating among the 65 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on April 2, 1977, came within 24 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on April 11, 1965, killed 23 people. Of the 65, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 12 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 17. The most recent tornado was on March 30, 2025. Of the 546 Michigan cities, 49% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Spring Arbor. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 35 times since 1958, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 546 Michigan cities, 49% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Spring Arbor.
Compare Spring Arbor's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Spring Arbor
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 4 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Spring Arbor: 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 Spring Arbor
By decade
- 2020s5
- 2010s3
- 2000s4
- 1990s8(1 EF3+)
- 1980s15(1 EF3+)
- 1970s17(1 EF3+)
- 1960s10(3 EF3+)
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 23 mi | 90.3 mi | 23 / 294 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 22 mi | 80.5 mi | 21 / 293 |
| Apr 2, 1977 | F4 | 24 mi | 16.6 mi | 1 / 44 |
| Jun 15, 1982 | F3 | 14 mi | 13 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Mar 27, 1991 | F3 | 22 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 18 |
| Aug 22, 1964 | F3 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F2 | 11 mi | 19.3 mi | 2 / 31 |
| Jun 13, 1994 | F2 | 18 mi | 16 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Mar 27, 1991 | F2 | 18 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 15, 1986 | F2 | 11 mi | 42.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 25, 1984 | F2 | 20 mi | 2.1 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 1, 1983 | F2 | 24 mi | 1.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 65, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Spring Arbor
The Storm Prediction Center has 35 hail reports within 10 miles of Spring Arbor since 1958, made on 34 separate days. Of these, 20 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on March 27, 1991. The most recent report is from June 1, 2019. May has the most reports, 10.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Spring Arbor
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Jackson Reynolds Field, MI, 6 miles northeast of Spring Arbor at 998 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 61°F; January is the coolest, at 31°F and 18°F. August is the wettest at 3.8 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.5 inches; the year adds up to 32.2 inches over 70 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 8 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 137 nights a year. That 32.2 inches is more than at 32 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (24%). Hanover, 7 miles south, has its own station (Hillsdale, MI): 39.6 inches a year, 7.4 more than here, and the same July average high, 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31 | 18 | 1.7 | 4 |
| Feb | 35 | 19 | 1.5 | 4 |
| Mar | 45 | 27 | 1.9 | 5 |
| Apr | 59 | 37 | 2.9 | 7 |
| May | 70 | 48 | 3.4 | 8 |
| Jun | 79 | 57 | 3.6 | 7 |
| Jul | 83 | 61 | 3.4 | 6 |
| Aug | 80 | 59 | 3.8 | 7 |
| Sep | 74 | 52 | 3.0 | 6 |
| Oct | 61 | 41 | 2.9 | 6 |
| Nov | 48 | 32 | 2.3 | 5 |
| Dec | 36 | 24 | 1.8 | 5 |
| Year | 58 | 39 | 32.2 | 70 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Jackson Reynolds Field, MI (998 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 Spring Arbor
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 99 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Spring Arbor: 98 thunderstorm wind reports and 1 flood. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $1.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 96 mph, on March 30, 2025.
August 26, 2000: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Spring Arbor — $100,000 damage.
August 23, 2007: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Spring Arbor — $100,000 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
Jackson County, which includes Spring Arbor, has been named in 10 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 5 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 severe storms, 1 flood). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 27, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Jackson County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Moderate for hail, inland flooding and lightning; Relatively Low for heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $37.8 million a year, the 16th highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $18.2 million (48%), 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.