Hillsdale County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Hillsdale County: 8.
2. 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.

Smoke overhead

1. 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.

Claims by ZIP code

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.

1. 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.

Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles

1. 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 county boundary (or inside the county).
2. 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.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Apr 12, 1996Hail$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Hail of 1-3/4 to 2 inches diameter was reported along the path of a severe thunderstorm from Reading to near Hudson on the Lenawee County line. Widespread hail damage occurred with windows on west side of buildings broken and vinyl or aluminum siding left with holes and cracks. Highway M-34 was covered with hail between Pittsford and Hudson. Numerous recreational vehicles parked at a dealership were badly damaged.

2. Oct 24, 2001Tornado$350,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Tornado with F1 damage mainly on the north side of Ransom. Garages and sheds destroyed and significant roof damage to homes with twisting of signs and trees.

3. Jun 17, 1996Flash Flood$150,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Flash flooding from rains measured at over three inches caused road washouts and damage to culverts, bridges, and homes. A bridge along Ridge Drive was washed away. Many houses suffered water damage near Berry Lake.

4. Aug 25, 1998Thunderstorm Wind$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   SEVERAL TREES DOWN ACROSS THE SOUTHERN THIRD OF THE COUNTY INCLUDING ONE WHOLE LINE OF POWER POLES WHICH WERE FLATTENED TO THE GROUND.

5. Sep 24, 2024Tornado$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Minor damage occurred to 2 barns on Austin Road, between S Edon Rd and Gilmore Road. The circulation was only briefly on the ground with estimated wind speeds of around 65 mph.

6. Apr 9, 2015Thunderstorm Wind$75,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A two mile long swath of straight line wind damage was noted from roughly one half mile northwest of Moscow to 2 miles northeast of Moscow. The majority of the damage occurred to groves of trees that were snapped or uprooted. A century old barn was severely damaged after being impacted by the high winds and pushed off its elevated foundation. Additional evidence was found of a weak tornado within this swath that is noted separately. Maximum wind speeds are estimated to have reached at least 90 mph.

7. Nov 10, 1998Thunderstorm Wind$60,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   WIDESPREAD TREES AND POWER LINES WERE BLOWN DOWN. AEP HAD 66 REPORTS OF POWER LINES DOWN ACROSS THE COUNTY. IN JONESVILLE... DAMAGE WAS EXTENSIVE TO TREES...SIGNS AND POWER LINES.

8. May 18, 1997Thunderstorm Wind$50,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Hillsdale County officials reported trees and power lines were downed by straight-line thunderstorm winds across Allen, Adams, and Wheatland townships. Four barns were destroyed at 3120 East Bacon Road in Hillsdale and damage was done to the home at the same address. One woman sustained minor injuries when the trailer she was in parked on Meadow Lane tipped over.

9. Aug 24, 1998Thunderstorm Wind$50,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   WIDESPREAD TREE DAMAGE AND POWER LINES DOWN ACROSS THE COUNTY.

10. Jul 23, 1999Thunderstorm Wind$25,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Several tree limbs...power lines...and traffic lights were blown down.

1. 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.

All-time high

107°FJul 14, 1936

All-time low

−22°FJan 19, 1994

Warmest night

85°FAug 7, 1918

Coldest day

−8°F2 times, most recently Jan 19, 1994

Wettest day

6.07 inJun 26, 1978

Snowiest day

15.0 in3 times, most recently Mar 17, 1973

Hottest year

2024mean 52.2°F

Coldest year

1907mean 44.0°F

Wettest year

201951.41 in

Driest year

193422.08 in

Snowiest season

91.5 in1981-82

Station Hillsdale (USC00203823), 1,080 ft elevation, 2.2 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1891 to October 23, 2026; 90.3% 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.

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.

Neighbouring counties

• 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 USC00203823.
• 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.