Mount Pleasant
Population 20,925 (2025)
40 tornadoes have tracked within 25 miles of Mount Pleasant since 1950, 0 of them rated EF3 or F3 or stronger; the most recent was on June 26, 2021.
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 195040
- Tropical cyclone tracks within 100 miles since 1851, wider where stronger1
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 Isabella 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 Isabella County.
Strongest tornado
F2
April 11, 1965, 15.1 mile path
Snowiest season
102.4in
Winter of 1951-52
Tornadoes
About one every 1.9 years since 1950, none rated F3/EF3 or stronger.
Strongest
April 11, 1965
F2, 15.1 mile path
440 yards wide.
Deadliest
May 12, 1956
1 killed, F2
4 injured along the whole path.
Most recent
Saturday, June 26, 2021
EF0, 3.7 mile path
5 years ago.
Every recorded tornado
| Jun 26, 2021 | EF0 | 3.7 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 26, 2021 | EF1 | 2.9 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 12, 2012 | EF1 | 5.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 24, 2011 | EF0 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 30, 2008 | EF0 | 0.4 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 23, 2007 | EF1 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| May 25, 2006 | F0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| May 25, 2006 | F0 | 3.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 27, 2004 | F0 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| May 21, 2001 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| May 21, 2001 | F0 | 2.5 | 0 | 0 |
| May 21, 2001 | F1 | 4.0 | 1 | 0 |
| May 21, 2001 | F1 | 3.0 | 1 | 0 |
| Jul 23, 1999 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 6, 1998 | F0 | 20.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 21, 1996 | F1 | 4.4 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 17, 1992 | F0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 3, 1988 | F1 | 1.0 | 6 | 0 |
| Jun 29, 1987 | F1 | 3.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 29, 1987 | F0 | 0.4 | 0 | 0 |
| May 26, 1985 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 4, 1977 | F1 | 11.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 15, 1976 | F1 | 4.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 14, 1974 | F1 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 14, 1974 | F2 | 2.5 | 1 | 0 |
| Jul 26, 1973 | F1 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 3, 1973 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| May 25, 1973 | F1 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 9, 1969 | F1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 7, 1965 | F2 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F2 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F2 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F2 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F2 | 15.1 | 1 | 0 |
| Jun 23, 1960 | F1 | 7.9 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 26, 1956 | F2 | 9.2 | 2 | 0 |
| May 12, 1956 | F2 | 3.8 | 4 | 1 |
| May 12, 1956 | F2 | 9.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 7, 1955 | F2 | 3.8 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 26, 1951 | F1 | 0.1 | 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
1 tropical cyclone passed within 100 miles since 1851, none within 50.
Most recent
August 14, 1955
Connie, Tropical storm
96.1 miles at closest approach.
Every storm within 100 miles
- Tropical storms and hurricanes (34 kt or more, still tropical) at closest approach. Post-tropical remnants with gale-force winds are listed but not counted. Direct: track within 50 miles; near: within 100 miles. Distance is measured to the county boundary for counties and to the city centre for cities, using positions interpolated hourly between HURDAT2 fixes.
National Hurricane Center HURDAT2, 1851 to 2025.
Wildfire and smoke
No large wildfire has been mapped within 25 miles since satellite mapping began in 1984.
Smoke overhead
Smokiest year
2023: 78 days
Heavy smoke on 18 days in 2023, the most of any year.
Last 10 years
25.7 days a year
Medium or heavy smoke, 2016 to 2025.
2025
28 days
Medium or heavy smoke. 41 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
37 federal flood insurance claims since 1985, with $543,000 paid.
Flood insurance figures are for Isabella County, the county that contains Mount Pleasant.
Most claims in one year
2017: 20 claims
$467,000 paid.
Claims by ZIP code
| 48858 | 22 | $436,000 |
| 48893 | 8 | $62,000 |
Flood events since 1996
- Flood9
- Flash Flood8
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 Isabella County, the county that contains Mount Pleasant.
Most severe crest
September 12, 1986
Chippewa River below Mt. Pleasant, 15.58 ft
7.58 feet above the 8.0 ft flood stage; major flooding by today’s categories.
Most recent moderate or major crest
May 19, 2020
Chippewa River below Mt. Pleasant, 11.16 ft
Moderate flooding.
River gauges
| Chippewa River below Mt. Pleasant | 8.0 | 15.58 ft | 2 |
- 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 115 of 1,581 months since 1895 (7%); the longest spell lasted 19 months.
The drought index is for Isabella County, the county that contains Mount Pleasant.
115
Months in severe drought or worse since 1895
47
Months in extreme drought
7%
Share of all months, severe or worse
Lowest reading
February 1931
−5.68, extreme drought
Longest severe spell
19 months
March 1910 to September 1911.
Latest month
September 2026
−2.20, moderate drought
Last severe month: December 2025.
- 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
261 events in the National Weather Service record for Isabella County, 213 of them since 1996.
35
Hail reports, 1 inch or larger
1
Hail, 2 inches or larger
70
Damaging gusts, 58 mph+
65
Winter weather events since 1996
1
Heat events since 1996
0
Cold events since 1996
Largest hail
October 4, 2006
2.00 inches
Strongest measured or estimated gust
July 10, 2007
81 mph
More event types since 1996
| Lightning | 1 | 0 |
Costliest events since 1996
- Jun 23, 2017Flood$70.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
The Isabella County Road Commission reported that at one point over 100 roads across portions of Isabella county in and around Mount Pleasant were closed due to flooding. A mesonet station near Mt. Pleasant reported that 6.88 inches of rain fell from June 22nd into the early morning hours of June 23rd. The flooding resulted in over 90 million dollars worth of property damage. Numerous homes sustained flooding damage and the United States Department of Agriculture estimated that 21 million dollars worth of crop damage was incurred. A state of emergency was declared for Isabella county.
- Mar 8, 2017High Wind, Isabella$10.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
Peak wind gusts of up to 60 mph resulted in numerous downed trees and limbs and power lines and widespread power outages.
- Aug 11, 2010Flash Flood$4.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
Isabella county emergency management and law enforcement reported that several roads were flooded and washed out and that the Central Michigan Community Hospital also was partially flooded due to over 4 inches of rain that fell in just two and a half hours during the evening hours of August 11th. Extensive flooding damage occurred at Central Michigan University in Mt. Pleasant, where 39 campus buildings incurred extensive damage. The flash flood damage required repairing or replacing ceilings, floors, walls, insulation, equipment, electrical and mechanical systems and storm sewers at a cost of 3.5 million dollars.
- Apr 17, 2013Flood$3.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
Heavy rainfall caused significant flooding on rivers and streams across Isabella county.
- Feb 5, 2019Ice Storm, Isabella$1.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
A half to three quarters of an inch of freezing rain resulted in numerous downed trees, limbs, power lines and widespread power outages.
- May 23, 2004Flood, Isabella$1.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
The biggest and longest duration flooding event in the past ten to twenty years occurred across southwestern and south central lower Michigan from May 20th through the third of June. Flooding in mid May resulted in very high river levels and the ground was saturated on the 20th. Numerous thunderstorm complexes and areas of heavy rainfall developed repeatedly in the vicinity of a quasi stationary frontal boundary draped across southern lower Michigan. The heaviest rain fell on Saturday, May 22nd, when over two inches of rain fell over most of the area. Total rainfall over the Grand River basin from May 20th through June 3rd varied from four to as much as seven inches.The Grand…
- Jun 21, 1996Tornado$500,000
National Weather Service narrative
Numerous large trees were downed. Three homes were damaged along with 4 barns destroyed, and numerous other outbuildings, silos, and farm machinery were damaged.
- Dec 11, 2010Winter Storm, Isabella$250,000
National Weather Service narrative
Around six inches of heavy wet snow was reported across much of Isabella county with pockets of around eight inches of snow across the northern part of the county. Numerous accidents were also reported across the county.
- May 31, 1998Thunderstorm Wind$250,000
National Weather Service narrative
Michigan State Police EMD's Damage and Injury Assessment Report indicated wind damage to homes, businesses, barns and other outbuildings, and some public buildings. Local roads and streets were temporarily blocked in many areas. The Michigan Department of Community Health reported $89,500 in damages to the Mount Pleasant Center in Isabella County (which included damage to both structural and mechanical systems). Damage estimates were reported to be $250,000. No injuries were reported and specific counts for home and business damage were not available. Isabella County declared a local state of emergency.
- Apr 3, 2003Ice Storm, Isabella$200,000
National Weather Service narrative
A major ice storm affected much of southern lower Michigan, causing hundreds of thousands of people to lose power. The weight of the ice brought down thousands of trees and limbs and hundreds of power lines. Many people across the area lost power for several days and some people who live in outlying areas were without power for a week. The ice storm resulted in several million dollars worth of damage across the area.The ice storm came in three stages. The first period of freezing rain during the afternoon hours of the 3rd resulted in up to a quarter of an inch of ice across Osceola and Isabella counties, in central lower Michigan. The second period of freezing rain came during the…
- 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 Gladwin, 29.8 miles from the city centre, with records from 1892.
- All-time high
- 105°FJul 13, 1936
- All-time low
- −39°FFeb 20, 1929
- Warmest night
- 83°FJul 9, 1911
- Coldest day
- −3°FJan 11, 1912
- Wettest day
- 5.00 inMay 20, 1912
- Snowiest day
- 15.0 inDec 11, 1895
- Hottest year
- 2024mean 49.3°F
- Coldest year
- 1904mean 42.1°F
- Wettest year
- 195945.51 in
- Driest year
- 191015.40 in
- Snowiest season
- 102.4 in1951-52
Median first snow
November 19
Earliest: October 13, 1936
Median last snow
April 5
Latest: May 4, 1935
0 of 91 winters had no measurable snow.
Station Gladwin (USW00014828), 775 ft elevation, 29.8 miles from the city centre. Daily records from 1892 to October 28, 2026; 97.7% 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
11 since 1953. The most recent: Covid-19 Pandemic, March 27, 2020.
Declarations for Isabella County.
| Mar 27, 2020 | Biological | DR-4494-MI |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | EM-3455-MI |
| Aug 2, 2017 | Severe Storm | DR-4326-MI |
| Sep 7, 2005 | Hurricane | EM-3225-MI |
| Jan 10, 2001 | Snowstorm | EM-3160-MI |
| Sep 18, 1986 | Flood | DR-774-MI |
| Sep 18, 1985 | Flood | DR-744-MI |
| Jan 27, 1978 | Snowstorm | EM-3057-MI |
| Mar 2, 1977 | Drought | EM-3035-MI |
| Mar 19, 1976 | Severe Storm | DR-495-MI |
| Sep 30, 1975 | Flood | DR-486-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 USW00014828.
- 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.