48
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
24
Direct injuries
$5.7M
Property damage
Tornado in Lake County, Indiana: 48 recorded events between 1951 and 2026. The strongest on record measured F3. That places the county #414 nationally and #2 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Lake County, Indiana: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Lake County is the 2020s, when 15 of the county's 48 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Lake County archive, tornado makes up 7.3% of all recorded severe weather across 10 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #414 for this hazard and #2 within Indiana, putting it in the 85.9 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for tornado in Lake County with 15 recorded events, while Jan is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
| Date | Scale | Path length | Max width | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974-06-20 | EF3 | 4.5 mi | 150 yd | Touched down here |
| 1965-11-12 | EF3 | 4.1 mi | 40 yd | Touched down here |
| 1961-04-23 | EF3 | 51.7 mi | 10 yd | Crossed in |
| 2014-06-30 | EF2 | 3.2 mi | 295 yd | Touched down here |
| 2008-08-04 | EF2 | 2.7 mi | 30 yd | Touched down here |
| 1977-06-30 | EF2 | 6.8 mi | 300 yd | Touched down here |
| 1976-03-12 | EF2 | 5.6 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 1966-07-13 | EF2 | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 1962-07-20 | EF2 | 14.9 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 1957-07-12 | EF2 | 0.1 mi | 27 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 12, 1965 | F3 | 0 | 14 | $250K | |
| Jun 21, 1974 | F3 | 0 | 5 | $250K | |
| Aug 25, 2001 | MERRILLVILLE | F1 | 0 | 2 | $100K |
| Mar 19, 2025 | BLACK OAK | EF1 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 30, 1977 | F2 | 0 | 1 | $2.5M | |
| Jun 23, 1961 | F1 | 0 | 1 | $3K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 17, 2026 | BELSHAW | EF0 | $0 |
| Mar 19, 2025 | GARY | EF0 | $0 |
| Mar 19, 2025 | BLACK OAK | EF1 | $0 |
| Mar 19, 2025 | BLACK OAK | EF0 | $0 |
| Mar 19, 2025 | HIGHLAND | EF0 | $0 |
| Mar 15, 2025 | NEW ELLIOTT | EF0 | $0 |
| Mar 15, 2025 | CEDAR LAKE | EF1 | $0 |
| Jul 16, 2024 | SHELBY | EF0 | $0 |
| Jul 16, 2024 | NORTH HAYDEN | EF0 | $0 |
| Jul 16, 2024 | BRUNSWICK | EF1 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Lake County
- Thunderstorm Wind 353
- Hail 144
- Flood 49
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This strong tornado touched down near the intersection of Clark St and Belshaw Rd and ended slightly east of Harrison St. Outbuildings as well as two large grain bins were destroyed, and numerous large high-tension wood power poles were snapped. There was also numerous trees snapped and uprooted along with crop damage. Maximum winds were estimated to 115 mph.
This tornado began near Kankakee County Highway 13 in Illinois and crossed into Indiana just south of E. 10500N Rd. A house under construction (but sealed) had an exterior wall of the garage blown out, part of a second story exterior wall blown in, and a portion of roof removed. A barn also had substantial roof damage along with numerous large trees snapped, uprooted, and partially stripped of their branches. The tornado dissipated south of Lowell, Indiana near Colfax St. Maximum winds were estimated to 110 mph.
This tornado started slightly east of the Illinois-Indiana state line and crossed U.S. Highway 41 before ending just east of Austin St. There were multiple large hardwood trees snapped and uprooted because of this tornado, as well as roof damage to a barn. Maximum winds were estimated to be 100 mph.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Lake County, Indiana?
48 tornado events are recorded in Lake County between 1951 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Lake County?
The strongest tornado on record in Lake County measured F3.
Where does the tornado data for Lake County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Tornado in Lake County, Indiana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/indiana/lake-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.