NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Munster, 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 Munster, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1941. Since 1950, 152 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 152
- EF3 or stronger
- 10
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
39 deaths in all
What the records show for Munster
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Munster; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1941, a tropical storm with 44 mph winds when its centre passed 42 miles away. The record near Munster begins with an unnamed storm in 1923; the most recent system was an unnamed storm in 1941. Of the 356 Indiana cities on this site, 65% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Munster. The highest rating among the 152 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on June 13, 1976, came within 25 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on April 21, 1967, killed 33 people. Of the 152, 14 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 89 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 43. The most recent tornado was on March 19, 2025. Munster has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 98% of the 356 Indiana cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 129 times since 1956, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Munster has more hail reports within 10 miles than 89% of the 356 Indiana cities.
Compare Munster's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Munster
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 3 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Munster: 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 Munster
By decade
- 2020s47(1 EF3+)
- 2010s27
- 2000s15
- 1990s7(1 EF3+)
- 1980s13
- 1970s13(2 EF3+)
- 1960s19(5 EF3+)
- 1950s11(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 21, 1967 | F4 | 13 mi | 15 mi | 33 / 500 |
| Jun 13, 1976 | F4 | 25 mi | 3.3 mi | 2 / 23 |
| Apr 7, 1954 | F3 | 24 mi | 42.6 mi | 1 / 13 |
| Jun 20, 2021 | EF3 | 23 mi | 17.6 mi | 0 / 11 |
| Mar 27, 1991 | F3 | 21 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Jun 20, 1974 | F3 | 18 mi | 4.5 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Oct 24, 1967 | F3 | 15 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 12, 1965 | F3 | 1 mi | 4.1 mi | 0 / 14 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F3 | 21 mi | 33.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 23, 1961 | F3 | 24 mi | 51.7 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Nov 12, 1965 | F2 | 14 mi | 35.9 mi | 2 / 90 |
| Jul 15, 2024 | EF2 | 12 mi | 34.6 mi | 0 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 152, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Munster
The Storm Prediction Center has 129 hail reports within 10 miles of Munster since 1956, made on 77 separate days. Of these, 74 were 1 inch across or larger, and 10 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on June 28, 1993. The most recent report is from February 27, 2024. June has the most reports, 46.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Munster
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Park Forest, IL, 10 miles southwest of Munster at 710 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 31°F and 15°F. June is the wettest at 4.9 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.2 inches; the year adds up to 42.2 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 125 nights a year. Snowfall averages 28.2 inches a year, most of it in January. That 42.2 inches is more than at 50 of the 115 Indiana stations used on this site (43%). Burnham, IL, 8 miles north, has its own station (Chicago Midway Airport 3SW, IL): 40.9 inches a year, 1.3 less than here, and a July average high of 85°F against 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31 | 15 | 2.5 | 6 | 10.2 |
| Feb | 35 | 18 | 2.2 | 5 | 7.5 |
| Mar | 46 | 28 | 2.7 | 6 | 4.9 |
| Apr | 59 | 38 | 4.0 | 8 | 0.5 |
| May | 71 | 49 | 4.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 80 | 59 | 4.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 84 | 64 | 4.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 62 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 76 | 55 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 63 | 42 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 48 | 31 | 3.0 | 6 | 0.9 |
| Dec | 36 | 22 | 2.5 | 6 | 4.0 |
| Year | 59 | 40 | 42.2 | 77 | 28.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Park Forest, IL (710 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 Munster
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 373 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Munster: 283 thunderstorm wind reports, 42 floods, 35 flash floods, 8 heavy rain events and 5 lightning strikes. They killed 2 people and injured 6, and the NWS estimated $320.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 98 mph, on August 15, 2007. June has had the most flash floods, 8 of 35. Of the 337 Indiana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 313 have had fewer than Munster.
September 19, 2013: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of Munster — 1 killed, 1 injured, $75,000 damage.
September 19, 2013: lightning strike 6 miles from the centre of Munster — 1 killed.
July 20, 2006: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Munster — 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Munster's ZIP code 46321 have filed 592 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1981, and were paid $24.7 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Hurricane Ike in 2008: 472 claims (80% of all) and $23.5 million, then Flooding in 1981 with 13. 82% 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, 150 have fewer than Munster.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Ike2008 | 472 | $23.5 million |
| Flooding1981 | 13 | $72,000 |
Lake County, which includes Munster, 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.