NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Columbia City, 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
6 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Columbia City, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 97 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 97
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
25 deaths in all
What the records show for Columbia City
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Columbia City; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 2 miles away. The record near Columbia City begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 6 systems, one has come since 2000. Columbia City is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 356 Indiana cities on this site. The strongest of the 97 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 3, 1974; its path came within 20 miles, and it killed 18 people. Of the 97, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 38 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 25. The most recent tornado was on March 30, 2025. Of the 356 Indiana cities, 60% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Columbia City. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 96 times since 1961, with stones up to 4.25 inches. Columbia City has more hail reports within 10 miles than 79% of the 356 Indiana cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Columbia City
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 3 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Columbia City: 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 Columbia City
By decade
- 2020s6
- 2010s19(1 EF3+)
- 2000s13
- 1990s12
- 1980s4
- 1970s14(2 EF3+)
- 1960s18(2 EF3+)
- 1950s11(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 20 mi | 108.7 mi | 18 / 285 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 18 mi | 36.2 mi | 5 / 53 |
| May 16, 1968 | F3 | 17 mi | 50.3 mi | 1 / 15 |
| May 27, 2019 | EF3 | 23 mi | 13.72 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 23, 1961 | F3 | 15 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Aug 12, 1956 | F3 | 19 mi | 23.4 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF2 | 24 mi | 7.86 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 22, 2016 | EF2 | 25 mi | 2.35 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF2 | 19 mi | 4.14 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 24, 2001 | F2 | 23 mi | 12.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 26, 2001 | F2 | 20 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jun 14, 2000 | F2 | 19 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 97, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Columbia City
The Storm Prediction Center has 96 hail reports within 10 miles of Columbia City since 1961, made on 57 separate days. Of these, 52 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.25 inches, fell on May 9, 2003. The most recent report is from June 18, 2025. June has the most reports, 27.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Columbia City
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Columbia City, IN, 2 miles south of Columbia City at 834 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 32°F and 16°F. June is the wettest at 4.6 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.0 inches; the year adds up to 39.1 inches over 77 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 9 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 134 nights a year. Snowfall averages 21.4 inches a year, most of it in January. That 39.1 inches is more than at 11 of the 115 Indiana stations used on this site (10%). Pierceton, 12 miles west, has its own station (Warsaw, IN): 40.6 inches a year, 1.5 more than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32 | 16 | 2.5 | 6 | 7.0 |
| Feb | 35 | 19 | 2.0 | 5 | 6.5 |
| Mar | 46 | 27 | 2.6 | 6 | 3.0 |
| Apr | 59 | 38 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.3 |
| May | 70 | 49 | 4.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 79 | 59 | 4.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 62 | 3.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 81 | 60 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 75 | 53 | 3.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 63 | 42 | 2.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 49 | 31 | 3.0 | 6 | 1.2 |
| Dec | 37 | 22 | 2.4 | 6 | 3.4 |
| Year | 59 | 40 | 39.1 | 77 | 21.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Columbia City, IN (834 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 Columbia City
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 181 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Columbia City: 163 thunderstorm wind reports, 9 flash floods, 7 floods and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $3.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on June 13, 2022. Of the 337 Indiana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 139 have had fewer than Columbia City.
June 13, 2022: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Columbia City — 1 killed.
May 9, 2000: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Columbia City — $1.0 million damage.
NWS: “Numerous trees down on houses and cars. A South Whitley factory had its roof blown off and the Tranter Printing building lost its roof which crashed into a vehicle destroying it.”
May 27, 2022: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Columbia City — $300,000 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Columbia City's ZIP code 46725 have filed 21 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1981, and were paid $132,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 24% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 155 Indiana cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 39 have fewer than Columbia City.
Whitley County, which includes Columbia City, has been named in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 8 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 severe storms, 4 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 3, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Whitley County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes, inland flooding and lightning. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $9.6 million a year, the 68th highest of 92 Indiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.6 million (48%), 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.
Cities near Columbia City
- Churubusco, IN10 mi
- South Whitley, IN10 mi
- Pierceton, IN12 mi
- Albion, IN14 mi
- North Webster, IN15 mi
- Roanoke, IN16 mi
- Huntertown, IN17 mi
- Cromwell, IN17 mi
- Winona Lake, IN18 mi
- Avilla, IN18 mi
- Fort Wayne, IN19 mi
- North Manchester, IN19 mi
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