NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Bicknell, 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
5 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Bicknell, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 88 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 9 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 88
- EF3 or stronger
- 9
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
14 deaths in all
What the records show for Bicknell
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Bicknell; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 54 mph winds when its centre passed 74 miles away. The record near Bicknell begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 60 miles away. Of the 5 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Bicknell has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 63% of the 356 Indiana cities on this site. The highest rating among the 88 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on June 2, 1990, came within 17 miles. The deadliest, an EF3 on March 31, 2023, killed 6 people. Of the 88, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 33 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 21. The most recent tornado was on December 28, 2025. Of the 356 Indiana cities, 78% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Bicknell. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 48 times since 1967, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 356 Indiana cities, 69% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Bicknell.
Compare Bicknell's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Bicknell
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 28 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Bicknell: 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 Bicknell
By decade
- 2020s12(1 EF3+)
- 2010s13
- 2000s8(1 EF3+)
- 1990s18(3 EF3+)
- 1980s7(1 EF3+)
- 1970s7(1 EF3+)
- 1960s7(1 EF3+)
- 1950s16(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2, 1990 | F4 | 21 mi | 13 mi | 6 / 60 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F4 | 17 mi | 106 mi | 1 / 12 |
| Jan 7, 1989 | F4 | 13 mi | 19 mi | 0 / 55 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF3 | 21 mi | 40.89 mi | 6 / 16 |
| Nov 15, 2005 | F3 | 12 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 31 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F3 | 17 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 1, 1974 | F3 | 20 mi | 3.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 29, 1963 | F3 | 19 mi | 23.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 10, 1959 | F3 | 3 mi | 3.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 16, 2025 | EF2 | 19 mi | 14.04 mi | 1 / 3 |
| Mar 15, 2025 | EF2 | 20 mi | 57.49 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 26, 2024 | EF2 | 13 mi | 12.14 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 88, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Bicknell
The Storm Prediction Center has 48 hail reports within 10 miles of Bicknell since 1967, made on 38 separate days. Of these, 31 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on May 28, 1996. The most recent report is from February 28, 2024. April has the most reports, 16.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Bicknell
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Freelandville, IN, 6 miles north of Bicknell at 550 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 37°F and 22°F. May is the wettest at 5.5 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 45.4 inches over 76 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 24 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 102 nights a year. Snowfall averages 15.1 inches a year, most of it in December. That 45.4 inches is more than at 69 of the 115 Indiana stations used on this site (60%). Washington, 11 miles southeast, has its own station (Washington 1 W, IN): 48.0 inches a year, 2.6 more than here, and a July average high of 87°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 37 | 22 | 3.2 | 6 | 4.6 |
| Feb | 42 | 25 | 2.5 | 5 | 3.6 |
| Mar | 53 | 34 | 3.4 | 7 | 1.4 |
| Apr | 65 | 44 | 4.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 74 | 55 | 5.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 64 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 67 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 65 | 3.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 79 | 57 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 67 | 46 | 3.6 | 5 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 53 | 35 | 3.9 | 6 | 0.2 |
| Dec | 42 | 27 | 3.1 | 7 | 5.1 |
| Year | 64 | 45 | 45.4 | 76 | 15.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Freelandville, IN (550 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 Bicknell
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 205 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Bicknell: 134 thunderstorm wind reports, 52 floods and 19 flash floods. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $69.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on March 8, 2009. September has had the most flash floods, 5 of 19. Of the 337 Indiana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 249 have had fewer than Bicknell.
June 15, 2010: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Bicknell — 1 injured, $30,000 damage.
NWS: “Numerous trees and power lines were reported down across western Knox County due to damaging thunderstorm wind gusts. A semi-truck overturned on US Highway 41, near The Big Peach.”
June 5, 2008: flood 6 miles from the centre of Bicknell — $50.0 million damage.
NWS: “Flooding occurred along the White River in Daviess County, including near Edwardsport, due to heavy rain and a breach in a levee. A levee just downstream of Elnora blew out and sandbags were scattered more than a half mile downstream.”
June 5, 2008: flood 6 miles from the centre of Bicknell — $18.0 million damage.
NWS: “Flooding occurred along the White River in Knox County, including near the Petersburg, Hazleton, and Edwardsport areas, due to heavy rain and levee breaches. Levee unit 8 failed in the Smother's Creek area near Edwardsport.”
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
Knox County, which includes Bicknell, has been named in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1979, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 severe storms, 4 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 3, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Knox County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $18.8 million a year, the 30th highest of 92 Indiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $7.5 million (40%), 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.
Cities near Bicknell
- Washington, IN11 mi
- Vincennes, IN13 mi
- Carlisle, IN13 mi
- Montgomery, IN17 mi
- Odon, IN18 mi
- Lawrenceville, IL19 mi
- Linton, IN20 mi
- Petersburg, IN21 mi
- Sullivan, IN22 mi
- Loogootee, IN23 mi
- Bridgeport, IL25 mi
- Jasonville, IN27 mi
All Indiana cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Bicknell with another place →