NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Bloomington, 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 Bloomington, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 79 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 9 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 79
- EF3 or stronger
- 9
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
4 deaths in all
What the records show for Bloomington
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Bloomington; the strongest was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm with 46 mph winds when its centre passed 73 miles away. The record near Bloomington begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Helene in 2024. Of the 356 Indiana cities on this site, 65% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Bloomington. The highest rating among the 79 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on June 2, 1990, came within 19 miles. The deadliest, an EF3 on March 31, 2023, killed 2 people. Of the 79, 9 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 39 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 26. The most recent tornado was on May 16, 2025. Of the 356 Indiana cities, 89% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Bloomington. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 94 times since 1978, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Bloomington has more hail reports within 10 miles than 78% of the 356 Indiana cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Bloomington
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 28 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | overhead | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 67 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 Bloomington: 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 Bloomington
By decade
- 2020s11(1 EF3+)
- 2010s13(1 EF3+)
- 2000s15(2 EF3+)
- 1990s12(4 EF3+)
- 1980s4(1 EF3+)
- 1970s13
- 1960s3
- 1950s8
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2, 1990 | F4 | 19 mi | 11 mi | 1 / 51 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F4 | 25 mi | 18 mi | 0 / 9 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF3 | 13 mi | 5.92 mi | 2 / 2 |
| May 25, 2011 | EF3 | 21 mi | 6.75 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 8, 2009 | EF3 | 21 mi | 1.06 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Sep 20, 2002 | F3 | 7 mi | 112 mi | 0 / 127 |
| Nov 22, 1992 | F3 | 17 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 22, 1992 | F3 | 9 mi | 5.3 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Mar 10, 1986 | F3 | 15 mi | 35 mi | 0 / 22 |
| May 16, 2025 | EF2 | 24 mi | 14.04 mi | 1 / 3 |
| May 16, 2025 | EF2 | 2 mi | 35.27 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF2 | 17 mi | 8.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 79, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Bloomington
The Storm Prediction Center has 94 hail reports within 10 miles of Bloomington since 1978, made on 57 separate days. Of these, 58 were 1 inch across or larger, and 6 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on April 8, 2015. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. April has the most reports, 27.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Bloomington
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Bloomington Indiana Univ, IN, 2 miles north of Bloomington at 830 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 37°F and 21°F. May and June are the wettest at 5.4 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.0 inches; the year adds up to 49.5 inches over 81 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 21 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 108 nights a year. Snowfall averages 17.5 inches a year, most of it in January. That 49.5 inches is more than at 98 of the 115 Indiana stations used on this site (85%). Solsberry, 12 miles west, has its own station (Bloomington Monroe Co Airport, IN): 46.9 inches a year, 2.6 less than here, and the same July average high, 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 37 | 21 | 3.8 | 7 | 7.1 |
| Feb | 42 | 23 | 3.0 | 6 | 4.2 |
| Mar | 52 | 32 | 3.7 | 7 | 1.3 |
| Apr | 64 | 42 | 5.2 | 9 | 0.1 |
| May | 74 | 53 | 5.4 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 82 | 62 | 5.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 85 | 65 | 4.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 64 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 79 | 56 | 3.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 66 | 44 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 53 | 34 | 3.9 | 6 | 0.2 |
| Dec | 41 | 26 | 3.5 | 7 | 4.5 |
| Year | 63 | 43 | 49.5 | 81 | 17.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Bloomington Indiana Univ, IN (830 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 Bloomington
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 172 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Bloomington: 142 thunderstorm wind reports, 18 flash floods, 10 floods, 1 heavy rain event and 1 lightning strike. They killed 3 people and injured 4, and the NWS estimated $31.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on May 23, 2011. June has had the most flash floods, 9 of 18. Of the 337 Indiana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 243 have had fewer than Bloomington.
June 18, 2021: flash flood 3 miles from the centre of Bloomington — 1 killed, 1 injured, $25.0 million damage.
NWS: “A 31 year old male was swept away in a vehicle in floodwaters from clear creek near the intersection of College Avenue and Dodds Street. Another person of unknown age and sex was also in the vehicle at the time but was able to escape with only minor injuries.”
January 28, 2007: flood 7 miles from the centre of Bloomington — 1 killed, $10,000 damage.
NWS: “Lake Monroe flooded due to January rains. A man was killed when he drove into flooded local roads.”
June 1, 2018: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Bloomington — 1 killed.
NWS: “WTHR-13 reported that Indiana Conservation officers found the body of 26-year-old man around 7:30pm Sunday the 3rd while searching Monroe Lake with side scan sonar equipment. Friends say the man was a good swimmer, which might have been why he went into the water without a life jacket.”
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 Bloomington's 4 ZIP codes have filed 84 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $2.9 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2021, with 24. 4% 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, 105 have fewer than Bloomington.
Monroe County, which includes Bloomington, has been named in 16 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods, 2 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes, on April 15, 2023. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Monroe County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $37.9 million a year, the 14th highest of 92 Indiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $21.8 million (58%), 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 Bloomington
- Ellettsville, IN8 mi
- Solsberry, IN12 mi
- Springville, IN14 mi
- Gosport, IN16 mi
- Nashville, IN16 mi
- Spencer, IN16 mi
- Paragon, IN19 mi
- Morgantown, IN20 mi
- Bedford, IN20 mi
- Martinsville, IN21 mi
- Bloomfield, IN22 mi
- Worthington, IN24 mi
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