NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Vassar, 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
7 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Vassar, Michigan since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 72 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 7
- Tornadoes
- 72
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
117 deaths in all
What the records show for Vassar
None of the 7 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Vassar; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 64 mph winds when its centre passed 10 miles away. The record near Vassar begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm 65 miles away. Of the 7 systems, one has come since 2000. Vassar is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 546 Michigan cities on this site. The strongest of the 72 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on June 8, 1953; its path came within 15 miles, and it killed 116 people. Of the 72, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 26 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 18. The most recent tornado was on May 17, 2024. Vassar has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 58% of the 546 Michigan cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 39 times since 1960, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Vassar has more hail reports within 10 miles than 56% of the 546 Michigan cities.
Compare Vassar's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Vassar
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1955 | ConnieAug 14 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 4 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 12 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 14 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Vassar: 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 Vassar
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s8
- 2000s15
- 1990s13(3 EF3+)
- 1980s9(1 EF3+)
- 1970s13(1 EF3+)
- 1960s4
- 1950s7(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 8, 1953 | F5 | 15 mi | 18.9 mi | 116 / 844 |
| Jul 2, 1997 | F3 | 13 mi | 1.7 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Jul 2, 1997 | F3 | 16 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 21, 1996 | F3 | 9 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 12, 1984 | F3 | 22 mi | 48 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jul 14, 1974 | F3 | 22 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 22, 2015 | EF2 | 8 mi | 11.27 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Mar 15, 2012 | EF2 | 18 mi | 4.59 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 4, 1990 | F2 | 24 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Aug 30, 1984 | F2 | 16 mi | 5.6 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Aug 7, 1984 | F2 | in town | 0.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 15, 1982 | F2 | 17 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 72, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Vassar
The Storm Prediction Center has 39 hail reports within 10 miles of Vassar since 1960, made on 35 separate days. Of these, 18 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 August 2, 2004. The most recent report is from April 23, 2024. June has the most reports, 10.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Vassar
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Vassar, MI, in Vassar at 630 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 57°F; January is the coolest, at 30°F and 12°F. July is the wettest at 4.1 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.5 inches; the year adds up to 34.4 inches over 76 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 10 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 160 nights a year. That 34.4 inches is more than at 69 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (53%). Mayville, 11 miles east, has its own station (Caro Wwtp, MI): 34.3 inches a year, the same as here, and the same July average high, 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30 | 12 | 2.0 | 6 |
| Feb | 33 | 13 | 1.5 | 5 |
| Mar | 43 | 21 | 1.9 | 5 |
| Apr | 57 | 32 | 3.3 | 7 |
| May | 69 | 43 | 3.6 | 8 |
| Jun | 78 | 53 | 3.4 | 7 |
| Jul | 82 | 57 | 4.1 | 7 |
| Aug | 80 | 56 | 3.7 | 7 |
| Sep | 74 | 48 | 3.0 | 6 |
| Oct | 61 | 38 | 3.1 | 8 |
| Nov | 47 | 29 | 2.7 | 6 |
| Dec | 35 | 22 | 2.1 | 6 |
| Year | 57 | 35 | 34.4 | 76 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Vassar, MI (630 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 Vassar
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 65 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Vassar: 62 thunderstorm wind reports, 2 floods and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $349,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 70 mph, on September 10, 2019.
July 17, 2006: lightning strike in Vassar — $200,000 damage.
NWS: “A local newspaper article included a photograph of a home burned down. The fire was sparked by an electrical line blown down onto the home by thunderstorm winds.”
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 Vassar's ZIP code 48768 have filed 63 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1985, and were paid $666,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1986: 27 claims (43% of all) and $345,000. The year with the most claims was 1996, with 18. 43% 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, 114 have fewer than Vassar.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1986 | 27 | $345,000 |
Tuscola County, which includes Vassar, has been named in 12 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 8 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 severe storms, 2 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on June 30, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Tuscola County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and inland flooding; Relatively Low for hail, 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 $27.6 million a year, the 25th highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $16.5 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.