NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Williamston, 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
6 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Williamston, 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, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 89
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
10 deaths in all
What the records show for Williamston
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Williamston; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 63 mph winds when its centre passed 47 miles away. The record near Williamston begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm 48 miles away. Of the 6 systems, one has come since 2000. Williamston has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 76% of the 546 Michigan cities on this site. The highest rating among the 89 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 2, 1977, came within 25 miles. The deadliest, an EF2 on August 24, 2023, killed 2 people. Of the 89, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 29 have come since 2000. August has had the most tornadoes, 16. The most recent tornado was on May 15, 2025. Williamston has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 82% of the 546 Michigan cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 30 times since 1962, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 546 Michigan cities, 59% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Williamston.
Compare Williamston's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Williamston
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 4 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 14 | 74 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 Williamston: 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 Williamston
By decade
- 2020s8
- 2010s9
- 2000s12(1 EF3+)
- 1990s10
- 1980s13(1 EF3+)
- 1970s22(2 EF3+)
- 1960s9(1 EF3+)
- 1950s6
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 2, 1977 | F4 | 25 mi | 16.6 mi | 1 / 44 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 16 mi | 21 mi | 1 / 8 |
| Jun 15, 1982 | F3 | 20 mi | 13 mi | 1 / 1 |
| May 11, 1974 | F3 | 23 mi | 0.9 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Aug 24, 2007 | EF3 | 25 mi | 6.5 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Aug 24, 2023 | EF2 | 2 mi | 12.02 mi | 2 / 4 |
| Oct 18, 2007 | EF2 | in town | 19 mi | 2 / 1 |
| Aug 14, 1988 | F2 | 5 mi | 26.6 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Mar 14, 2019 | EF2 | 10 mi | 18.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 24, 2007 | EF2 | 14 mi | 23.52 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Aug 21, 2003 | F2 | 6 mi | 4.7 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jun 13, 1994 | F2 | 20 mi | 16 mi | 0 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 89, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Williamston
The Storm Prediction Center has 30 hail reports within 10 miles of Williamston since 1962, made on 26 separate days. Of these, 20 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on April 9, 1991. The most recent report is from June 15, 2023. June has the most reports, 10.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Williamston
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is East Lansing 4 S, MI, 11 miles west of Williamston at 880 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 61°F; January is the coolest, at 32°F and 18°F. May is the wettest at 4.4 inches of precipitation on average and February and December the driest at 1.6 inches; the year adds up to 34.6 inches over 67 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 9 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 145 nights a year. Snowfall averages 36.0 inches a year, most of it in January. That 34.6 inches is more than at 75 of the 131 Michigan stations used on this site (57%). Webberville, 6 miles southeast, has its own station (Howell Wwtp, MI): 32.9 inches a year, 1.7 less than here, and the same July average high, 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32 | 18 | 2.1 | 6 | 14.1 |
| Feb | 34 | 19 | 1.6 | 4 | 7.3 |
| Mar | 45 | 27 | 1.7 | 4 | 4.2 |
| Apr | 58 | 37 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.9 |
| May | 70 | 48 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 79 | 58 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 61 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 81 | 60 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 76 | 52 | 3.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 62 | 42 | 3.1 | 6 | 0.3 |
| Nov | 48 | 32 | 2.6 | 5 | 1.8 |
| Dec | 37 | 24 | 1.6 | 5 | 7.4 |
| Year | 59 | 40 | 34.6 | 67 | 36.0 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at East Lansing 4 S, MI (880 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 Williamston
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 63 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Williamston: 60 thunderstorm wind reports, 2 floods and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $16.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on August 24, 2023.
August 24, 2023: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Williamston — $15.0 million damage.
July 2, 1997: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Williamston — $500,000 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Williamston's ZIP code 48895 have filed 12 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1981, and were paid $38,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 33% 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, 11 have fewer than Williamston.
Ingham County, which includes Williamston, has been named in 12 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 7 of them major disasters (by incident: 3 floods, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on February 8, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Ingham County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for strong wind; Relatively High for tornadoes; Relatively Moderate for hail, inland flooding and lightning; Relatively Low for heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $72.3 million a year, the 7th highest of 83 Michigan counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $36.2 million (50%), 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.