NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Rolling Prairie, 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 Rolling Prairie, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 101 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 101
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
48 deaths in all
What the records show for Rolling Prairie
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Rolling Prairie; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 60 miles away. The record near Rolling Prairie 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 Rolling Prairie. The strongest of the 101 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 11, 1965; its path came within 22 miles, and it killed 36 people. Of the 101, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 36 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 29. The most recent tornado was on March 30, 2025. Of the 356 Indiana cities, 54% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Rolling Prairie. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 47 times since 1955, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 356 Indiana cities, 72% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Rolling Prairie.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Rolling Prairie
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 60 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 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 37 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 Rolling Prairie: 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 Rolling Prairie
By decade
- 2020s7
- 2010s17
- 2000s12(1 EF3+)
- 1990s7
- 1980s13
- 1970s13(2 EF3+)
- 1960s21(5 EF3+)
- 1950s11
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 22 mi | 37 mi | 36 / 321 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F3 | 20 mi | 35.6 mi | 10 / 82 |
| Oct 24, 2001 | F3 | 10 mi | 47 mi | 1 / 2 |
| Mar 12, 1976 | F3 | 20 mi | 12.1 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Mar 12, 1976 | F3 | 6 mi | 12.6 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Nov 26, 1965 | F3 | 6 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F3 | 12 mi | 33.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 30, 1962 | F3 | 4 mi | 36.5 mi | 0 / 49 |
| Oct 24, 2001 | F2 | 4 mi | 35 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Jun 5, 2010 | EF2 | 22 mi | 3.38 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 19, 2009 | EF2 | 22 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 24, 2001 | F2 | 25 mi | 4.6 mi | 0 / 3 |
The strongest 12 of 101, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Rolling Prairie
The Storm Prediction Center has 47 hail reports within 10 miles of Rolling Prairie since 1955, made on 36 separate days. Of these, 30 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on March 27, 1991. The most recent report is from May 24, 2024. June has the most reports, 10.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Rolling Prairie
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Laporte, IN, 8 miles southwest of Rolling Prairie 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%). New Carlisle, 6 miles northeast, has its own station (South Bend Michiana Regional Airport, IN): 39.3 inches a year, 3.2 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 Rolling Prairie
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 132 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Rolling Prairie: 124 thunderstorm wind reports, 3 floods, 2 flash floods, 2 lightning strikes and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 1 person and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $7.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on June 23, 2010.
August 4, 2008: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Rolling Prairie — 1 killed, $25,000 damage.
August 16, 2009: lightning strike 7 miles from the centre of Rolling Prairie — 1 injured.
August 15, 2016: flash flood 10 miles from the centre of Rolling Prairie — $5.1 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
LaPorte County, which includes Rolling Prairie, 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 Rolling Prairie
- New Carlisle, IN6 mi
- La Porte, IN8 mi
- Three Oaks, MI10 mi
- New Buffalo, MI11 mi
- North Liberty, IN13 mi
- Michigan City, IN14 mi
- Sawyer, MI15 mi
- Walkerton, IN15 mi
- Buchanan, MI16 mi
- South Bend, IN18 mi
- Westville, IN18 mi
- Bridgman, MI19 mi
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