Merrillville, IN Tornado History — 137 Tornadoes Since 1950
How many tornadoes has Merrillville, IN had?
Merrillville has had 137 tornadoes on record within 25 miles since 1950, including 9 strong to violent (EF3+) tornadoes.
When was the most recent tornado near Merrillville?
The most recent tornado within 25 miles of Merrillville was an EF0 on March 30, 2025.
When is tornado season in Merrillville?
June is historically the peak month for tornadoes near Merrillville, with 43 on record. April through June account for 69 of the 137 tornadoes on record near Merrillville.
At a Glance
Recent Tornado Activity Near Merrillville
The last 20 years of confirmed tornadoes within 25 miles — 72 total, averaging 3.6 per year over this window.
Preliminary tornado reports near Merrillville since December 29, 2025
These are 8 preliminary reports, not confirmed tornadoes. They have not yet been through an NWS damage survey, and are not counted in the confirmed totals above.
Preliminary reports are revised, merged, and sometimes withdrawn — historically about 23% are consolidated downward once surveys complete. Ratings are omitted until a survey assigns one.
Confirmed records above are complete through December 29, 2025. NOAA publishes the confirmed archive annually, so tornadoes after that date appear here first and move into the totals above once finalized.
An EF-1 tornado began west of Halsted between 183rd and 187th... crossing Halsted and causing structural damage to a strip mall and several buildings in an apartment co (LOT)
Likely portion of tornado path in/near Markham. Concentrated area of tree damage along westbound I-80/I-294 at the Dixie Highway exit directly east and west of the exit (LOT)
Corrects previous tornado report from 2 E Glenwood. An NWS storm survey confirmed an EF-1 tornado with peak winds of 110 mph... peak width of 225 yards... and path leng (LOT)
This portion of damage is associated with the EF3 tornado that impacted Kouts and points to the southwest. The tornado continued into La Porte county. A center pivot ir (IWX)
Storm chaser video shows tornado southeast of Hebron. (LOT)
NWS survey confirms a preliminary EF-0 tornado. Peak winds of 85 mph... width of 200 yards... and length of 12.6 miles. (LOT)
*** 1 INJ *** Corrects previous tornado report from 3 SE Griffith. An NWS damage survey confirmed an EF-2 tornado with peak winds of 120 mph... path length of 6.5 miles (LOT)
*** 3 INJ *** A tornado began 4 miles southwest of Wheatfield and tracked 10.3 miles across northern Jasper County dissipating 2 miles southeast of Dunns Bridge. This t (LOT)
Within 25 miles of Merrillville. Quoted text is the report narrative exactly as filed. Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center preliminary storm reports, updated daily.
Tornadoes by Decade
Tornadoes by Enhanced Fujita Rating
F0–F5 ratings (pre-2007) are grouped with their EF equivalents. The Enhanced Fujita scale replaced the original Fujita scale in February 2007.
Tornadoes by Month
Casualties on Record Near Merrillville
38 fatalities have been recorded within 25 miles of Merrillville since 1950, across 5 events. 669 injuries have been reported across all events. 1967 was the deadliest year on record near Merrillville.
The deadliest single event was an F4 on April 21, 1967, which caused 33 fatalities along a 15.0-mile track.
Notable Tornadoes Near Merrillville
What the record shows near Merrillville
The 2020s are the busiest decade on record so far near Merrillville, with 35 of the 137 confirmed tornadoes within 25 miles. The Merrillville record runs from the 1950s to today.
Of the tornadoes rated near Merrillville, 103 reached EF0 or EF1 and 32 reached EF2 or stronger. The most intense on record near Merrillville is rated EF4, of which 1 is logged. A further 2 near Merrillville are unrated — events NOAA logged before a damage survey assigned a scale.
Across the last 20 years Merrillville has averaged 3.6 confirmed tornadoes a year within 25 miles, 72 in total. 2014 was the busiest of them with 16, and 5 of those years passed with none at all.