NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Michigan 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
4 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Michigan City, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 66 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 66
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
3 deaths in all
What the records show for Michigan City
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Michigan City; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 70 miles away. The record near Michigan City begins with an unnamed storm in 1923; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 4 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 356 Indiana cities on this site, 37% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Michigan City. The highest rating among the 66 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 6 times; the most recent, on October 24, 2001, came within 24 miles. Of the 66, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 23 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 14. The most recent tornado was on March 19, 2025. Of the 356 Indiana cities, 97% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Michigan City. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 38 times since 1965, with stones up to 3.5 inches. Of the 356 Indiana cities, 83% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Michigan City.
Compare Michigan City's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Michigan City
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 3 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Michigan 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 Michigan City
By decade
- 2020s7
- 2010s8
- 2000s8(1 EF3+)
- 1990s3
- 1980s8
- 1970s11(1 EF3+)
- 1960s13(4 EF3+)
- 1950s8
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 24, 2001 | F3 | 24 mi | 47 mi | 1 / 2 |
| Mar 12, 1976 | F3 | 2 mi | 12.6 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Oct 24, 1967 | F3 | 21 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 26, 1965 | F3 | 20 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F3 | 18 mi | 33.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 30, 1962 | F3 | 19 mi | 36.5 mi | 0 / 49 |
| Oct 24, 2001 | F2 | 15 mi | 35 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Aug 19, 2009 | EF2 | 9 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 30, 1977 | F2 | 17 mi | 6.8 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 12, 1976 | F2 | 9 mi | 10.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 12, 1976 | F2 | 19 mi | 5.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 4, 1976 | F2 | 23 mi | 44.8 mi | 0 / 9 |
The strongest 12 of 66, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Michigan City
The Storm Prediction Center has 38 hail reports within 10 miles of Michigan City since 1965, made on 27 separate days. Of these, 28 were 1 inch across or larger, and 6 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3.5 inches, fell on May 7, 2024. The most recent report is from May 20, 2024. May has the most reports, 15.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Michigan City
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Laporte, IN, 10 miles southeast of Michigan City at 809 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 31°F and 17°F. June is the wettest at 4.4 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 42.5 inches over 87 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 10 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 119 nights a year. Snowfall averages 65.2 inches a year, most of it in January. That 42.5 inches is more than at 54 of the 115 Indiana stations used on this site (47%). Westville, 11 miles south, has its own station (Valparaiso Wtr Wks, IN): 40.2 inches a year, 2.3 less than here, and a July average high of 83°F against 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31 | 17 | 3.0 | 8 | 23.0 |
| Feb | 35 | 20 | 2.5 | 6 | 16.0 |
| Mar | 46 | 29 | 2.7 | 7 | 7.1 |
| Apr | 59 | 39 | 3.8 | 8 | 1.1 |
| May | 70 | 50 | 4.3 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 79 | 60 | 4.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 82 | 64 | 4.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 80 | 63 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 74 | 55 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 62 | 44 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 48 | 33 | 3.2 | 7 | 4.0 |
| Dec | 36 | 24 | 2.9 | 7 | 13.8 |
| Year | 59 | 41 | 42.5 | 87 | 65.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Laporte, IN (809 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 Michigan City
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 117 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Michigan City: 109 thunderstorm wind reports, 4 floods, 3 flash floods and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 1 person and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $13.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on August 23, 2006.
August 4, 2008: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Michigan City — 1 killed, $25,000 damage.
NWS: “Broadcast media sources reported that a 23 year old man was nearly home when the severe storms caused a tree to be blown over into his vehicle, killing him. The residence was located in the 6200 block of North County Road 400 West near the town of Springville.”
June 12, 2001: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of Michigan City — 1 injured, $15,000 damage.
NWS: “Trees fell on 3 houses causing damage. Girl sleeping in one of the homes suffered broken arm when tree fell into bedroom.”
July 20, 2018: thunderstorm wind in Michigan City — 1 injured.
NWS: “Local media reported a tree limb fell onto a vehicle at the intersection of Greenwood and Woodland Ave in Michigan City. The impact caused a fire, with a 25 year old female driver having to be extricated.”
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 Michigan City's ZIP code 46360 have filed 72 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $226,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2008, with 11. 18% 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, 100 have fewer than Michigan City.
LaPorte County, which includes Michigan City, has been named in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 severe storms, 5 floods, 3 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 LaPorte County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes; Relatively Moderate for hail, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and coastal flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $37.6 million a year, the 15th highest of 92 Indiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $15.0 million (40%), 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 Michigan City
- New Buffalo, MI8 mi
- La Porte, IN11 mi
- Westville, IN11 mi
- Chesterton, IN11 mi
- Rolling Prairie, IN14 mi
- Three Oaks, MI15 mi
- Portage, IN18 mi
- Valparaiso, IN19 mi
- New Carlisle, IN19 mi
- Sawyer, MI19 mi
- Wanatah, IN20 mi
- Lake Station, IN22 mi
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