NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit West Branch, 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 West Branch, Michigan since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Connie in 1955. Since 1950, 39 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 39
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for West Branch
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed West Branch; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 63 mph winds when its centre passed 59 miles away. The record near West Branch begins with an unnamed storm in 1900; the most recent system was Connie in 1955, a tropical storm 47 miles away. None of the 4 systems has come since 2000. Of the 546 Michigan cities on this site, 52% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than West Branch. The highest rating among the 39 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 4 times; the most recent, on March 27, 1991, came within 12 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on March 30, 1976, killed 1 person. Of the 39, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 12 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 12. The most recent tornado was on June 22, 2024. Of the 546 Michigan cities, 70% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than West Branch. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 28 times since 1989, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Of the 546 Michigan cities, 64% have more hail reports within 10 miles than West Branch.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near West Branch
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | ConnieAug 14 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 12 | 59 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 West Branch: 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 West Branch
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s5
- 2000s5
- 1990s12(2 EF3+)
- 1980s5
- 1970s9(2 EF3+)
- 1960s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 30, 1976 | F3 | 14 mi | 6.4 mi | 1 / 7 |
| Mar 27, 1991 | F3 | 16 mi | 21 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 27, 1991 | F3 | 12 mi | 35 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 30, 1976 | F3 | 2 mi | 11.4 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Oct 18, 2007 | EF2 | 25 mi | 11.63 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 13, 1995 | F2 | 12 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 28, 1995 | F2 | 20 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 24, 1993 | F2 | 10 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Mar 27, 1991 | F2 | 1 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 21, 1975 | F2 | 24 mi | 1.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 12, 1974 | F2 | 16 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 22, 2024 | EF1 | 12 mi | 10.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 39, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in West Branch
The Storm Prediction Center has 28 hail reports within 10 miles of West Branch since 1989, made on 22 separate days. Of these, 12 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on August 2, 2015. The most recent report is from August 8, 2025. July has the most reports, 8.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in West Branch
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is W Branch 3SE, MI, 2 miles south of West Branch at 885 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 80°F and low of 56°F; January is the coolest, at 27°F and 10°F. Highs reach 90°F on about 6 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 177 nights a year. Snowfall averages 53.0 inches a year, most of it in January. That 33.6 inches is more than at 54 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (41%). Saint Helen, 12 miles northwest, has its own station (Houghton Lk Roscommon Airport, MI): 29.7 inches a year, 3.9 less than here, and a July average high of 81°F against 80°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27 | 10 | 2.1 | 6 | 14.7 |
| Feb | 30 | 10 | 1.6 | 4 | 11.7 |
| Mar | 41 | 19 | 1.8 | 5 | 6.9 |
| Apr | 54 | 30 | 3.4 | 7 | 2.9 |
| May | 67 | 42 | 3.5 | 7 | 0.1 |
| Jun | 76 | 52 | 3.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 80 | 56 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 79 | 55 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 71 | 46 | 2.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 58 | 36 | 3.3 | 7 | 0.3 |
| Nov | 44 | 27 | 2.6 | 6 | 3.8 |
| Dec | 33 | 18 | 2.2 | 6 | 12.6 |
| Year | 55 | 34 | 33.6 | 73 | 53.0 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at W Branch 3SE, MI (885 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 West Branch
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 39 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of West Branch: 37 thunderstorm wind reports and 2 floods. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $15.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on June 8, 2008.
July 28, 2002: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of West Branch — 1 injured.
May 18, 2020: flood 9 miles from the centre of West Branch — $11.0 million damage.
May 18, 2020: flood 9 miles from the centre of West Branch — $4.4 million 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
Ogemaw County, which includes West Branch, has been named in 7 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 2 of them major disasters (by incident: 2 biological emergencies, 2 snowstorms, 1 drought, 1 flood). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on June 30, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Ogemaw County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hail, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for tornadoes and inland flooding; Very Low for hurricanes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $8.1 million a year, the 60th highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.7 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 West Branch
- Alger, MI11 mi
- Prescott, MI12 mi
- Saint Helen, MI12 mi
- Rose City, MI13 mi
- Sterling, MI17 mi
- Hale, MI20 mi
- Gladwin, MI21 mi
- Prudenville, MI22 mi
- Standish, MI25 mi
- Mio, MI26 mi
- Roscommon, MI26 mi
- Houghton Lake, MI27 mi
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