NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit North Liberty, 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 North Liberty, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 124 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 11 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 124
- EF3 or stronger
- 11
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
79 deaths in all
What the records show for North Liberty
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed North Liberty; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 47 miles away. The record near North Liberty 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 North Liberty. The highest rating among the 124 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 11, 1965, came within 18 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on April 11, 1965, killed 36 people. Of the 124, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 41 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 32. The most recent tornado was on April 2, 2025. North Liberty has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 75% of the 356 Indiana cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 47 times since 1965, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 356 Indiana cities, 72% have more hail reports within 10 miles than North Liberty.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near North Liberty
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 3 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 25 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 North Liberty: 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 North Liberty
By decade
- 2020s9
- 2010s19
- 2000s13(2 EF3+)
- 1990s14
- 1980s10
- 1970s17(2 EF3+)
- 1960s27(6 EF3+)
- 1950s15(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 12 mi | 37 mi | 36 / 321 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 18 mi | 21.2 mi | 31 / 252 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F3 | 7 mi | 35.6 mi | 10 / 82 |
| Oct 24, 2001 | F3 | 5 mi | 47 mi | 1 / 2 |
| Oct 18, 2007 | EF3 | 21 mi | 20.33 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 12, 1976 | F3 | 11 mi | 12.1 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Mar 12, 1976 | F3 | 15 mi | 12.6 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Nov 26, 1965 | F3 | 11 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F3 | 9 mi | 33.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 30, 1962 | F3 | 9 mi | 36.5 mi | 0 / 49 |
| Aug 12, 1956 | F3 | 24 mi | 23.4 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Oct 24, 2001 | F2 | 9 mi | 35 mi | 1 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 124, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in North Liberty
The Storm Prediction Center has 47 hail reports within 10 miles of North Liberty since 1965, made on 30 separate days. Of these, 34 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on July 2, 2011. The most recent report is from June 25, 2024. June has the most reports, 20.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in North Liberty
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Lakeville, IN, 8 miles east of North Liberty at 841 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 61°F; January is the coolest, at 31°F and 15°F. Highs reach 90°F on about 7 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 140 nights a year. Snowfall averages 36.6 inches a year, most of it in January. That 41.9 inches is more than at 47 of the 115 Indiana stations used on this site (41%). New Carlisle, 12 miles north, has its own station (South Bend Michiana Regional Airport, IN): 39.3 inches a year, 2.6 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 | 15 | 2.7 | 6 | 13.1 |
| Feb | 35 | 17 | 2.5 | 6 | 10.7 |
| Mar | 46 | 26 | 2.5 | 6 | 3.6 |
| Apr | 59 | 36 | 3.7 | 8 | 0.6 |
| May | 70 | 47 | 4.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 79 | 57 | 4.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 82 | 61 | 4.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 80 | 58 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 75 | 51 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 62 | 40 | 3.5 | 7 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 48 | 30 | 3.0 | 7 | 2.7 |
| Dec | 37 | 21 | 2.5 | 6 | 5.8 |
| Year | 59 | 38 | 41.9 | 81 | 36.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Lakeville, IN (841 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 North Liberty
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 116 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of North Liberty: 109 thunderstorm wind reports, 4 floods, 2 flash floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $8.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on September 20, 2014.
August 26, 2014: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of North Liberty — 1 injured.
August 15, 2016: flash flood 4 miles from the centre of North Liberty — $5.1 million damage.
NWS: “Emergency management officials reported widespread flooding and flash flooding across portions of the county from North Liberty into the South Bend/Mishawaka area to the state line.”
February 20, 2018: flood 6 miles from the centre of North Liberty — $1.2 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
St. Joseph County, which includes North Liberty, has been named in 17 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 9 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 severe storms, 4 snowstorms, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 3, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives St. Joseph County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes, hail and strong wind; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $60.2 million a year, the 7th highest of 92 Indiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $27.5 million (46%), 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 North Liberty
- Walkerton, IN6 mi
- Lakeville, IN8 mi
- New Carlisle, IN12 mi
- South Bend, IN12 mi
- Rolling Prairie, IN13 mi
- Notre Dame, IN14 mi
- Bremen, IN15 mi
- Plymouth, IN15 mi
- Mishawaka, IN16 mi
- La Porte, IN16 mi
- Wakarusa, IN20 mi
- Buchanan, MI20 mi
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