NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Whitehall, 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
2 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Whitehall, Michigan since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1941. Since 1950, 13 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 2
- Tornadoes
- 13
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Whitehall
None of the 2 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Whitehall; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 61 mph winds when its centre passed 25 miles away. The record near Whitehall begins with an unnamed storm in 1900; the most recent system was an unnamed storm in 1941, a tropical storm 63 miles away. Of the 546 Michigan cities on this site, 82% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Whitehall. The highest rating among the 13 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2, reached 3 times; the most recent, on May 28, 1991, came within 20 miles. Of the 13, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and one has come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 4. The most recent tornado was on April 11, 2001. Of the 546 Michigan cities, 91% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Whitehall. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 29 times since 1978, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 546 Michigan cities, 62% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Whitehall.
Compare Whitehall's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Whitehall
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Whitehall: 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 Whitehall
By decade
- 2000s1
- 1990s4
- 1970s2
- 1960s4
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 28, 1991 | F2 | 20 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 15, 1978 | F2 | 15 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Sep 4, 1965 | F2 | 21 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 30, 1991 | F1 | 24 mi | 0.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 14, 1990 | F1 | 15 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 9, 1979 | F1 | 23 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 11, 1967 | F1 | 14 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 16, 1967 | F1 | 2 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 11, 2001 | F0 | 16 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 10, 1998 | F0 | 16 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 21, 1967 | F0 | 13 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 13, 1956 | F0 | 17 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 13, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Whitehall
The Storm Prediction Center has 29 hail reports within 10 miles of Whitehall since 1978, made on 27 separate days. Of these, 14 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on June 17, 1978. The most recent report is from May 7, 2024. April has the most reports, 8.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Whitehall
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Montague 4 NW, MI, 6 miles northwest of Whitehall at 650 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 79°F and low of 58°F; January is the coolest, at 30°F and 19°F. October is the wettest at 4.1 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.4 inches; the year adds up to 35.4 inches over 75 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 2 days a year. Lows fall below freezing on about 145 nights a year. Snowfall averages 68.9 inches a year, most of it in January. That 35.4 inches is more than at 86 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (66%). Twin Lake, 8 miles east, has its own station (Muskegon Co Airport, MI): 35.2 inches a year, 0.2 less than here, and a July average high of 82°F against 79°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30 | 19 | 2.6 | 6 | 26.0 |
| Feb | 32 | 19 | 1.4 | 4 | 13.8 |
| Mar | 42 | 25 | 2.3 | 6 | 6.7 |
| Apr | 55 | 34 | 3.8 | 7 | 1.7 |
| May | 67 | 44 | 3.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 75 | 53 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 79 | 58 | 3.0 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 78 | 57 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 72 | 51 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 59 | 41 | 4.1 | 8 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 45 | 32 | 3.2 | 7 | 4.7 |
| Dec | 35 | 25 | 1.8 | 6 | 15.9 |
| Year | 56 | 38 | 35.4 | 75 | 68.9 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Montague 4 NW, MI (650 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 Whitehall
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 30 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Whitehall: 27 thunderstorm wind reports, 2 floods and 1 flash flood. They killed 0 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $40.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 76 mph, on September 21, 2010.
May 31, 1998: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Whitehall — 2 injured, $29.2 million damage.
June 28, 2008: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Whitehall — 1 injured.
NWS: “A sixteen inch diameter branch fell on a truck and resulted in minor injuries.”
May 18, 2020: flood 9 miles from the centre of Whitehall — $6.0 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
Muskegon County, which includes Whitehall, has been named in 14 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1975, 9 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 floods, 3 severe storms, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on June 30, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Muskegon County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, inland flooding and lightning; Relatively Low for hail and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and coastal flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $27.7 million a year, the 24th highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $17.1 million (62%), 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 Whitehall
- Montague, MI4 mi
- Twin Lake, MI8 mi
- Rothbury, MI10 mi
- New Era, MI12 mi
- Holton, MI12 mi
- Muskegon, MI13 mi
- Shelby, MI15 mi
- Hesperia, MI19 mi
- Fremont, MI20 mi
- Fruitport, MI20 mi
- Hart, MI22 mi
- Spring Lake, MI22 mi
All Michigan cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Whitehall with another place →