Cadillac
Population 10,438 (2025)
26 tornadoes have tracked within 25 miles of Cadillac since 1950, 0 of them rated EF3 or F3 or stronger; the most recent was on July 18, 2010.
Hazard fingerprint Each spoke is this county’s percentile among U.S. counties where that hazard occurs. How it is computed
- Tornado damage paths within 25 miles since 195026
- Wildfire burn scars within 25 miles since 19842
At a glance
Tornado paths within 25 miles, tropical cyclone tracks within 100 miles and wildfire perimeters within 25 miles of the city centre. Storm events, flood insurance claims and disaster declarations are for Wexford County. Earthquakes within 50 miles, volcanoes within 100 miles and smoke days are measured from the city centre; river and tide gauges, tsunami and landslide records and the drought index are for Wexford County.
Strongest tornado
F2
June 8, 1985, 24.0 mile path
Tornadoes
About one every 2.9 years since 1950, none rated F3/EF3 or stronger.
Strongest
June 8, 1985
F2, 24.0 mile path
150 yards wide.
Most recent
Sunday, July 18, 2010
EF0, 0.1 mile path
16 years ago.
Every recorded tornado
| Jul 18, 2010 | EF0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 8, 2008 | EF1 | 5.3 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 3, 2006 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 8, 2003 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 1, 2002 | F1 | 6.5 | 1 | 0 |
| Jul 23, 1999 | F0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| May 31, 1998 | F0 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 4, 1994 | F0 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 17, 1994 | F0 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 27, 1991 | F0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 27, 1991 | F1 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 27, 1991 | F2 | 4.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 15, 1989 | F1 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 8, 1985 | F2 | 24.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 8, 1985 | F1 | 6.7 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 21, 1983 | F1 | 9.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 7, 1980 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 7, 1980 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 8, 1977 | F1 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 23, 1976 | F2 | 3.3 | 5 | 0 |
| Jun 15, 1976 | F1 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 7, 1974 | F2 | 1.2 | 1 | 0 |
| Aug 4, 1968 | F1 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 3, 1964 | F2 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 31, 1963 | F2 | 19.6 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 20, 1955 | F0 | 16.6 | 0 | 0 |
- Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond this area.
- Weak tornadoes were under-recorded before Doppler radar coverage became national in the early 1990s, so earlier decades read low. Ratings use the Fujita scale before February 2007 and the Enhanced Fujita scale after.
Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, 1950 to 2025.
Hurricanes and tropical storms
No tropical storm or hurricane has tracked within 100 miles since records began in 1851.
Wildfire and smoke
2 large fires burned within 25 miles since 1984.
Largest
April 14, 2003
Warfield Road Fire, 800 acres
19.8 miles from the city centre.
Most recent
March 22, 2021
Warfield Fire
536 acres in total.
Every large fire
| Warfield | 2021 | 20.1 | 536 |
| Warfield Road | 2003 | 19.8 | 800 |
- Large fires mapped by the Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity program since 1984: 1,000 acres or more in the West, 500 or more in the East. Prescribed burns are excluded. Acres here are the part of each perimeter inside this place.
Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (USGS and U.S. Forest Service), 1984 to 2026.
Smoke overhead
Smokiest year
2023: 74 days
Heavy smoke on 20 days in 2023, the most of any year.
Last 10 years
26.3 days a year
Medium or heavy smoke, 2016 to 2025.
2025
28 days
Medium or heavy smoke. 39 so far in 2026.
- A smoke day is a date on which a smoke plume traced by NOAA Hazard Mapping System analysts from satellite imagery covered this place's point (the county's population centre or the city centre). Counts here are of medium or heavy smoke. Since 2018 analysts have often drawn light smoke as one area over most of the continent, so light-smoke counts are not comparable from year to year. The plumes show smoke anywhere in the air above, not air quality at the ground, and smoke hidden by cloud is missed.
NOAA Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, 2011 to 2026, retrieved October 30, 2026.
Floods and flood insurance
16 federal flood insurance claims since 2008, with $616,000 paid.
Flood insurance figures are for Wexford County, the county that contains Cadillac.
Most claims in one year
2026: 9 claims
$595,000 paid.
Claims by ZIP code
| 49601 | 13 | $261,000 |
Flood events since 1996
- Flash Flood9
- Flood2
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).
OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026. NOAA Storm Events through 2026.
River crests
River gauges in Wexford County, the county that contains Cadillac.
Most severe crest
April 16, 2026
Manistee River near Sherman, 19.49 ft
4.49 feet above the 15.0 ft flood stage; major flooding by today’s categories.
Most recent moderate or major crest
April 16, 2026
Manistee River near Sherman, 19.49 ft
Major flooding.
| Apr 16, 2026 | Manistee River near Sherman | 19.49 | +4.49 |
| Apr 3, 2025 | Manistee River near Sherman | 16.18 | +1.18 |
| Oct 1, 1986 | Manistee River near Sherman | 15.01 | +0.01 |
| Dec 11, 1995 | Manistee River near Sherman | 14.99 | −0.01 |
| Apr 6, 2023 | Manistee River near Sherman | 14.97 | −0.03 |
| Apr 7, 2022 | Manistee River near Sherman | 14.85 | −0.15 |
| Aug 11, 2021 | Manistee River near Sherman | 14.34 | −0.66 |
| Feb 4, 2023 | Manistee River near Sherman | 14.22 | −0.78 |
| Feb 7, 2021 | Manistee River near Sherman | 14.21 | −0.79 |
| Mar 6, 2024 | Manistee River near Sherman | 14.09 | −0.91 |
| Dec 25, 2022 | Manistee River near Sherman | 13.99 | −1.01 |
| Oct 24, 2020 | Manistee River near Sherman | 13.84 | −1.16 |
| Dec 18, 2021 | Manistee River near Sherman | 13.53 | −1.47 |
River gauges
| Manistee River near Sherman | 15.0 | 19.49 ft | 1 |
- Crests are the highest and the recent crests the National Weather Service lists for each river gauge in the county that has a flood stage, not every flood. Flood categories use each gauge's current flood stages; crests from before levees, dams or channel changes may not be comparable. Crests measured on an old datum are left out of the rankings.
NOAA National Water Prediction Service gauge records, retrieved October 30, 2026.
Drought
In severe drought or worse for 90 of 1,581 months since 1895 (6%); the longest spell lasted 12 months.
The drought index is for Wexford County, the county that contains Cadillac.
90
Months in severe drought or worse since 1895
30
Months in extreme drought
6%
Share of all months, severe or worse
1
Drought reports to the Weather Service since 1996
Lowest reading
February 1931
−5.79, extreme drought
Longest severe spell
12 months
September 1930 to August 1931.
Latest month
September 2026
+2.34, moderately wet
Last severe month: February 2024.
- The Palmer Drought Severity Index is computed by NOAA each month from the county's average temperature and precipitation, relative to the county's own climate. Zero is normal; -3 or lower is severe drought and -4 or lower extreme drought. It describes the long-term balance of moisture, not water supply or crop losses.
NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, 1895 to September 2026, issued October 6, 2026.
Earthquakes
No earthquake of magnitude 2.5 or more is recorded within 50 miles of the city centre in the USGS catalogue, which begins in 1900.
Severe weather and other events
223 events in the National Weather Service record for Wexford County, 196 of them since 1996.
13
Hail reports, 1 inch or larger
2
Hail, 2 inches or larger
55
Damaging gusts, 58 mph+
80
Winter weather events since 1996
2
Heat events since 1996
5
Cold events since 1996
Largest hail
July 25, 2012
2.00 inches
Strongest measured or estimated gust
May 3, 1965
79 mph
More event types since 1996
| Lightning | 1 | 0 |
Costliest events since 1996
- Jun 12, 2008Flash Flood$750,000
National Weather Service narrative
Widespread flooding developed in southern Wexford County, with isolated flooding in the north, thanks to three to six inches of rainfall in a few hours either side of midnight. Numerous roads were washed out, especially on the northwest side of Lake Cadillac, and near and north of Mesick. One hundred and fifty homes were impacted by high water.
- Oct 4, 2006Tornado$260,000
National Weather Service narrative
A brief tornado occurred west of Cadillac, along Benson Road just south of M-55. A garage and part of a kitchen was ripped off of a home and destroyed. The owner was asleep in a bedroom on the other side of the house, and was not injured. An aluminum shed in the yard was wrapped around a tree. A home across the street was shifted slightly off its foundation. A few other nearby homes suffered shingle damage. Several large pine trees were uprooted.
- Mar 2, 2012Heavy Snow, Wexford$250,000
National Weather Service narrative
One of the highest-impact snowstorms in recent memory pounded Northern Michigan on the night of the 2nd. Low pressure tracked from Missouri, to southern Lower Michigan, and on to eastern Canada, while rapidly strengthening. Precipitation surged northward into the region on the evening of the 2nd. This was primarily snow, except in parts of east central Lower Michigan (especially near Lake Huron), where temperatures were mild enough for rain. Snow wound down on the morning of the 3rd, and though somewhat blustery winds occurred behind the system on the 3rd, blowing snow was limited because the snowfall was so wet.|Snow totals ranged from 6 to 14 inches across most of Northern…
- Apr 14, 2014Flood$110,000
National Weather Service narrative
Two areas of concentrated flooding occurred in Wexford County, with a number of road closures. One was along Lake Mitchell, just west of Cadillac. The other was along the Manistee River in far northern sections of the county. Water entered multiple homes at both locations.
- Jun 13, 2008Flood$40,000
National Weather Service narrative
Flooding lingered for several days after the heavy rain event ended, mainly on the Manistee River and its larger tributaries. The Manistee River at Sherman established a new flood of record on the 14th, reaching 16.4 feet. Several homes just above Hodenpyl Dam Pond had to be evacuated.
- Jul 25, 2012Flash Flood$40,000
National Weather Service narrative
Thunderstorms dumped around 4 inches of rain along the M-115 corridor in Wexford County. Cadillac picked up 3.12 inches of rain between 9 and 11 pm EDT, while Meauwataka had a total of 4.10 inches by morning. Northwest of Cadillac, over two feet of water covered roads at the intersection of M-115 and East 35 Road. In the Mesick area, M-37 was partially washed out, reducing traffic to one lane.
- Oct 18, 2007Thunderstorm Wind$35,000
National Weather Service narrative
Several trees and large limbs were knocked down in Cadillac. One mobile home in Country Acres was destroyed by a falling tree.
- Jun 8, 2007Thunderstorm Wind$35,000
National Weather Service narrative
Numerous trees and power lines downed. Several vehicles, and the roof of a residence, were heavily damaged by falling trees.
- Aug 28, 2018Thunderstorm Wind$30,000
National Weather Service narrative
Multiple trees were downed west of Cadillac, blocking some roads in the area.
- Oct 18, 2007Thunderstorm Wind$30,000
National Weather Service narrative
A number of trees were downed by thunderstorm winds. Four vehicles were destroyed or damaged by falling trees.
- Storm Events records before 1996 cover only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail. Damage figures are as reported by the National Weather Service at the time, not adjusted for inflation.
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026, issued October 26, 2026.
Weather records
From Cadillac, 2.2 miles from the city centre, with records from 1948.
- All-time high
- 99°F2 times, most recently Jul 14, 1995
- All-time low
- −43°FJan 30, 1951
- Warmest night
- 78°FJun 22, 1964
- Coldest day
- −4°FJan 16, 1972
- Wettest day
- 6.10 inJun 13, 2008
- Snowiest day
- 14.0 inJan 1, 1985
- Hottest year
- 2024mean 47.3°F
- Coldest year
- 1989mean 40.3°F
- Wettest year
- 198547.27 in
- Driest year
- 195523.01 in
Station Cadillac (USW00014817), 1,295 ft elevation, 2.2 miles from the city centre. Daily records from 1948 to October 26, 2026; 96.8% of days in the last 30 years are complete. Records at a single station can differ from a city’s official threaded record, which may combine several stations.
NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily.
Federal disaster declarations
7 since 1953. The most recent: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, June 30, 2026.
Declarations for Wexford County.
| Jun 30, 2026 | Flood | DR-4925-MI |
| Mar 27, 2020 | Biological | DR-4494-MI |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | EM-3455-MI |
| Jul 14, 2008 | Severe Storm | DR-1777-MI |
| Sep 7, 2005 | Hurricane | EM-3225-MI |
| Jan 27, 1978 | Snowstorm | EM-3057-MI |
| Mar 2, 1977 | Drought | EM-3035-MI |
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).
OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, retrieved October 30, 2026. Statewide declarations are not listed.
Sources and vintage
Every number on this page comes from these public records.
- Tornadoes NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, through 2025.
- Tropical cyclones NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2 (Atlantic; Northeast and Central Pacific), through 2025.
- Wildfire USGS/USFS Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity, through 2026.
- Storm events NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, through 2026.
- Flood insurance OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026.
- Declarations OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2, retrieved October 30, 2026.
- Weather records NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily, station USW00014817.
- River crests NOAA National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service river gauges, retrieved October 30, 2026.
- Drought NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, through September 2026.
- Smoke NOAA NESDIS Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, retrieved October 30, 2026.
- Earthquakes USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat), retrieved October 30, 2026.
Joins, thresholds and known limits are set out in the methodology. Found an error? Report it. Page built October 30, 2026.