NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Lowell, 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 Lowell, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 148 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 11 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 148
- EF3 or stronger
- 11
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
4 deaths in all
What the records show for Lowell
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Lowell; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 61 miles away. The record near Lowell 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 Lowell. The strongest of the 148 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 17, 1963; its path came within 10 miles, and it killed 1 person. The deadliest, an F1 on May 30, 1980, killed 1 person. Of the 148, 12 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 89 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 47. The most recent tornado was on March 30, 2025. Lowell has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 94% of the 356 Indiana cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 45 times since 1961, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 356 Indiana cities, 74% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Lowell.
Compare Lowell's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Lowell
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 3 | 34 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 Lowell: 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 Lowell
By decade
- 2020s34
- 2010s38(1 EF3+)
- 2000s17
- 1990s6
- 1980s8(1 EF3+)
- 1970s12(2 EF3+)
- 1960s20(6 EF3+)
- 1950s13(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 17, 1963 | F4 | 10 mi | 57.3 mi | 1 / 70 |
| Mar 12, 1976 | F3 | 10 mi | 38.5 mi | 1 / 15 |
| Apr 7, 1954 | F3 | 18 mi | 42.6 mi | 1 / 13 |
| Jun 5, 2010 | EF3 | 16 mi | 7.75 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 2, 1982 | F3 | 23 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 15 |
| Jun 20, 1974 | F3 | in town | 4.5 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Oct 24, 1967 | F3 | 22 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 12, 1965 | F3 | 20 mi | 4.1 mi | 0 / 14 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F3 | 12 mi | 33.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 30, 1962 | F3 | 20 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 23, 1961 | F3 | 7 mi | 51.7 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Jul 15, 2024 | EF2 | 24 mi | 34.6 mi | 0 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 148, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Lowell
The Storm Prediction Center has 45 hail reports within 10 miles of Lowell since 1961, made on 39 separate days. Of these, 28 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on May 5, 1997. The most recent report is from May 20, 2024. June has the most reports, 15.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Lowell
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Lowell, IN, in Lowell 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%). Beecher, IL, 12 miles northwest, 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 Lowell
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 124 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Lowell: 91 thunderstorm wind reports, 15 floods, 10 flash floods and 8 heavy rain events. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $13.6 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, 6 of 10. Of the 337 Indiana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 155 have had fewer than Lowell.
July 15, 2024: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Lowell — 1 killed.
September 14, 2008: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Lowell — $10.0 million damage.
January 8, 2008: flood 8 miles from the centre of Lowell — $1.0 million 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 Lowell's ZIP code 46356 have filed 47 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $275,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 19% 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, 77 have fewer than Lowell.
Lake County, which includes Lowell, 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.