Michigan’s Own Hurricane-like Storms Are More Common Than You Think

With a history of storms that pack a punch, Michigan's weather can surprise even the most seasoned locals. Let’s take a closer look.

Hurricane season for the Atlantic runs from June 1st to November 30th. This year, the first major hurricane of the season popped up on Friday, August 15th, near the Bahamas. Hurricane Erin is currently a Category 5 storm and is growing in size according to Weather.com.

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Hurricane season can be a scary time for people who live in states like Florida and Louisiana, just to name a few.  But what about Michigan?

The answer to that question is surprising and complicated.  The closest hurricanes on the East side of the United States occur in the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, which is nearly 1,000 miles away.  Here's how the Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines a hurricane,

a tropical cyclone with winds of 74 miles (119 kilometers) per hour or greater that is usually accompanied by rain, thunder, and lightning, and that sometimes moves into temperate latitudes.

A "normal" storm formed over Lake Michigan and crossed over into Lake Huron in 1996 with tropical storm winds.  The storm named Hurricane Huron, or Huronicane, began forming at the Northern tip of Lake Michigan on September 11th,1996.

The storm began to pick up wind speed and crossed the Northern half of Michigan and most of the Upper Peninsula on September 14th.  When the storm made contact with Lake Huron, it really picked up steam.  The storm reached its peak with winds up to 73 MPH on September 15th.  This one-of-a-kind storm missed hurricane status by 1 mile per hour.

We can't forget the White Hurricane of 1913.  The biggest natural disaster in Great Lakes history killed 244 people.  This weather nightmare began on November 6th and lasted through the 12th.

The great storm started as separate storms in each of the Great Lakes at the same time.  At one point, ships were battling winds up to 90 miles per hour during a blizzard.

We couldn't track and monitor storms back in 1913 the way we do now.  Without a proper way to track the storms and alert ships promptly, 13 ships sank, killing hundreds.

According to the National Weather Service, this blizzard, mixed with 90 MPH winds and 35-foot high waves, was a hurricane.

In summary, yes, Michigan has experienced a hurricane before. Mind blown.