NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Stanwood, 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
3 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Stanwood, Michigan since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1941. Since 1950, 41 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 41
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
19 deaths in all
What the records show for Stanwood
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Stanwood; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 62 mph winds when its centre passed 27 miles away. The record near Stanwood begins with an unnamed storm in 1900; the most recent system was an unnamed storm in 1941, a tropical storm 38 miles away. Of the 546 Michigan cities on this site, 75% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Stanwood. The strongest of the 41 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on April 3, 1956; its path came within 15 miles, and it killed 17 people. Of the 41, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 10 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 11. The most recent tornado was on March 30, 2025. Of the 546 Michigan cities, 68% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Stanwood. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 23 times since 1966, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 546 Michigan cities, 74% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Stanwood.
Compare Stanwood's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Stanwood
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Stanwood: 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 Stanwood
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s3
- 2000s5
- 1990s10
- 1980s5
- 1970s8
- 1960s4(1 EF3+)
- 1950s4(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1956 | F5 | 15 mi | 58.8 mi | 17 / 292 |
| Apr 23, 1968 | F3 | 1 mi | 60.9 mi | 0 / 11 |
| Jun 17, 1975 | F2 | 22 mi | 1.5 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Sep 26, 1951 | F2 | 25 mi | 2.3 mi | 1 / 3 |
| Jun 8, 1985 | F2 | 8 mi | 24 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 9, 1974 | F2 | 9 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 20, 1966 | F2 | 8 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 12, 1956 | F2 | 17 mi | 9.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 26, 2021 | EF1 | 7 mi | 2.86 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 8, 2008 | EF1 | 19 mi | 5.27 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 23, 2007 | EF1 | 22 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 6, 1998 | F1 | 9 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 12 |
The strongest 12 of 41, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Stanwood
The Storm Prediction Center has 23 hail reports within 10 miles of Stanwood since 1966, made on 19 separate days. Of these, 15 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 5 days, most recently April 7, 2020. The most recent report is from April 7, 2020. July has the most reports, 8.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Stanwood
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Big Rapids Wtp, MI, 10 miles northwest of Stanwood at 898 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 81°F and low of 57°F; January is the coolest, at 28°F and 13°F. August is the wettest at 4.2 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.0 inches; the year adds up to 38.1 inches over 80 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 168 nights a year. Snowfall averages 61.3 inches a year, most of it in January. That 38.1 inches is more than at 110 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (84%). Lakeview, 11 miles southeast, has its own station (Greenville 2 NNE, MI): 36.6 inches a year, 1.5 less than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 81°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28 | 13 | 2.4 | 6 | 17.8 |
| Feb | 31 | 12 | 2.0 | 5 | 16.0 |
| Mar | 42 | 20 | 2.6 | 6 | 7.7 |
| Apr | 55 | 31 | 4.0 | 8 | 1.5 |
| May | 68 | 43 | 3.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 77 | 53 | 3.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 81 | 57 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 79 | 55 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 72 | 47 | 3.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 58 | 36 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 44 | 28 | 3.1 | 7 | 3.8 |
| Dec | 33 | 19 | 2.3 | 6 | 14.3 |
| Year | 56 | 34 | 38.1 | 80 | 61.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Big Rapids Wtp, MI (898 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 Stanwood
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 45 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Stanwood: 42 thunderstorm wind reports, 1 flash flood, 1 flood and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 4, and the NWS estimated $4.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on August 28, 2018.
July 22, 2009: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of Stanwood — 4 injured.
May 11, 2022: flood 8 miles from the centre of Stanwood — $2.5 million damage.
April 12, 2014: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Stanwood — $500,000 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
Mecosta County, which includes Stanwood, has been named in 13 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1975, 7 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 floods, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on June 30, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Mecosta County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, 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 $23.7 million a year, the 28th highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $11.3 million (48%), is from strong wind.
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 Stanwood
- Mecosta, MI6 mi
- Morley, MI7 mi
- Big Rapids, MI9 mi
- Lakeview, MI11 mi
- Howard City, MI13 mi
- Remus, MI14 mi
- Blanchard, MI17 mi
- Hersey, MI18 mi
- Pierson, MI18 mi
- White Cloud, MI19 mi
- Weidman, MI20 mi
- Newaygo, MI21 mi
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