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LaPorte County, Indiana severe weather history spans 423 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 66.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,161 nationally and #24 in Indiana.
423
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
23
Direct injuries
$32.5M
Property damage
The record
What the LaPorte County, Indiana severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, LaPorte County, Indiana severe weather history averages 6.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 115 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 64 events fall before 1990 and 359 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the LaPorte County, Indiana record is tornado, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $27.4M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in LaPorte County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 283 | 0 | $3.4M | 87 | 1956–2026 |
| Hail | 92 | 0 | $134K | 3.5 | 1955–2026 |
| Tornado | 29 | 1 | $27.4M | F3 | 1955–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 7 | 0 | $450K | 0 | 1996–2015 |
| Lightning | 6 | 0 | $20K | 0 | 1996–2011 |
| Flood | 4 | 0 | $1.0M | 0 | 2001–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2001–2001 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2023–2023 |
Decade by decade
LaPorte County, Indiana severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
28 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 26 touched down inside it and 2 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976-03-12 | EF3 | 0 | 7 | 12.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1965-04-11 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 33.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2001-10-24 | EF2 | 1 | 0 | 35.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1960-05-21 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1958-05-31 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1958-05-31 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-03-14 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-07-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2014-06-30 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2014-06-30 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in LaPorte County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 24, 2001 | Tornado | WANATAH | 1 | 0 | $750K |
| Sep 30, 2006 | Lightning | WESTVILLE | 0 | 7 | $0 |
| Mar 12, 1976 | Tornado | 0 | 7 | $250K | |
| Mar 3, 1955 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $25K | |
| Jun 1, 1958 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $25K | |
| Jul 20, 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | TRAIL CREEK | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Aug 17, 2009 | Lightning | LA PORTE | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Apr 26, 2007 | Tornado | SPRINGVILLE | 0 | 1 | $40K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A supercell came onshore from Lake Michigan at Michigan City with winds initially above 100 mph. Wind gusts to 75 mph were reported several miles inland as the storm continued south through Westville and Wanatah. Widespread tree, power poles and lines damage was observed from the lake shore to Westville. One minor injury was reported from a cleanup worker in Westville. 2 vehicles were destroyed as a result of falling trees. A police car in Westville suffered damage from a tree falling onto it. 2 miles north of Westville a semi was blown off the Indiana Toll Road with a train suffering damage as a result of the winds. Several buildings suffered roof damage, including several factories, homes and a prison. Damage figures are not complete, but initial estimates of damage on the land are at least $1.5 million.
A survey of rather extensive damage was performed across the county. An intense microburst with a path of 2 to 3 miles and estimated 100 mph winds was surveyed from Pine Lake northeast through Rolling Prairie. The most concentrated damage occurred at the start of the event, where enumerable trees were uprooted and snapped with roof damage to numerous homes. A lack of overall structure damage, outside of falling trees, suggested that the high winds remained at tree top level, roughly 30 to 50 feet. No specific damage value was available, but given the magnitude of the damage, an estimate of $750,000 will be assigned to the event.
High water forced the closures of several roads in LaPorte county, including portions of US 20 and 35 and State Routes 8 and 212. The high water was the result of ditches, creeks, streams and rivers exceeding their capacity, causing extensive flooding that slowly increased over the span of a few days. State Route 8, between US 421 and State Route 39 suffered such severe flooding as a result of flood waters on the Yellow iver that a portion of the road will require complete reconstruction of a portion, causing it to remain closed for several months. See separate entry for damage to a levee in Starke county. Damage in excess of $500,000 was reported to mainly county roads, state highways and the water treatment plant in LaPorte.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
111,917
Population (ACS)
$196K
Median home value
17
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Apr 3, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| May 4, 2018 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Apr 22, 2009 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Sep 23, 2008 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in LaPorte County, Indiana?
423 events are on record between 1955 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $32.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in LaPorte County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 283 recorded events — 66.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed LaPorte County?
28 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 26 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover LaPorte County?
17 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include LaPorte County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is LaPorte County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates LaPorte County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 79 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the LaPorte County, Indiana severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Lake County 659
- Lawrence County 332
- LaGrange County 203
- Madison County 530
- Kosciusko County 519
- Marion County 1,061
Cite this page
“LaPorte County, Indiana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/indiana/laporte-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.