Huron County

Population 30,530 (2025) 836 sq mi

Huron County has recorded 18 tornadoes since 1950, 31st most of 83 counties in Michigan; the most recent was on July 5, 2024.

Hazard fingerprint for Huron County Tornado: 29th percentile. Tropical: 7th percentile. Wildfire: 0th percentile. Flood: 16th percentile. Hail & wind: 35th percentile. Heat: 65th percentile. Cold: 62th percentile. Winter: 58th percentile. TORTROPFIREFLOODSEVEREHEATCOLDWINTER

Hazard fingerprint Each spoke is this county’s percentile among U.S. counties where that hazard occurs. How it is computed

2026
  • Tornado damage paths since 195018
  • Tropical cyclone tracks within 100 miles since 1851, wider where stronger1

At a glance

The record for Huron County in eight numbers. Each links to its section below.

Tornadoes since 1950

18

31st of 83 in Michigan

38% more than the typical Michigan county

Details

Flood insurance claims

49

32nd of 83 in Michigan

$228,000 paid since 1986

Details

Tropical cyclones within 50 mi

1

Most of any of Michigan’s 83 counties

None at hurricane strength since 1851

Details

Strongest tornado

F3

June 12, 1984, 48.0 mile path

Strongest tropical cyclone

TS

Tropical storm Connie, 1955, 0.0 miles away

Federal disaster declarations

8

Most recent: Covid-19 Pandemic, 2020

Details

Record high

103°F

Reached 2 times, most recently July 13, 1936

Details

Record low

−23°F

January 30, 1951

Details

Tornadoes

About one every 4.2 years since 1950, one of them rated F3/EF3 or stronger.

Strongest

June 12, 1984

F3, 48.0 mile path

500 yards wide.

Most recent

Friday, July 5, 2024

EF0, 0.5 mile path

2 years ago.

Tornadoes by decade Doppler radar era² 1950s: 1 1 1960s: 0 1970s: 4 4 1980s: 1 1 1990s: 2 2 2000s: 4 4 2010s: 3 3 2020s: 3 3 1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
Recorded tornadoes per decade. The 2020s are incomplete.
Tornadoes by month J: 0 F: 0 M: 0 A: 0 M: 2 J: 7 7 J: 5 A: 2 S: 0 O: 1 N: 1 D: 0 JFMAMJJASOND
By month of occurrence, all years.

Every recorded tornado

Tornadoes in Huron County since 1950
Jul 5, 2024EF00.52500
Jul 24, 2021EF02.911000
Jun 26, 2021EF26.840060
Nov 6, 2015EF00.62500
Aug 2, 2015EF17.010000
Jul 18, 2010EF02.07500
Oct 19, 2007EF11.010000
Jun 13, 2004F12.020000
Aug 19, 2001F00.15010
May 12, 2000F10.317000
Jun 17, 1992F01.015000
May 28, 1991F10.83000
Jun 12, 1984F348.050020
Jul 2, 1975F00.41000
Jun 15, 1975F00.11000
Jun 15, 1975F10.11000
Jul 4, 1974F25.73300
Jun 8, 1953F00.11000
  1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Huron County: 0.
  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.

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

0.0 miles at closest approach, winds near 44 mph.

Most recent

September 15, 2008

Ike, Post-tropical

61.7 miles at closest approach.

Every storm within 100 miles

Tropical cyclones within 100 miles
Ike200861.7Post-tropical58Category 4
Connie19550.0Tropical storm44Category 4
Unnamed194118.0Post-tropical54Category 3
Unnamed19325.4Post-tropical51Category 1
Unnamed192311.8Post-tropical40Tropical storm
Unnamed19000.7Post-tropical66Category 4
Unnamed189217.8Post-tropical58Tropical storm
  1. 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 here since satellite mapping began in 1984.

Smoke overhead

Smokiest year

2023: 75 days

Heavy smoke on 21 days in 2023, the most of any year.

Last 10 years

24.8 days a year

Medium or heavy smoke, 2016 to 2025.

2025

30 days

Medium or heavy smoke. 37 so far in 2026.

Days with medium or heavy smoke overhead, by year 2011: 8 2012: 9 2013: 8 2014: 15 2015: 11 2016: 1 2017: 11 2018: 16 2019: 14 2020: 14 2021: 41 2022: 10 2023: 75 75 2024: 36 2025: 30 201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025
Days each year on which a satellite-traced plume of medium or heavy smoke covered the county’s population centre, 2011 to 2025.
  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.

Floods and flood insurance

49 federal flood insurance claims since 1986, with $228,000 paid.

Federal flood insurance claims by year 1986: 24 24 2020: 8 1986
Claims per year since 1986. Years with fewer than five claims are not shown.

Most claims in one year

1986: 24 claims

$62,000 paid.

2nd most

2020: 8 claims

$104,000 paid.

Claims by ZIP code

Flood insurance claims by ZIP code
4875915$19,000
4875515$50,000
487255$25,000
484675$38,000

Flood events since 1996

  • Flood7
  • Flash Flood5
  • Lakeshore Flood4

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.

Drought

In severe drought or worse for 114 of 1,581 months since 1895 (7%); the longest spell lasted 16 months.

114

Months in severe drought or worse since 1895

41

Months in extreme drought

7%

Share of all months, severe or worse

2

Drought reports to the Weather Service since 1996

Lowest reading

February 1931

−6.94, extreme drought

Longest severe spell

16 months

September 1930 to December 1931.

Latest month

September 2026

−1.34, mild drought

Last severe month: April 2003.

Months in severe drought or worse, by year 1895: 1 1896: 0 1897: 0 1898: 0 1899: 0 1900: 0 1901: 4 1902: 2 1903: 0 1904: 0 1905: 0 1906: 0 1907: 0 1908: 0 1909: 0 1910: 0 1911: 0 1912: 0 1913: 0 1914: 3 1915: 4 1916: 0 1917: 0 1918: 0 1919: 0 1920: 3 1921: 0 1922: 0 1923: 0 1924: 0 1925: 1 1926: 0 1927: 0 1928: 0 1929: 0 1930: 4 1931: 12 12 1932: 0 1933: 1 1934: 8 1935: 5 1936: 7 1937: 5 1938: 2 1939: 6 1940: 4 1941: 0 1942: 0 1943: 0 1944: 1 1945: 3 1946: 2 1947: 0 1948: 4 1949: 1 1950: 0 1951: 0 1952: 0 1953: 0 1954: 0 1955: 0 1956: 0 1957: 0 1958: 0 1959: 0 1960: 1 1961: 1 1962: 0 1963: 0 1964: 5 1965: 2 1966: 0 1967: 0 1968: 0 1969: 0 1970: 0 1971: 0 1972: 0 1973: 0 1974: 0 1975: 0 1976: 0 1977: 0 1978: 0 1979: 0 1980: 0 1981: 0 1982: 0 1983: 0 1984: 0 1985: 0 1986: 0 1987: 1 1988: 2 1989: 0 1990: 0 1991: 0 1992: 0 1993: 0 1994: 0 1995: 0 1996: 0 1997: 0 1998: 3 1999: 8 2000: 4 2001: 0 2002: 0 2003: 4 2004: 0 2005: 0 2006: 0 2007: 0 2008: 0 2009: 0 2010: 0 2011: 0 2012: 0 2013: 0 2014: 0 2015: 0 2016: 0 2017: 0 2018: 0 2019: 0 2020: 0 2021: 0 2022: 0 2023: 0 2024: 0 2025: 0 18951905191519251935194519551965197519851995200520152025
Months each year with a Palmer index of −3 or lower, 1895 to 2025. Twelve means the whole year.
  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.

Earthquakes and tsunamis

No earthquake of magnitude 2.5 or more is recorded within 50 miles of the county in the USGS catalogue, which begins in 1900.

Tsunamis

On record

1 tsunami

Since 1952.

Tsunamis recorded here
May 6, 1952Lake Huron, MI—10
  1. 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

456 events in the National Weather Service record, 414 of them since 1996.

40

Hail reports, 1 inch or larger

5

Hail, 2 inches or larger

164

Damaging gusts, 58 mph+

78

Winter weather events since 1996

14

Heat events since 1996

14

Cold events since 1996

Largest hail

May 12, 2000

2.75 inches

Strongest measured or estimated gust

July 17, 2006

98 mph

More event types since 1996

Other Storm Events types since 1996
Rip currents210Jun 21, 2025
Lightning500Jul 27, 2014

Costliest events since 1996

  1. Mar 8, 2017High Wind, Huron$7.0 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.

  2. Jun 26, 2021Tornado$1.9 million
    National Weather Service narrative

    A tornado touched down 4 miles SW of Port Austin just north of the intersection between Port Crescent Rd and Sand Rd. The tornado began as an EF-0, producing several snapped trees and tree limbs, uprooted trees, and damage to barns and outbuildings. The tornado then tracked northeast and crossed M-53 just south of its intersection with M-25. At this point, the tornado produced EF-2 damage to six houses, with three roofs completely detached, one house with major roof damage, two garages and one barn completely destroyed, and substantial tree damage. Estimated peak winds were 120 mph.|The tornado continued to track northeast toward N Hellems Rd and paralleled Pointe Aux Barques Rd,…

  3. Mar 1, 2007Winter Storm, Huron$1.5 million
    National Weather Service narrative

    A high impact ice storm resulted in ice accumulations up to 3 inches thick on trees and power lines.

  4. Jan 19, 2013High Wind, Huron$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…

  5. Apr 14, 2018Winter Storm, Huron$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…

  6. Nov 17, 2013High Wind, Huron$1.0 million
    National Weather Service narrative

    A powerful low pressure system strengthened and tracked northeast from the western Great Lakes towards James Bay during the afternoon of November 17th through the overnight hours. Southerly winds out ahead of the cold front allowed temperatures to soar into the lower to middle 60s during the afternoon hours across southeast Michigan. A line of thunderstorms developed with the cold front that swept through the area during the evening hours. Several of these storms produced severe wind gusts and wind damage as they moved through the area. Behind the cold front, gradient winds gusted to 55 to 65 mph during the evening and overnight hours, producing additional damage across southeast…

  7. May 4, 2018High Wind, Huron$850,000
    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…

  8. Nov 12, 2003High Wind, Huron$700,000
    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.

  9. Jun 8, 2008Thunderstorm Wind$500,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Large trees uprooted and flagpoles snapped in half in downtown Bad Axe. Local media also reported some building damage in Bad Axe. A truck and garage were damaged.

  10. Jul 28, 2002Lightning$300,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    A newspaper reported that lightning struck a meat packing plant and started a fire, causing serious damage.

  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.

Weather records

From Bad Axe, 3.8 miles from the county’s population centre, with records from 1925.

All-time high
103°F2 times, most recently Jul 13, 1936
All-time low
−23°FJan 30, 1951
Warmest night
84°FJun 18, 1929
Coldest day
−4°F2 times, most recently Jan 20, 1994
Wettest day
6.46 inSep 11, 1986
Snowiest day
16.5 inJan 27, 1967
Hottest year
1931mean 49.8°F
Coldest year
1960mean 42.9°F
Wettest year
201342.23 in
Driest year
193617.83 in
Snowiest season
96.9 in1984-85
Average monthly high and low temperature and precipitation, last 30 years, Bad Axe 32°F 28° 16° 2.0 Jan 31° 16° 1.9 Feb 41° 24° 2.0 Mar 54° 33° 3.1 Apr 66° 44° 3.1 May 76° 55° 3.1 Jun 81° 60° 3.4 Jul 79° 59° 3.5 Aug 73° 52° 3.0 Sep 60° 42° 2.9 Oct 46° 32° 2.2 Nov 34° 23° 2.3 Dec Precipitation, inches
Average daily high and low by month, and average monthly precipitation, over the last 30 years.
Nights at or below freezing per year 1976: 166 1977: 137 1978: 175 175 1979: 158 1980: 150 1981: 163 1988: 151 1989: 152 1990: 146 1995: 151 1996: 168 1997: 168 1998: 118 1999: 133 2000: 132 2001: 129 2002: 158 2003: 146 2004: 130 2008: 153 2009: 147 2010: 143 2011: 141 2012: 142 2013: 153 2014: 162 2015: 130 2016: 140 2017: 133 2018: 167 2020: 160 2021: 145 2022: 146 2023: 141 2024: 122 2025: 149 1976199620092020
Nights at or below freezing each complete year, last 50 years. Thirty-year average: 144.5.
Snowfall by winter 1976: 49.4 in 1977: 62.8 in 1978: 53.6 in 1980: 41.7 in 1981: 60.9 in 1983: 48.3 in 1984: 96.9 in 96.9 1985: 62.3 in 1986: 41.9 in 1987: 43.8 in 1988: 33.0 in 1989: 45.3 in 1990: 38.2 in 1991: 45.0 in 1992: 38.1 in 1994: 33.0 in 1995: 46.2 in 1996: 54.8 in 1997: 35.9 in 1998: 35.9 in 1999: 24.8 in 2000: 49.6 in 2001: 49.1 in 2002: 26.1 in 2003: 34.7 in 2004: 59.6 in 2007: 61.3 in 2008: 75.4 in 2009: 21.7 in 2010: 68.4 in 2016: 29.7 in 2017: 55.0 in 2018: 38.7 in 2019: 51.2 in 2020: 30.0 in 2021: 41.7 in 2022: 53.6 in 2023: 26.5 in 2024: 58.2 in 2025: 58.1 in 1976198819992016
Total snowfall each winter (July to June), last 50 winters.

Median first snow

November 13

Earliest: October 2, 1974

Median last snow

April 10

Latest: May 14, 1984

0 of 70 winters had no measurable snow.

Station Bad Axe (USC00200417), 715 ft elevation, 3.8 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1925 to October 27, 2026; 94.5% 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

8 since 1953. The most recent: Covid-19 Pandemic, March 27, 2020.

Federal disaster declarations
Mar 27, 2020BiologicalCovid-19 PandemicMajor disasterDR-4494-MI
Mar 13, 2020BiologicalCovid-19EmergencyEM-3455-MI
Sep 7, 2005HurricaneHurricane Katrina EvacuationEmergencyEM-3225-MI
Jan 10, 2001SnowstormSnowEmergencyEM-3160-MI
Sep 18, 1986FloodSevere Storms & FloodingMajor disasterDR-774-MI
Sep 18, 1985FloodSevere Storms and FloodingMajor disasterDR-744-MI
Jan 27, 1978SnowstormBlizzards & SnowstormsEmergencyEM-3057-MI
Apr 12, 1973FloodSevere Storms & FloodingMajor disasterDR-371-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.

How this compares

Where Huron County stands among 83 counties in Michigan and 3,143 in the United States.

Ranks
Tornadoes since 19501831 / 831,686 / 3,143
Tornadoes rated F3/EF3 or stronger128 / 831,281 / 3,143
Tropical cyclones within 50 mi11 / 831,473 / 3,143
Hurricane-strength passes within 50 mi0——
Wildfire acres since 19840——
Flood insurance claims4932 / 831,649 / 3,143
Flood insurance paid$228,00043 / 832,081 / 3,143
Disaster declarations850 / 832,925 / 3,143
Flood events since 19961630 / 832,676 / 3,143
Hail and wind events since 199627517 / 831,372 / 3,143
Winter storm events since 19967850 / 831,296 / 3,143
Reported damage since 1996$18.4 million45 / 831,550 / 3,143
River crests at major flood stage0——
High tide flooding days a year, last 10 years0.0——
Months in severe drought since 189511448 / 831,923 / 3,143
Medium or heavy smoke days a year, last 10 years24.857 / 83669 / 3,143
Earthquakes M4+ within 50 mi since 19000——
Earthquakes M2.5+ in the county since 19730——

Neighbouring counties

Neighbouring counties
Sanilac County211014
Tuscola County2310133

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 USC00200417.
  • 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.