Data current as of 2026-10-16 · Sourced from NOAA Storm Events
Over the past five years, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has recorded 41 hail storms within 25 miles of Michigan City, IN. Of those, 35 produced hail at least quarter-size — the threshold most insurance carriers consider potentially damaging to asphalt shingles. The largest reported hail in this window was baseball-sized or larger, which can fracture shingle mat and dent metal flashing on contact. 2024 was the most active year on record locally, with 18 documented hail events.
Check Hail History for a Specific Address in Michigan City| Severity | Count | What it means for roofs |
|---|---|---|
| Catastrophic | 2 events | Baseball+ size, structural roof damage likely |
| Destructive | 3 events | Egg-size, expect mat fractures and gutter damage |
| Severe | 5 events | Ping pong-size, granule loss and bruising common |
| Significant | 25 events | Quarter-size, the standard insurance damage threshold |
| Moderate | 6 events | Marble-size, possible cosmetic damage |
| Year | Reported Hail Events Within 25 mi |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 13 events |
| 2024 | 18 events |
| 2023 | 7 events |
| 2022 | 3 events |
2024 was the busiest hail year on record locally for Michigan City, with 18 documented events inside the 25-mile radius. Storm activity in Michigan City typically peaks in spring and early summer, when the jet stream pushes Gulf moisture into the area and supercell thunderstorms become more frequent.
| Date | Location | Severity | Size | NOAA Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-04 | 1 E Shorewood-Tower Hi, MI | Moderate | 0.50" | Spotter reports half inch hail fell from 610 to 620 PM EDT. |
| 2026-05-04 | 1 NW Sawyer, MI | Moderate | 0.50" | Report from mPING: Half-inch (0.50 in.). |
| 2026-03-27 | 2 WSW La Porte, IN | Moderate | 0.88" | Reported at West Elm Street and Marquette Street. |
| 2026-03-26 | 2 SW La Porte, IN | Significant | 1.00" | Report from mPING: Quarter (1.00 in.). |
| 2026-03-11 | 1 SE Hobart, IN | Significant | 1.00" | Public report of quarter size hail lasting approximately 2 minutes in Hobart. Time estimated by radar. |
| 2026-03-11 | 3 NW Westville, IN | Significant | 1.00" | Relayed via mping. |
| 2026-03-11 | Rolling Prarie, IN | Moderate | 0.70" | — |
| 2026-03-11 | 6 ESE Chesterton, IN | Significant | 1.00" | Quarter size hail reported along I-90 near 550 East Road. |
| 2026-03-10 | HOBART, IN | Significant | 1.00" | — |
| 2026-03-10 | BURDICK, IN | Significant | 1.00" | — |
| 2026-03-10 | COBURG, IN | Significant | 1.00" | — |
| 2026-03-06 | WESTVILLE, IN | Severe | 1.75" | Received a report from the public of 1.75 inch diamater hail near Westville, IN. |
| 2026-03-06 | 2 NNE Westville, IN | Severe | 1.75" | Location and time estimated by radar. Public commenter listed Westville. |
| 2024-05-24 | LA PORTE, IN | Significant | 1.00" | — |
| 2024-05-20 | BELFAST, IN | Moderate | 0.88" | ABC57 Mobile weather tracker reports hail ranging from pea to nickel sized. |
| 2024-05-07 | HOBART, IN | Significant | 1.00" | — |
| 2024-05-07 | DUNE ACRES, IN | Significant | 1.25" | — |
| 2024-05-07 | PORTAGE, IN | Significant | 1.00" | A photo shared on social media showed quarter size hail. |
| 2024-05-07 | HOBART, IN | Severe | 1.50" | — |
| 2024-05-07 | GRAND BEACH WOODLAND, IN | Significant | 1.00" | — |
NOAA has recorded 145 high-wind events within 25 miles of Michigan City, IN in the past five years. Of those, 144 reached severe-thunderstorm thresholds (58+ mph). The highest measured gust was 92 mph.
| Severity | Count |
|---|---|
| Severe | 72 events |
| Significant | 72 events |
| Moderate | 1 event |
| Date | Location | Gust (mph) | Severity | NOAA Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-11 | 1 W Dune Acres, IN | 60 | Significant | Private weather station. |
| 2026-08-11 | 4 N Beverly Shores, IN | 50 | Significant | Gust to 43 knots at the Michigan City Buoy. |
| 2026-08-11 | 4 NE Beverly Shores, IN | 75 | Severe | Gust to 65 knots at the Michigan City GLERL site. |
| 2026-08-11 | 4 NNE Beverly Shores, IN | 45 | Moderate | Michigan City Buoy peak gust of 39 kt. |
| 2026-08-11 | 1 N La Porte, IN | 60 | Significant | Small tree limbs down and estimated 60 mph wind gusts. Time estimated via radar. |
| 2026-08-11 | La Porte, IN | 58 | Significant | — |
| 2026-08-11 | 3 SSW La Porte, IN | 58 | Significant | AWOS station KPPO La Porte. |
| 2026-07-27 | 3 ESE Valparaiso, IN | 64 | Severe | A peak wind gust of 64 mph was measured at KVPZ. |
| 2026-07-27 | 1 WNW Dune Acres, IN | 57 | Significant | Private weather station reported 57 mph gust near Dune Acres along the Lake Michigan shore. |
| 2026-07-09 | 2 SE South Haven, IN | 50 | Significant | A report on social media described 50 to 60 mph winds and small hail. There was a CoCoRaHS report of half inch hail in general vicinity, as well. |
| 2026-06-12 | 1 ENE Ogden Dunes, IN | 56 | Significant | Private weather station KINPORTA72 reported 56 mph gust. |
| 2026-06-11 | PORTAGE, IN | 81 | Severe | Numerous trees were blown down or uprooted north and northwest of Portage. Tree limbs and power lines were blown down. Some of the trees fell onto vehicles. Several mobile homes were damaged or destroyed by the fallen trees west of Marine Drive. ||At the Lakeshore Camp Resort, a 68 year old male and a 65 year old female died from carbon monoxide poisoning in the early morning of June 13th after placing a portable generator below a window air conditioning unit, which funneled the exhaust into their home. In a separate incident at the same location, six people were taken to a hospital after also experiencing carbon monoxide poisoning. |
| 2026-06-11 | DUNE ACRES, IN | 92 | Severe | Numerous trees and power lines were blown down at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Two large tree limbs approximately 20 inches in diameter fell onto park structures. |
| 2026-06-11 | OGDEN DUNES, IN | 81 | Severe | Trees, tree limbs and power lines were blown down. Some trees were uprooted and some trees fell onto houses and onto cars. |
| 2026-06-11 | LAKE STATION, IN | 75 | Severe | Trees were uprooted. Power lines were blown down along 5th Avenue and County Line Road. |
| 2026-06-10 | Kingsford Heights, IN | 60 | Significant | — |
| 2026-05-18 | WANATAH, IN | 60 | Significant | Emergency Manager reports several trees and large branches downed including a couple large limbs down onto houses. No injuries reported. |
| 2026-05-18 | 1 SSE Hobart, IN | 65 | Severe | Corrects previous report from 1 SSE Hobart to tstm wind. Public report of 65 mph gust recorded by backyard weather station near Linda Street and 10th Street in Hobart. Time estimated by radar. |
| 2026-05-18 | HOBART, IN | 64 | Severe | A personal weather station measured a wind gust to 65 mph near Linda Street and 10th Street. |
| 2026-05-18 | NEW CARLISLE, IN | 70 | Severe | Media report of large tree snapped in half near New Carlisle in St. Joseph County in Indiana. |
The most recent quarter-size-or-larger hail storm recorded by NOAA within 25 miles of Michigan City was on March 26, 2026. HailCheck refreshes from the NOAA Storm Events database daily, so newer events appear here as they are reported.
Michigan City averages roughly 8 reported hail events per year within a 25-mile radius. Significant storms (quarter-size or larger) account for 35 of the 41 events recorded over the last five years.
The largest documented hail near Michigan City in the last five years was baseball-sized or larger. Most Michigan City-area hail falls in the marble-to-quarter range, with destructive storms (egg-size or larger) appearing roughly once every few years.
Most homeowners insurance policies in IN cover hail damage to roofs, siding, and gutters under the dwelling and other-structures coverage. Coverage typically requires the damage to be tied to a verifiable storm date — which is where the NOAA hail history above (and a HAAG-style test square validation) becomes important for the claim file.
Use the HailCheck address search to enter any street address in or near Michigan City. HailCheck returns every NOAA hail event within a configurable radius, along with severity bands, dates, and storm narratives for Pro members.
If your property in or near Michigan City took on hail during one of the storms above, the standard process for documenting damage is a 10×10 foot test square inspection. A HAAG-trained reviewer counts impact indicators — granule displacement, mat fractures, and bruising — within the marked square and produces a PASS or FAIL document for the claim file.
HailCheck offers a $99 photo-based HAAG-style test square validation. You submit photos from the field, our reviewer evaluates the impact indicators and cross-references the NOAA storm dates listed above, and a written PASS/FAIL determination is returned within one business day. We do not send anyone to the roof — the validation is built around the photos you submit.
Learn About $99 HAAG-Style ValidationMichigan City sits east of the traditional hail alley, where hail events are less frequent than the central plains but tend to be associated with strong squall lines and tropical systems. Local roof systems are less commonly hardened for hail, which can mean even moderate impacts produce claim-worthy damage.