NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Dunkirk, 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
5 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Dunkirk, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 96 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 15 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 96
- EF3 or stronger
- 15
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
35 deaths in all
What the records show for Dunkirk
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Dunkirk; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 55 miles away. The record near Dunkirk begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 5 systems, one has come since 2000. Dunkirk has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 63% of the 356 Indiana cities on this site. The highest rating among the 96 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 4 times; the most recent, on April 3, 1974, came within 10 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on April 11, 1965, killed 25 people. Of the 96, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 42 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 24. The most recent tornado was on May 14, 2025. Of the 356 Indiana cities, 62% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Dunkirk. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 61 times since 1967, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 356 Indiana cities, 53% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Dunkirk.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Dunkirk
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Dunkirk: 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 Dunkirk
By decade
- 2020s18(2 EF3+)
- 2010s12(1 EF3+)
- 2000s12(2 EF3+)
- 1990s12
- 1980s5
- 1970s7(1 EF3+)
- 1960s20(7 EF3+)
- 1950s10(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 17 mi | 48 mi | 25 / 835 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 13 mi | 52.5 mi | 4 / 125 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 10 mi | 18 mi | 1 / 12 |
| Mar 6, 1956 | F4 | 23 mi | 1.9 mi | 1 / 31 |
| Apr 9, 1953 | F3 | 5 mi | 156.7 mi | 3 / 22 |
| Mar 14, 2024 | EF3 | 15 mi | 41.34 mi | 1 / 39 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF3 | 18 mi | 6.35 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 27, 2019 | EF3 | 13 mi | 12.76 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Nov 10, 2002 | F3 | 25 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 20, 2002 | F3 | 9 mi | 112 mi | 0 / 127 |
| Dec 21, 1967 | F3 | 21 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Dec 21, 1967 | F3 | 15 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 96, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Dunkirk
The Storm Prediction Center has 61 hail reports within 10 miles of Dunkirk since 1967, made on 36 separate days. Of these, 46 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on May 2, 1983. The most recent report is from April 17, 2024. May has the most reports, 22.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Dunkirk
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Hartford City 4 ESE, IN, 5 miles northwest of Dunkirk at 924 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 33°F and 19°F. June is the wettest at 4.4 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.4 inches; the year adds up to 41.8 inches over 80 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 13 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 117 nights a year. Snowfall averages 32.2 inches a year, most of it in January. That 41.8 inches is more than at 46 of the 115 Indiana stations used on this site (40%). Redkey, 4 miles southeast, has its own station (Farmland 5 NNW, IN): 41.2 inches a year, 0.6 less 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 | 33 | 19 | 2.7 | 6 | 9.0 |
| Feb | 37 | 21 | 2.4 | 5 | 8.2 |
| Mar | 48 | 30 | 3.3 | 7 | 5.0 |
| Apr | 61 | 41 | 3.9 | 8 | 0.6 |
| May | 72 | 52 | 4.2 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 80 | 61 | 4.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 64 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 62 | 4.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 76 | 55 | 3.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 64 | 44 | 2.9 | 6 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 50 | 34 | 3.3 | 6 | 2.0 |
| Dec | 38 | 25 | 2.7 | 7 | 7.2 |
| Year | 60 | 42 | 41.8 | 80 | 32.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Hartford City 4 ESE, IN (924 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 Dunkirk
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 90 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Dunkirk: 80 thunderstorm wind reports, 5 floods, 4 flash floods and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $798,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on April 2, 2025.
April 20, 1996: thunderstorm wind in Dunkirk — $100,000 damage.
August 1, 2008: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Dunkirk — $100,000 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
Blackford County, which includes Dunkirk, has been named in 17 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 10 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 severe storms, 4 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 3, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Blackford County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail and strong wind; Very Low for hurricanes, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $4.1 million a year, the 89th highest of 92 Indiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $2.1 million (50%), 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 Dunkirk
- Redkey, IN4 mi
- Albany, IN7 mi
- Eaton, IN8 mi
- Hartford City, IN9 mi
- Montpelier, IN12 mi
- Portland, IN13 mi
- Parker City, IN14 mi
- Farmland, IN14 mi
- Selma, IN15 mi
- Upland, IN16 mi
- Gaston, IN16 mi
- Muncie, IN16 mi
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