NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Waterford, 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 Waterford, Michigan since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 89 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 89
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
9 deaths in all
What the records show for Waterford
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Waterford; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 64 mph winds when its centre passed 60 miles away. The record near Waterford begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm 20 miles away. Of the 5 systems, one has come since 2000. Waterford has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 48% of the 546 Michigan cities on this site. The highest rating among the 89 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on March 20, 1976, came within 8 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on May 12, 1956, killed 3 people. Of the 89, 9 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 26 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 18. The most recent tornado was on June 18, 2025. Waterford has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 82% of the 546 Michigan cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 60 times since 1960, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Waterford has more hail reports within 10 miles than 73% of the 546 Michigan cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Waterford
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 4 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 12 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 14 | 30 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 Waterford: 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 Waterford
By decade
- 2020s8
- 2010s7
- 2000s11
- 1990s15(1 EF3+)
- 1980s21
- 1970s15(3 EF3+)
- 1960s2
- 1950s10(4 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 12, 1956 | F4 | 23 mi | 6.6 mi | 3 / 116 |
| Mar 20, 1976 | F4 | 8 mi | 3.8 mi | 1 / 55 |
| Jul 4, 1957 | F4 | 10 mi | 29.9 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Mar 20, 1976 | F3 | 21 mi | 17.1 mi | 1 / 3 |
| Nov 20, 1957 | F3 | 23 mi | 1.5 mi | 1 / 12 |
| Sep 14, 1990 | F3 | 12 mi | 24 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 2, 1972 | F3 | 8 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 8, 1953 | F3 | 16 mi | 9.1 mi | 0 / 11 |
| Jun 21, 1987 | F2 | 13 mi | 0.3 mi | 1 / 6 |
| Feb 28, 2024 | EF2 | 22 mi | 5.73 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 28, 2013 | EF2 | 19 mi | 4.61 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 28, 2013 | EF2 | 23 mi | 5.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 89, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Waterford
The Storm Prediction Center has 60 hail reports within 10 miles of Waterford since 1960, made on 36 separate days. Of these, 30 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 6 days, most recently July 27, 2014. The most recent report is from March 15, 2025. July has the most reports, 24.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Waterford
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Pontiac Oakland Co International Airport, MI, 2 miles west of Waterford at 976 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 30°F and 17°F. May is the wettest at 3.7 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.1 inches; the year adds up to 29.3 inches over 65 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 10 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 136 nights a year. That 29.3 inches is more than at 4 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (3%). Keego Harbor, 4 miles southeast, has its own station (Pontiac Wwtp, MI): 33.9 inches a year, 4.6 more than here, and the same July average high, 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30 | 17 | 1.6 | 4 |
| Feb | 33 | 18 | 1.1 | 3 |
| Mar | 43 | 26 | 1.9 | 5 |
| Apr | 57 | 36 | 2.7 | 6 |
| May | 69 | 48 | 3.7 | 8 |
| Jun | 78 | 58 | 3.2 | 7 |
| Jul | 82 | 62 | 2.8 | 6 |
| Aug | 80 | 61 | 2.9 | 5 |
| Sep | 73 | 53 | 3.1 | 6 |
| Oct | 60 | 42 | 2.6 | 6 |
| Nov | 46 | 32 | 2.1 | 5 |
| Dec | 35 | 23 | 1.6 | 4 |
| Year | 57 | 40 | 29.3 | 65 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Pontiac Oakland Co International Airport, MI (976 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 Waterford
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 217 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Waterford: 206 thunderstorm wind reports, 5 flash floods, 3 floods and 3 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 4, and the NWS estimated $4.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on June 8, 2008. Of the 376 Michigan cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 280 have had fewer than Waterford.
December 6, 1998: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Waterford — 2 injured, $60,000 damage.
June 5, 2024: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Waterford — 2 injured.
June 8, 2008: thunderstorm wind in Waterford — $1.2 million damage.
NWS: “Widespread trees and power lines down. Garage doors blown in.”
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 Waterford's 3 ZIP codes have filed 37 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1981, and were paid $445,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2004, with 11. 5% 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, 82 have fewer than Waterford.
Oakland County, which includes Waterford, has been named in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1975, 9 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 severe storms, 3 floods, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on February 8, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Oakland County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively High for inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Moderate for hail; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $359.1 million a year, the 2nd highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $164.9 million (46%), 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 Waterford
- Keego Harbor, MI4 mi
- Pontiac, MI4 mi
- Clarkston, MI6 mi
- White Lake, MI6 mi
- West Bloomfield, MI7 mi
- Auburn Hills, MI7 mi
- Commerce Township, MI7 mi
- Bloomfield Hills, MI8 mi
- Lake Orion, MI9 mi
- Walled Lake, MI9 mi
- Davisburg, MI10 mi
- Bingham Farms, MI11 mi
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