NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Sterling, 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 Sterling, Michigan since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Connie in 1955. Since 1950, 43 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 43
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Sterling
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Sterling; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 63 mph winds when its centre passed 43 miles away. The record near Sterling begins with an unnamed storm in 1900; the most recent system was Connie in 1955, a tropical storm 46 miles away. None of the 5 systems has come since 2000. Sterling has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 48% of the 546 Michigan cities on this site. The highest rating among the 43 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 3 times; the most recent, on March 27, 1991, came within 17 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on March 30, 1976, killed 1 person. Of the 43, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 13 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 13. The most recent tornado was on June 22, 2024. Of the 546 Michigan cities, 67% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Sterling. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 36 times since 1977, with stones up to 3.5 inches. Sterling has more hail reports within 10 miles than 50% of the 546 Michigan cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Sterling
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | ConnieAug 14 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 4 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 12 | 43 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 Sterling: 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 Sterling
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s8
- 2000s4
- 1990s9(1 EF3+)
- 1980s6
- 1970s14(2 EF3+)
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 30, 1976 | F3 | 14 mi | 6.4 mi | 1 / 7 |
| Mar 27, 1991 | F3 | 17 mi | 35 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 30, 1976 | F3 | 10 mi | 11.4 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Jul 13, 1995 | F2 | 5 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 24, 1993 | F2 | 7 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Mar 27, 1991 | F2 | 16 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 4, 1977 | F2 | 17 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 21, 1975 | F2 | 25 mi | 1.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 12, 1974 | F2 | 8 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 31, 1973 | F2 | 13 mi | 2.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 7, 1955 | F2 | 24 mi | 3.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 22, 2024 | EF1 | 12 mi | 10.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 43, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Sterling
The Storm Prediction Center has 36 hail reports within 10 miles of Sterling since 1977, made on 28 separate days. Of these, 21 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3.5 inches, fell on September 26, 1998. The most recent report is from July 8, 2024. May and July have the most reports, 9 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Sterling
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Standish 4NE, MI, 8 miles southeast of Sterling at 615 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 80°F and low of 58°F; January is the coolest, at 28°F and 14°F. June is the wettest at 3.6 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.4 inches; the year adds up to 30.6 inches over 71 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 6 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 164 nights a year. That 30.6 inches is more than at 17 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (13%). Alger, 7 miles northwest, has its own station (W Branch 3SE, MI): 33.6 inches a year, 3.0 more than here, and the same July average high, 80°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28 | 14 | 1.6 | 5 |
| Feb | 30 | 14 | 1.4 | 4 |
| Mar | 40 | 23 | 1.5 | 5 |
| Apr | 53 | 33 | 3.3 | 7 |
| May | 66 | 44 | 3.5 | 7 |
| Jun | 76 | 54 | 3.6 | 7 |
| Jul | 80 | 58 | 2.9 | 6 |
| Aug | 78 | 57 | 3.5 | 7 |
| Sep | 72 | 49 | 2.6 | 6 |
| Oct | 59 | 39 | 2.7 | 6 |
| Nov | 45 | 30 | 2.4 | 5 |
| Dec | 34 | 22 | 1.6 | 5 |
| Year | 55 | 37 | 30.6 | 71 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Standish 4NE, MI (615 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 Sterling
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 51 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Sterling: 38 thunderstorm wind reports, 11 floods, 1 flash flood and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $17.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 70 mph, on July 2, 1997.
May 18, 2020: flood 9 miles from the centre of Sterling — $11.0 million damage.
May 18, 2020: flood 9 miles from the centre of Sterling — $4.4 million damage.
May 18, 2020: flood 9 miles from the centre of Sterling — $1.0 million damage.
NWS: “Widespread flooding closed over 100 roads across Bay, Midland, and Saginaw Counties.”
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 Sterling's ZIP code 48659 have filed 14 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1990, and were paid $657,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. Of the 160 Michigan cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 19 have fewer than Sterling.
Arenac County, which includes Sterling, has been named in 11 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 6 of them major disasters (by incident: 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 snowstorms, 1 drought). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Flooding, on July 9, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Arenac County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes, coastal flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $5.9 million a year, the 68th highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.5 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 Sterling
- Alger, MI7 mi
- Standish, MI8 mi
- Prescott, MI9 mi
- Pinconning, MI16 mi
- West Branch, MI17 mi
- Au Gres, MI18 mi
- Gladwin, MI22 mi
- Hale, MI23 mi
- Linwood, MI23 mi
- Beaverton, MI24 mi
- Tawas City, MI26 mi
- Kawkawlin, MI28 mi
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