NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Aurora, 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
3 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Aurora, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1915. Since 1950, 89 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 11 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 89
- EF3 or stronger
- 11
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
26 deaths in all
What the records show for Aurora
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Aurora; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 65 miles away. The record near Aurora begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was an unnamed storm in 1915, a tropical storm 59 miles away. Of the 356 Indiana cities on this site, 65% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Aurora. The strongest of the 89 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on April 3, 1974; its path came within 6 miles, and it killed 3 people. The deadliest, an F4 on April 3, 1974, killed 11 people. Of the 89, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 36 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 28. The most recent tornado was on July 20, 2025. Of the 356 Indiana cities, 76% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Aurora. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 45 times since 1968, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 356 Indiana cities, 74% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Aurora.
Compare Aurora's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Aurora
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Aurora: 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 Aurora
By decade
- 2020s21
- 2010s12(2 EF3+)
- 2000s3
- 1990s17(3 EF3+)
- 1980s7
- 1970s17(4 EF3+)
- 1960s6(2 EF3+)
- 1950s6
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 6 mi | 20.8 mi | 3 / 210 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 19 mi | 35.6 mi | 11 / 190 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF4 | 25 mi | 9.85 mi | 4 / 8 |
| Nov 22, 1992 | F4 | 12 mi | 26.7 mi | 1 / 10 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F4 | 11 mi | 33 mi | 0 / 37 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 2 mi | 27.1 mi | 0 / 104 |
| Aug 9, 1969 | F3 | 25 mi | 22.2 mi | 4 / 247 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF3 | 18 mi | 8.69 mi | 3 / 5 |
| Apr 9, 1999 | F3 | 16 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Oct 1, 1977 | F3 | 19 mi | 0.7 mi | 0 / 17 |
| May 10, 1969 | F3 | 21 mi | 54.5 mi | 0 / 25 |
| Jul 30, 2004 | F2 | 24 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 89, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Aurora
The Storm Prediction Center has 45 hail reports within 10 miles of Aurora since 1968, made on 37 separate days. Of these, 22 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on October 19, 2016. The most recent report is from April 14, 2025. April has the most reports, 18.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Aurora
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Cincinnati-Fernbank, OH, 13 miles east of Aurora at 500 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 40°F and 24°F. May is the wettest at 5.2 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 47.6 inches over 85 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 22 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 101 nights a year. Snowfall averages 11.4 inches a year, most of it in February. That 47.6 inches is more than at 82 of the 115 Indiana stations used on this site (71%). Rising Sun, 8 miles south, has its own station (Warsaw Markland Dam, KY): 48.0 inches a year, 0.4 more than here, and the same July average high, 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 40 | 24 | 3.7 | 7 | 2.9 |
| Feb | 44 | 26 | 3.1 | 6 | 4.7 |
| Mar | 54 | 34 | 4.4 | 8 | 1.7 |
| Apr | 66 | 43 | 5.0 | 9 | 0.0 |
| May | 75 | 54 | 5.2 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 62 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 67 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 65 | 3.3 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 79 | 57 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 68 | 46 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 55 | 36 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Dec | 44 | 29 | 4.0 | 8 | 2.0 |
| Year | 65 | 45 | 47.6 | 85 | 11.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Cincinnati-Fernbank, OH (500 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 Aurora
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 210 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Aurora: 154 thunderstorm wind reports, 29 flash floods, 25 floods and 2 heavy rain events. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $2.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on June 4, 2008. June has had the most flash floods, 12 of 29. Of the 337 Indiana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 296 have had fewer than Aurora.
January 4, 2005: flood 5 miles from the centre of Aurora — $825,000 damage.
June 19, 2021: flash flood 2 miles from the centre of Aurora — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Numerous reports of high water and flash flooding were received from the Aurora and Guilford areas. Several people and pets were stranded in Guilford due to rising water.”
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 Aurora's ZIP code 47001 have filed 64 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $968,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1997: 23 claims (36% of all) and $483,000. 56% 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, 95 have fewer than Aurora.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1997 | 23 | $483,000 |
Dearborn County, which includes Aurora, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1968, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 severe storms, 6 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on August 25, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Dearborn County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Low for inland flooding and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $18.6 million a year, the 31st highest of 92 Indiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $9.2 million (49%), 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.