NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit South Bend, 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 South Bend, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 123 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 123
- EF3 or stronger
- 10
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
79 deaths in all
What the records show for South Bend
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed South Bend; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 50 miles away. The record near South Bend 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 South Bend. The highest rating among the 123 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 11, 1965, came within 15 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on April 11, 1965, killed 36 people. Of the 123, 13 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 44 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 36. The most recent tornado was on March 30, 2025. South Bend has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 74% of the 356 Indiana cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 143 times since 1961, with stones up to 3.5 inches. South Bend has more hail reports within 10 miles than 91% of the 356 Indiana cities.
Compare South Bend's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near South Bend
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 3 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 22 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 South Bend: 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 South Bend
By decade
- 2020s9
- 2010s22
- 2000s13(2 EF3+)
- 1990s14
- 1980s10
- 1970s18(2 EF3+)
- 1960s24(6 EF3+)
- 1950s13
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 7 mi | 37 mi | 36 / 321 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 15 mi | 21.2 mi | 31 / 252 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F3 | 11 mi | 35.6 mi | 10 / 82 |
| Oct 24, 2001 | F3 | 2 mi | 47 mi | 1 / 2 |
| Oct 18, 2007 | EF3 | 22 mi | 20.33 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 12, 1976 | F3 | 22 mi | 12.1 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Mar 12, 1976 | F3 | 23 mi | 12.6 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Nov 26, 1965 | F3 | 12 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F3 | 20 mi | 33.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 30, 1962 | F3 | 2 mi | 36.5 mi | 0 / 49 |
| Oct 24, 2001 | F2 | 11 mi | 35 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Jun 5, 2010 | EF2 | 22 mi | 2.73 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 123, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in South Bend
The Storm Prediction Center has 143 hail reports within 10 miles of South Bend since 1961, made on 77 separate days. Of these, 84 were 1 inch across or larger, and 6 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3.5 inches, fell on April 17, 1963. The most recent report is from June 25, 2024. June has the most reports, 40.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in South Bend
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is South Bend Michiana Regional Airport, IN, 4 miles northwest of South Bend at 773 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 31°F and 17°F. May is the wettest at 4.2 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.3 inches; the year adds up to 39.3 inches over 80 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 14 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 126 nights a year. Snowfall averages 64.5 inches a year, most of it in January. That 39.3 inches is more than at 12 of the 115 Indiana stations used on this site (10%). Granger, 8 miles northeast, has its own station (Niles, MI): 41.5 inches a year, 2.2 more than here, and the same July average high, 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31 | 17 | 2.7 | 7 | 21.6 |
| Feb | 35 | 19 | 2.3 | 6 | 16.1 |
| Mar | 46 | 27 | 2.4 | 6 | 6.8 |
| Apr | 59 | 37 | 3.5 | 7 | 1.0 |
| May | 70 | 48 | 4.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 79 | 58 | 4.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 62 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 81 | 61 | 4.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 74 | 53 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 62 | 42 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 48 | 32 | 2.8 | 6 | 5.1 |
| Dec | 36 | 23 | 2.4 | 6 | 13.7 |
| Year | 59 | 40 | 39.3 | 80 | 64.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at South Bend Michiana Regional Airport, IN (773 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 South Bend
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 325 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of South Bend: 301 thunderstorm wind reports, 10 floods, 7 lightning strikes, 6 flash floods and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 1 person and injured 6, and the NWS estimated $5.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 93 mph, on May 18, 1997. Of the 337 Indiana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 103 have had fewer than South Bend.
September 10, 2016: flood 3 miles from the centre of South Bend — 1 killed.
NWS: “Street and some basement flooding reported in South Bend. A 53 year old female was electrocuted by flood waters that had entered her basement.”
June 23, 2010: thunderstorm wind in South Bend — 2 injured.
NWS: “A tree fell down on house at 600 block of 28th St and 2 people were injured.”
July 21, 1998: thunderstorm wind in South Bend — 1 injured, $500,000 damage.
NWS: “SEVERAL REPORTS OF HIGH WINDS AND WIND DAMAGE. ONE WOMAN WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED WHEN A LARGE TREE FELL ON HER CAR.”
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 South Bend's 9 ZIP codes have filed 102 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1981, and were paid $761,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1982: 29 claims (28% of all) and $103,000. The year with the most claims was 2018, with 21. 34% 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, 114 have fewer than South Bend.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1982 | 29 | $103,000 |
St. Joseph County, which includes South Bend, 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.