NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Cedar Lake, IN
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
3 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Cedar Lake, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 150 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 11 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 150
- EF3 or stronger
- 11
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
6 deaths in all
What the records show for Cedar Lake
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Cedar Lake; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 68 miles away. The record near Cedar Lake begins with an unnamed storm in 1932; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 356 Indiana cities on this site, 65% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Cedar Lake. The strongest of the 150 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 17, 1963; its path came within 17 miles, and it killed 1 person. The deadliest, an F2 on November 12, 1965, killed 2 people. Of the 150, 9 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 89 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 50. The most recent tornado was on March 30, 2025. Cedar Lake has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 97% of the 356 Indiana cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 80 times since 1961, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Cedar Lake has more hail reports within 10 miles than 67% of the 356 Indiana cities.
Compare Cedar Lake's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Cedar Lake
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 3 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Cedar Lake: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Cedar Lake
By decade
- 2020s39
- 2010s34(1 EF3+)
- 2000s16
- 1990s7
- 1980s8(1 EF3+)
- 1970s12(2 EF3+)
- 1960s21(6 EF3+)
- 1950s13(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 17, 1963 | F4 | 17 mi | 57.3 mi | 1 / 70 |
| Mar 12, 1976 | F3 | 17 mi | 38.5 mi | 1 / 15 |
| Apr 7, 1954 | F3 | 18 mi | 42.6 mi | 1 / 13 |
| Jun 5, 2010 | EF3 | 21 mi | 7.75 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 2, 1982 | F3 | 24 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 15 |
| Jun 20, 1974 | F3 | 6 mi | 4.5 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Oct 24, 1967 | F3 | 17 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 12, 1965 | F3 | 13 mi | 4.1 mi | 0 / 14 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F3 | 13 mi | 33.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 30, 1962 | F3 | 22 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 23, 1961 | F3 | 13 mi | 51.7 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Nov 12, 1965 | F2 | 22 mi | 35.9 mi | 2 / 90 |
The strongest 12 of 150, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Cedar Lake
The Storm Prediction Center has 80 hail reports within 10 miles of Cedar Lake since 1961, made on 59 separate days. Of these, 48 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on June 28, 2012. The most recent report is from May 20, 2024. June has the most reports, 25.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Cedar Lake
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Lowell, IN, 7 miles south of Cedar Lake at 665 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 32°F and 15°F. June is the wettest at 5.1 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.9 inches; the year adds up to 39.8 inches over 77 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 16 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 136 nights a year. Snowfall averages 29.7 inches a year, most of it in January. That 39.8 inches is more than at 18 of the 115 Indiana stations used on this site (16%). Saint John, 6 miles north, has its own station (Park Forest, IL): 42.2 inches a year, 2.4 more than here, and the same July average high, 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32 | 15 | 2.3 | 6 | 9.7 |
| Feb | 36 | 18 | 1.9 | 5 | 9.3 |
| Mar | 47 | 27 | 2.3 | 6 | 3.4 |
| Apr | 60 | 38 | 3.7 | 8 | 0.3 |
| May | 71 | 49 | 4.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 81 | 59 | 5.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 84 | 63 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 60 | 4.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 77 | 53 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 64 | 41 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 49 | 30 | 2.6 | 6 | 0.9 |
| Dec | 37 | 21 | 2.2 | 6 | 5.9 |
| Year | 60 | 39 | 39.8 | 77 | 29.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Lowell, IN (665 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Cedar Lake
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 209 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Cedar Lake: 154 thunderstorm wind reports, 22 floods, 16 flash floods, 15 heavy rain events and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 1 person and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $5.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 110 mph, on June 4, 2011. June has had the most flash floods, 8 of 16. Of the 337 Indiana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 219 have had fewer than Cedar Lake.
July 15, 2024: thunderstorm wind in Cedar Lake — 1 killed.
NWS: “Numerous large tree limbs were blown down just west of Cedar Lake including a few that fell onto houses. One large tree limb, approximately 20 inches in diameter and 70 feet tall fell onto a one story house on 141st Court.”
August 24, 1998: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Cedar Lake — 2 injured.
July 20, 2006: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Cedar Lake — 1 injured, $400,000 damage.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events whose starting point is on record, 1996 to June 30, 2026. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year, not insured losses, and NWS notes that some reports are unverified.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Lake County, which includes Cedar Lake, has been named in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 16 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 severe storms, 5 floods, 4 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on August 25, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Lake County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for tornadoes; Relatively High for inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for heat waves; Relatively Low for hail; Very Low for hurricanes and coastal flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $191.0 million a year, the 2nd highest of 92 Indiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $89.8 million (47%), is from inland flooding.
Claims: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3, summed over ZIP codes; payments in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Declarations: Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2, by county. Retrieved October 25, 2026. 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).
Risk ratings: FEMA, National Risk Index county table, December 2025 (v1.20), retrieved October 26, 2026; ratings compare counties nationwide, are meant for planning and are no substitute for a local risk assessment. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets 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).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.