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Hail history in Michigan

We counted the days with NOAA hail reports within 15 miles of the center of 6 Michigan cities since 2010.

Warehouses with white roofs and an apartment block under a dark storm front
Hail days near Ann Arbor since 2010, the most in Michigan
34
Largest hail reported, near Ann Arbor
2.75 in
Michigan cities tracked
6

Source: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center

Data through November 1, 2026

Michigan cities by hail days

Source: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center

Data through November 1, 2026

CityHail days since 2010Largest hail
Ann Arbor342.75 in
Detroit312.25 in
Flint222.75 in
Grand Rapids202.75 in
Kalamazoo202.0 in
Lansing172.0 in

About this data

  • Each city counts reports within 15 miles of its center, not of any one property.
  • Reports come from trained spotters and the public, so they cluster near towns and roads.
  • No report does not mean no hail. Hail can fall where no one is there to report it.
  • This is not a damage or insurance assessment.

Storm risk in Michigan

For commercial and multifamily buildings in Michigan, damaging thunderstorm wind and hail are the most frequent storm risks, followed by flooding, heavy snow and cold, and tornadoes, which are less common here than elsewhere in the Midwest. Michigan was not among the ten states with the most large hail events in 2025, yet hail near Detroit, Ann Arbor, Flint and Grand Rapids has reached 2.25 to 2.75 inches since 2010.2,6,1

How often storms hit Michigan

Storm hazards for Michigan buildings1,3,4,12,2,5,7,14,13
HazardHow oftenWhat it means for buildings
HailHail days since 2010 within 15 miles of the city center: Ann Arbor 34, Detroit 31, Flint 22, Grand Rapids 20, Kalamazoo 20, Lansing 17, with stones up to 2.75 inches near Ann Arbor, Flint and Grand Rapids. Large hail fell on 26 days a year on average within 124 nautical miles of the Detroit radar and on 28 around Grand Rapids (1980 to 2006).Large stones crack roof covers and skylights and bend the fins on rooftop units; IBHS calls for hail guards on condenser fins and air intakes.
Damaging thunderstorm windDamaging wind reports on 36 days a year on average around both the Detroit and Grand Rapids radars (1980 to 2006). The May 31, 1998 derecho brought gusts over 100 mph and destroyed 250 homes and 34 businesses.Straight-line gusts peel roof edges and membranes, shift rooftop units and drop trees on buildings and parking.
Tornadoes15 a year on average. At any one point within 124 nautical miles of the Detroit radar, the yearly chance of a tornado is 0.012 percent, and 0.013 percent around Grand Rapids.The odds for one address are small but add up across a portfolio, and a strong tornado can tear off roofs and walls.
FloodingAbout 6 percent of Michigan's land is flood-prone, including about 200,000 buildings. Days with 2 inches of rain or more have been rising since the early 2000s, and Lake Michigan-Huron reached a record high of 581.7 feet in 2020.Heavy rain floods basements, lower floors and parking; high lake levels erode shores and flood and damage nearshore buildings.
Winter storms and coldParts of the Upper Peninsula get more than 200 inches of snow a year (1991 to 2020 average). The state averaged 11.5 nights a year at 0°F or below over the long term, though 2020 to 2024 averaged 4.6, the fewest on record.FEMA says drifting snow piles into concentrated loads at parapets and roof steps. IBHS notes ice dams at low-slope roof drains trap meltwater and add load, and cold air reaching pipes can freeze and burst them.

The city counts are days with at least one hail report within 15 miles of each city's center since 2010, so they show how often hail falls near a city, not on one building. The Storm Prediction Center radar figures cover a much larger circle, 124 nautical miles around each radar, and come from 1980 to 2006 reports. Of 141 US radar areas studied, Detroit ranks 59th and Grand Rapids 56th for any severe weather per square mile.1,3,4

For an owner, the pattern is frequent summer wind and hail damage to roofs and rooftop equipment, with rarer but larger losses from tornadoes, floods and heavy snow.

Rules owners in Michigan should know

  • Insurer of last resort: The Michigan Basic Property Insurance Association provides property insurance, commercial property included, to qualified owners who can't get it in the regular market. The applicant must have made a good faith effort in the regular market and the property is inspected; a declined applicant gets a written statement of what would make the property acceptable, and policies run 1 year (MCL 500.2925).8,9
  • Claim payment: An insurer must state in writing what counts as satisfactory proof of loss within 30 days of receiving a claim, unless it settles within those 30 days. Benefits not paid on time bear 12 percent simple interest a year from 60 days after the insurer receives satisfactory proof of loss, and late payment is an unfair trade practice unless the claim is reasonably in dispute (MCL 500.2006).10
  • Suit deadline: A Michigan fire policy must allow a suit within 1 year after the loss or the policy's own period, whichever is longer, and the time is tolled from when the insured gives notice of the loss until the insurer formally denies liability (MCL 500.2833(1)(q)).11
  • Appraisal: If the insured and insurer disagree on the amount of loss, either may demand appraisal in writing. Each names an appraiser within 20 days, a circuit court judge can pick the umpire if the appraisers can't agree on one within 15 days, and a written agreement by any 2 of the 3 sets the loss (MCL 500.2833(1)(m)).11
  • Floodplain permit: Construction, fill or other alteration in the floodplain of a river, stream or drain draining 2 square miles or more needs a state permit from EGLE under Part 31 of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act. New or substantially improved buildings in the 100-year floodplain must have the lowest floor at least 1 foot above the 100-year flood elevation.7

Before the next storm

  • Hail-rated roof covers: When reroofing, IBHS calls for low-slope covers rated FM 4470 Class 1-SH or UL 2218 Class 4, because hail up to 2.75 inches has fallen near Ann Arbor, Flint and Grand Rapids since 2010.12,1
  • Rooftop unit guards: Fit hail guards over condenser fins and air intakes, since IBHS notes hail on these parts can impair a unit's operation.12
  • Heat for sprinklers: Keep building heat above 40°F where wet sprinkler pipes run and seal openings in outside walls, because IBHS says cold air reaching pipes through penetrations can freeze and burst them even in northern buildings.13
  • Snow and ice on roofs: After heavy snow, keep roof drains clear and have drifts at parapets, roof steps and equipment checked. FEMA lists sagging ceiling tiles and sprinkler heads dropping below the ceiling as warning signs of an overloaded roof.13,14
  • Flood coverage dates: Check each building's flood coverage before spring rain and snowmelt, since FEMA says a new flood policy typically takes effect only after a 30-day wait.15

Sources

Written by the Cloudbreak team. Numbers, dates and rules cite the published sources below.

  1. 1. Cloudbreak: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center storm reports, as counted on the Cloudbreak hail history page for Michigan
  2. 2. NOAA NCEI and North Carolina Institute for Climate Studies: Michigan: 2025 State Climate Summaries
  3. 3. NOAA Storm Prediction Center: DTX (Detroit) Severe Weather Climatology, 1980 to 2006
  4. 4. NOAA Storm Prediction Center: GRR (Grand Rapids) Severe Weather Climatology, 1980 to 2006
  5. 5. Michigan Committee for Severe Weather Awareness (hosted by NWS Detroit/Pontiac): 2018 Michigan Severe Weather Awareness Week Packet
  6. 6. Insurance Information Institute: Facts + Statistics: Hail
  7. 7. Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE): FAQ: Floods and Floodplain Management
  8. 8. Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services: The Michigan Basic Property Insurance Association (FIS-PUB 0209)
  9. 9. Michigan Legislature: MCL 500.2925: Application to pool for basic property insurance
  10. 10. Michigan Legislature: MCL 500.2006: Payment of benefits on timely basis
  11. 11. Michigan Legislature: MCL 500.2833: Fire insurance policy, mandatory provisions
  12. 12. Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS): Commercial Roofs Best Practices Guide
  13. 13. Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS): Commercial Risk Engineering Bulletin: Winter Weather
  14. 14. FEMA: Snow Load Safety Guidance (FEMA P-957)
  15. 15. FEMA: Waiting Period for Activating Flood Policy?

Storms in Michigan

NWS Grand Rapids says southwest Lower Michigan usually gets severe weather from late April to early September, most often from May through August.1 Most Michigan tornadoes come from May through August, mainly in the late afternoon and evening, the state's severe weather awareness committee says.2

Notable storms

  1. March 6, 2026One storm produced four tornadoes, rated EF0 to EF3, across Cass, St. Joseph, Branch and Calhoun counties. The EF3, with peak winds near 160 mph, destroyed or heavily damaged homes on the north side of Union Lake near Union City and killed three people. An EF2 damaged homes and businesses through the center of Three Rivers. A 1.75-inch hailstone fell between Mendon and Three Rivers.3,4,5
  2. May 7, 2024An EF2 tornado tracked about 11 miles across southern Kalamazoo County. It hit more than 500 homes, 305 of them in Portage, destroyed 23, badly damaged a number of businesses and injured 12 people. NOAA's Storm Events Database lists $50 million in property damage. Hail up to 4 inches fell near Leonidas and Union City that day.6,7,8
  3. August 24, 2023Evening storms brought 60 to 70 mph gusts. An EF2 tornado with peak winds near 125 mph ran from Williamston to Webberville, damaged roofs, siding and windows on a few homes and killed two people in vehicles on I-96. NOAA's Storm Events Database lists $75 million in property damage from that tornado.9,10
  4. May 20, 2022An EF3 tornado with peak winds near 150 mph crossed Gaylord. It destroyed units in a manufactured home community, collapsed exterior walls of stores in the business district and brought down most exterior walls of some homes on the northeast side. Two people died and 44 were injured. Later that afternoon, hail up to 3 inches fell near Presque Isle.11,12
  5. August 2, 2015Hail up to 4.5 inches, the largest known in northern Lower Michigan, fell north of West Branch and damaged about 350 structures. Winds over 80 mph downed thousands of trees in southern Leelanau County, and in Grand Traverse County 9 buildings were destroyed and nearly 400 damaged.13,14,15
  6. July 27, 2014Hail up to 3 inches fell near Midland, and a later storm dropped hail up to 2.5 inches near Highland in Oakland County. In one Oakland County mobile home park, hail broke windows in 80 percent of the homes. NOAA's Storm Events Database puts wind and hail damage across Southeast Michigan at about $100 million.16,17,18

Warnings and alerts

Five NWS offices serve Michigan: Detroit/Pontiac, Grand Rapids, Gaylord, Marquette and Northern Indiana in Syracuse, Indiana.2

Sources

  1. 1. NWS Grand Rapids: Severe Weather Drought Continues in Southwest Lower Michigan
  2. 2. Michigan Committee for Severe Weather Awareness (NWS Detroit/Pontiac): 2018 Michigan Severe Weather Awareness Week Packet
  3. 3. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Tornado, Branch County, Michigan, March 6, 2026
  4. 4. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Tornado, St. Joseph County, Michigan, March 6, 2026
  5. 5. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Hail, St. Joseph County, Michigan, March 6, 2026
  6. 6. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Tornado, Kalamazoo County, Michigan, May 7, 2024
  7. 7. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Hail, St. Joseph County, Michigan, May 7, 2024
  8. 8. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Hail, Branch County, Michigan, May 7, 2024
  9. 9. NWS Grand Rapids: August 24, 2023 Tornadoes
  10. 10. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Tornado, Ingham County, Michigan, August 24, 2023
  11. 11. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Tornado, Otsego County, Michigan, May 20, 2022
  12. 12. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Hail, Presque Isle County, Michigan, May 20, 2022
  13. 13. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Hail, Ogemaw County, Michigan, August 2, 2015
  14. 14. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Thunderstorm Wind, Leelanau County, Michigan, August 2, 2015
  15. 15. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Thunderstorm Wind, Grand Traverse County, Michigan, August 2, 2015
  16. 16. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Hail, Midland County, Michigan, July 27, 2014
  17. 17. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Hail, Oakland County, Michigan, July 27, 2014
  18. 18. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Hail, Oakland County, Michigan, July 27, 2014

Hail history in other states