NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Portage, 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 Portage, 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, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 96
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
36 deaths in all
What the records show for Portage
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Portage; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 72 miles away. The record near Portage 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 Portage. The strongest of the 96 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 21, 1967; its path came within 22 miles, and it killed 33 people. Of the 96, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 47 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 25. The most recent tornado was on March 19, 2025. Of the 356 Indiana cities, 62% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Portage. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 65 times since 1960, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Portage has more hail reports within 10 miles than 53% of the 356 Indiana cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Portage
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 3 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 60 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 Portage: 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 Portage
By decade
- 2020s23
- 2010s14
- 2000s10
- 1990s4
- 1980s10
- 1970s11(3 EF3+)
- 1960s16(5 EF3+)
- 1950s8
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 21, 1967 | F4 | 22 mi | 15 mi | 33 / 500 |
| Mar 12, 1976 | F3 | 24 mi | 38.5 mi | 1 / 15 |
| Mar 12, 1976 | F3 | 14 mi | 12.6 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Jun 20, 1974 | F3 | 20 mi | 4.5 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Oct 24, 1967 | F3 | 3 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 12, 1965 | F3 | 11 mi | 4.1 mi | 0 / 14 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F3 | 15 mi | 33.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 30, 1962 | F3 | 21 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 24, 2001 | F2 | 18 mi | 35 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Jun 30, 2014 | EF2 | 23 mi | 3.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 19, 2009 | EF2 | 6 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 4, 2008 | EF2 | 10 mi | 2.74 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 Portage
The Storm Prediction Center has 65 hail reports within 10 miles of Portage since 1960, made on 46 separate days. Of these, 47 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2 inches (hen egg size), was reported on 2 days, most recently March 27, 1991. The most recent report is from May 7, 2024. June has the most reports, 19.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Portage
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Indiana Dunes Nl, IN, 6 miles northeast of Portage at 680 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 32°F and 18°F. May and June are the wettest at 4.3 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.0 inches; the year adds up to 39.4 inches over 75 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 117 nights a year. Snowfall averages 40.3 inches a year, most of it in January. That 39.4 inches is more than at 13 of the 115 Indiana stations used on this site (11%). Valparaiso, 9 miles southeast, has its own station (Valparaiso Wtr Wks, IN): 40.2 inches a year, 0.8 more 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 | 32 | 18 | 2.2 | 6 | 16.0 |
| Feb | 36 | 21 | 2.0 | 5 | 9.7 |
| Mar | 46 | 30 | 2.3 | 6 | 6.0 |
| Apr | 57 | 40 | 3.6 | 7 | 0.6 |
| May | 68 | 50 | 4.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 78 | 60 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 82 | 64 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 80 | 63 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 74 | 56 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 62 | 45 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 49 | 34 | 2.8 | 6 | 0.7 |
| Dec | 37 | 24 | 2.3 | 6 | 7.3 |
| Year | 58 | 42 | 39.4 | 75 | 40.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Indiana Dunes Nl, IN (680 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 Portage
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 201 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Portage: 155 thunderstorm wind reports, 25 floods, 12 flash floods, 7 lightning strikes and 2 heavy rain events. They killed 8 people and injured 11, and the NWS estimated $12.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on June 11, 2026. May has had the most flash floods, 5 of 12. Of the 337 Indiana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 179 have had fewer than Portage.
June 11, 2026: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Portage — 2 killed, 6 injured.
NWS: “Numerous trees were blown down or uprooted north and northwest of Portage. Tree limbs and power lines were blown down.”
August 24, 2007: flood 8 miles from the centre of Portage — 2 killed, 1 injured, $25,000 damage.
September 14, 2008: flash flood 4 miles from the centre of Portage — 2 killed, $2.0 million damage.
NWS: “Flash flooding or significant flooding was reported across most of Porter County, including street closures due to flooding, basement flooding and creek, stream and river flooding. Two men were sucked into a culvert while trying to rescue a boy in flood waters in Chesterton.”
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 Portage's ZIP code 46368 have filed 19 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $312,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 32% 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, 34 have fewer than Portage.
Porter County, which includes Portage, has been named in 16 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1991, 9 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 severe storms, 4 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 Porter County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding and lightning; Relatively Low for heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes, hail and coastal flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $58.2 million a year, the 8th highest of 92 Indiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $25.2 million (43%), 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 Portage
- Lake Station, IN4 mi
- Hobart, IN5 mi
- Chesterton, IN7 mi
- Gary, IN8 mi
- Valparaiso, IN9 mi
- Merrillville, IN11 mi
- Griffith, IN13 mi
- Crown Point, IN14 mi
- Westville, IN14 mi
- Highland, IN14 mi
- East Chicago, IN15 mi
- Schererville, IN15 mi
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