Port Huron
Population 28,273 (2025)
25 tornadoes have tracked within 25 miles of Port Huron since 1950, 4 of them rated EF3 or F3 or stronger; the most recent was on July 14, 2023.
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 195025
- Tropical cyclone tracks within 100 miles since 1851, wider where stronger1
- Major flood years since 1978, St. Clair County5
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 St. Clair 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 St. Clair County.
Strongest tornado
F4
June 8, 1953, 33.8 mile path
Strongest tropical cyclone
TS
Tropical storm Connie, 1955, 34.2 miles away
Tornadoes
About one every 3 years since 1950, 4 of them rated F3/EF3 or stronger.
Strongest
June 8, 1953
F4, 33.8 mile path
833 yards wide.
Deadliest
May 21, 1953
2 killed, F4
68 injured along the whole path.
Most recent
Friday, July 14, 2023
EF0, 3.8 mile path
3 years ago.
Every recorded tornado
| Jul 14, 2023 | EF0 | 3.8 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 14, 2021 | EF0 | 0.4 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 24, 2021 | EF1 | 3.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 6, 2018 | EF0 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 6, 2015 | EF0 | 1.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 22, 2015 | EF0 | 0.6 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 27, 2010 | EF1 | 2.9 | 4 | 1 |
| May 31, 2004 | F1 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 |
| May 23, 2004 | F1 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| May 14, 2004 | F0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 28, 1999 | F1 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 21, 1996 | F2 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| May 28, 1995 | F1 | 0.6 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 27, 1991 | F1 | 10.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 14, 1990 | F1 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 6, 1990 | F1 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 2, 1984 | F3 | 15.6 | 1 | 0 |
| Jul 10, 1984 | F1 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 |
| May 22, 1984 | F1 | 0.2 | 1 | 0 |
| Aug 19, 1978 | F1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 17, 1977 | F1 | 5.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 20, 1976 | F3 | 17.1 | 3 | 1 |
| Jun 4, 1975 | F1 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 8, 1953 | F4 | 33.8 | 23 | 0 |
| May 21, 1953 | F4 | 10.0 | 68 | 2 |
- 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 passed within 50 miles since 1851; none at hurricane strength.
Strongest within 50 miles
August 14, 1955
Connie, Tropical storm
34.2 miles at closest approach, winds near 46 mph.
Most recent
September 14, 2008
Ike, Post-tropical
13.4 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: 76 days
Heavy smoke on 16 days in 2023, the most of any year.
Last 10 years
22.4 days a year
Medium or heavy smoke, 2016 to 2025.
2025
26 days
Medium or heavy smoke. 36 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
1,184 federal flood insurance claims since 1978, with $5.2 million paid.
Flood insurance figures are for St. Clair County, the county that contains Port Huron.
Most claims in one year
1986: 319 claims
$676,000 paid.
2nd most
1985: 252 claims
$820,000 paid.
3rd most
2019: 143 claims
$1.0 million paid.
Claims by ZIP code
| 48001 | 317 | $1.7 million |
| 48023 | 299 | $734,000 |
| 48028 | 246 | $686,000 |
| 48039 | 116 | $302,000 |
| 48054 | 89 | $1.3 million |
| 48060 | 39 | $229,000 |
| 48059 | 24 | $173,000 |
| 12 | $32,000 | |
| 48079 | 11 | $15,000 |
| 48040 | 7 | $16,000 |
| 48004 | 6 | $5,456 |
Flood events since 1996
- Flood16
- Lakeshore Flood11
- Flash Flood3
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 St. Clair County, the county that contains Port Huron.
| Feb 12, 2009 | Black River near Jeddo | 16.90 | −0.10 |
| Feb 22, 1997 | Black River near Jeddo | 16.72 | −0.28 |
| Feb 10, 2001 | Mill Creek near Avoca | 9.33 | −0.67 |
| Feb 12, 2009 | Mill Creek near Avoca | 9.01 | −0.99 |
| Apr 19, 1975 | Mill Creek near Avoca | 8.87 | −1.13 |
| Jun 22, 1996 | Mill Creek near Avoca | 8.83 | −1.17 |
| Dec 28, 2008 | Black River near Jeddo | 15.73 | −1.27 |
| Feb 10, 2001 | Black River near Jeddo | 15.41 | −1.59 |
| Feb 21, 1997 | Mill Creek near Avoca | 8.32 | −1.68 |
| Dec 28, 2008 | Mill Creek near Avoca | 7.81 | −2.19 |
| May 24, 2004 | Black River near Jeddo | 14.79 | −2.21 |
| Mar 19, 1998 | Mill Creek near Avoca | 6.79 | −3.21 |
| May 19, 2000 | Mill Creek near Avoca | 6.09 | −3.91 |
| Jan 25, 1999 | Black River near Jeddo | 8.10 | −8.90 |
| Mar 9, 1995 | Mill Creek near Avoca | 5.69 | −4.31 |
| Apr 24, 1999 | Mill Creek near Avoca | 4.53 | −5.47 |
River gauges
| Black River near Jeddo | 17.0 | 16.90 ft | 0 |
| Mill Creek near Avoca | 10.0 | 9.33 ft | 0 |
| St Clair River at Algonac | 578.0 | — | 0 |
| St Clair River at St Clair State Police Tidal Gage | 579.3 | — | 0 |
- 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 124 of 1,581 months since 1895 (8%); the longest spell lasted 19 months.
The drought index is for St. Clair County, the county that contains Port Huron.
124
Months in severe drought or worse since 1895
54
Months in extreme drought
8%
Share of all months, severe or worse
2
Drought reports to the Weather Service since 1996
Lowest reading
March 1964
−7.14, extreme drought
Longest severe spell
19 months
July 1963 to January 1965.
Latest month
September 2026
−0.55, incipient dry spell
Last severe month: January 2023.
- 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 and tsunamis
1 earthquake of magnitude 2.5 or more within 50 miles since 2022; none reached magnitude 4.
0
Magnitude 3+ within 50 miles since 1973
0
Magnitude 4+ within 50 miles since 1900
0
Magnitude 5+ within 50 miles since 1900
Largest within 50 miles
May 23, 2022
Magnitude 2.5
2 km NNW of Corunna, Canada; 6.5 miles away, 3.1 miles deep.
- Earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more in the USGS Comprehensive Catalog since 1900. Within 50 miles means the epicentre lies within 50 miles of the city centre.
- Small earthquakes were under-recorded before the modern seismic networks of the 1970s and are still missed in remote areas, so early decades read low. Magnitudes are as the catalogue reports them and mix scales (moment, local and body-wave).
USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog, 1900 to present, retrieved October 30, 2026.
Tsunamis
Tsunami records for St. Clair County.
Highest water recorded
May 6, 1952
1.0 ft, Port Huron, MI
From Lake Huron, MI.
On record
1 tsunami
Since 1952.
| May 6, 1952 | Lake Huron, MI | 1.0 | 0 |
- Places where NOAA's Global Historical Tsunami Database records a tsunami's water arriving, with the greatest height it reached above sea level at the time. Only tsunamis NOAA rates probable or definite are counted. Heights from eyewitness accounts and tide gauges are mixed, and older events are less completely recorded.
NOAA NCEI/WDS Global Historical Tsunami Database, retrieved October 30, 2026.
Severe weather and other events
595 events in the National Weather Service record for St. Clair County, 536 of them since 1996.
45
Hail reports, 1 inch or larger
1
Hail, 2 inches or larger
255
Damaging gusts, 58 mph+
81
Winter weather events since 1996
14
Heat events since 1996
15
Cold events since 1996
Largest hail
July 14, 2000
2.75 inches
Strongest measured or estimated gust
June 4, 1975
90 mph
More event types since 1996
| Lightning | 7 | 0 |
| Dense fog and smoke | 1 | 0 |
Costliest events since 1996
- Mar 8, 2017High Wind, St. Clair$25.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
A non thunderstorm event took place over the state on Wednesday, March 8, 2017, as high winds brought wind gusts in excess of 60 mph! The high winds took out power lines and trees, along with numerous reports of structural damage to buildings. There were also reports of brush fires and tractor-trailers flipped over around the area. Due to the extensive damage, many areas were without power for several days. Approximately 800,000 DTE customers and approximately 300,000 Consumers Energy customers were affected. The highest wind gust reported across Southeast Michigan was 68 mph at both Saginaw and Detroit Metro Airport.
- Nov 1, 2019Flood$11.9 million
National Weather Service narrative
Widespread lakeshore flooding from record high water levels of the Great Lakes and periodic strong onshore flow occurred from late April 2019 to November 2019. Extensive erosion and property damage occurred, with monetary values in the millions. The widespread flooding ended at the end of November when the Great Lakes reached winter seasonal minimum water levels.
- Apr 3, 2003Ice Storm, St. Clair$10.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
An arctic frontal boundary moved south of the state by the morning of April 3, 2003. This front dropped temperatures to the freezing mark generally along and north of a Brighton to St Clair Shores line. Then, a series of low pressure systems moved across the front. This allowed very warm and moist air to lift north overtop of the sub-freezing temperatures near the ground. The first wave of precipitation moved across eastern Michigan late in the evening on April 3rd and continued through the morning of April 4th. Thunderstorms brought heavy freezing rain to the area during this time period. Spotter reports indicated up to 3 inches of freezing rain occurred in some places. Sleet was…
- May 4, 2018High Wind, St. Clair$3.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
A strong low pressure system tracked through northern Lower Michigan, swinging a strong cold front through southeast Michigan early in the afternoon. Sustained winds ranging between 30 - 40 mph, with frequent gusts in the 45 to 60 mph range, with scattered thunderstorms that developed leading to enhanced winds near 70 MPH. Downed large trees, branches, telephone and power lines were reported across all counties in Southeast Michigan, with around 230,000 customers without power during the peak. In Independence Township, a large tree fell onto a car, killing the 36 year old man inside. Additionally, a postal employee in South Lyon was also seriously hurt when a tree fell on him as…
- Jun 22, 1996Flash Flood$2.5 million
National Weather Service narrative
Severe thunderstorms developed along a warm front across central lower Michigan during the evening on the 21st. The storms moved southeast across the Saginaw Valley and the thumb region during the period from late evening on the 21st through the early morning hours of the 22d. The result was an extremely damaging weather event, as flash flooding caused millions of dollars of damge to property, and 3 documented tornadoes touched down. The worst damage was done to the resort town of Frankenmuth, where an F3 tornado caused about 5 million dollars of damage. The tornado completly destroyed 4 houses, and damaged 130 others. Miraculously, no one was injured or killed. Elsewhere,…
- Dec 21, 2013Ice Storm, St. Clair$2.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
A winter storm impacted a large swath of the country from the southern Plains through the Midwest and into the Northeast on the last weekend before Christmas. This storm occurred as a deep upper-level trough over the Desert Southwest lifted northeastward, while a surface low pressure system moved from Texas into the Ohio Valley. This low moved along a very sharp frontal boundary. This front at the surface actually briefly penetrated far southeastern Michigan Friday night. The temperature at Lambertville, on the Ohio border, rose into the mid-50s, while Monroe, just 15 miles away, stayed in the mid-30s. On Saturday, copious Gulf moisture was brought northward ahead of the…
- Jun 8, 2008Thunderstorm Wind$1.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
Local media reported widespread trees and power lines down. A few trees fell onto vehicles and houses. Boats were also overturned.
- Apr 14, 2018Winter Storm, St. Clair$1.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
A large and complex low pressure system impacted the Great Lakes region. Southeast Michigan saw heavy rain, snow, sleet and freezing rain that began on Friday (April 13) and lasted through Sunday (April 15). This system brought 2 main periods of precipitation, with a short break in between on Saturday. Total rainfall of 1 to 2 inches was common in many locations in Southeast Michigan, with 2-3 of snow and sleet north of I-69, and about 1/4 to 1/2 of ice from freezing rain between the I-94 and I-96 corridors. Widespread tree damage and power outages from an combination of the snow, sleet, and freezing rain occurred. In total, DTE and Consumers Energy reported power outages for…
- Nov 12, 2003High Wind, St. Clair$1.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
A strong low pressure system moved across the straits on the evening of the 12th, moving into Ontario overnight as it deepened to 974 mb. Strong cold advection and a tight pressure gradient over Lower Michigan produced wind gusts between 50 and 60 MPH across all of Southeast Michigan. In addition, there were even a few wind gusts reported between 60 and 88 mph. The highest wind gust was reported by a spotter in Dexter who recorded an 88 mph gust. An estimated 250,000 customers lost power in southeast Michigan, as widespread trees and power lines were blown down.
- Jan 19, 2013High Wind, St. Clair$1.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
An intense Arctic Front swept through southeast Michigan around Midnight of January 19th, with westerly winds gusting around 60 mph across much of the area during the early morning hours of January 20th. Dozens of trees and power lines were downed across individual counties, leading to power outages in excess of 120,000 DTE customers during the peak of the winds.||Here are some of the higher wind gusts and times reported:||Caro...61 MPH...1214 AM. |Pontiac...60 MPH...301 AM. |Ypsilanti...60 MPH...140 AM. |Flint...59 MPH...247 AM. |Adrian ...55 MPH...128 AM. |Detroit Metro Airport...55 MPH...158 AM. |White Lake...54 MPH...150 AM. |Owosso...53 MPH...1255 AM. |Downtown Detroit…
- 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 Port Huron, 1.5 miles from the city centre, with records from 1933.
- All-time high
- 103°FJul 9, 1936
- All-time low
- −19°FJan 19, 1994
- Warmest night
- 80°FAug 1, 2006
- Coldest day
- −3°FJan 15, 1972
- Wettest day
- 3.97 inSep 7, 1996
- Snowiest day
- 14.3 inMar 27, 1934
- Hottest year
- 2016mean 54.2°F
- Coldest year
- 1943mean 45.5°F
- Wettest year
- 195045.82 in
- Driest year
- 196317.35 in
- Snowiest season
- 84.3 in1964-65
Median first snow
November 27
Earliest: October 19, 1972
Median last snow
March 25
Latest: April 24, 2005
0 of 76 winters had no measurable snow.
Station Port Huron (USC00206680), 590 ft elevation, 1.5 miles from the city centre. Daily records from 1933 to October 26, 2026; 97.3% 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
12 since 1953. The most recent: Covid-19 Pandemic, March 27, 2020.
Declarations for St. Clair County.
| Mar 27, 2020 | Biological | DR-4494-MI |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | EM-3455-MI |
| Sep 7, 2005 | Hurricane | EM-3225-MI |
| Jun 30, 2004 | Severe Storm | DR-1527-MI |
| Sep 23, 2003 | Other | EM-3189-MI |
| Jan 10, 2001 | Snowstorm | EM-3160-MI |
| Jul 23, 1996 | Severe Storm | DR-1128-MI |
| Jan 27, 1978 | Snowstorm | EM-3057-MI |
| Mar 19, 1976 | Severe Storm | DR-495-MI |
| Apr 26, 1975 | Flood | DR-465-MI |
| Apr 12, 1973 | Flood | DR-371-MI |
| Dec 1, 1972 | Flood | DR-363-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 USC00206680.
- 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.
- Tsunamis NOAA NCEI/WDS Global Historical Tsunami Database.
- 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.