NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Bluffton, 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 Bluffton, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 101 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 101
- EF3 or stronger
- 10
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
36 deaths in all
What the records show for Bluffton
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Bluffton; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 36 miles away. The record near Bluffton begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 5 systems, one has come since 2000. Bluffton has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 63% of the 356 Indiana cities on this site. The highest rating among the 101 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 4 times; the most recent, on November 10, 2002, came within 21 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on April 11, 1965, killed 25 people. Of the 101, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 43 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 19. The most recent tornado was on April 2, 2025. Of the 356 Indiana cities, 54% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Bluffton. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 62 times since 1956, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 356 Indiana cities, 51% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Bluffton.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Bluffton
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 3 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 4 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 Bluffton: 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 Bluffton
By decade
- 2020s10(1 EF3+)
- 2010s15(1 EF3+)
- 2000s18(3 EF3+)
- 1990s16
- 1980s8
- 1970s11
- 1960s13(4 EF3+)
- 1950s10(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 22 mi | 48 mi | 25 / 835 |
| Nov 10, 2002 | F4 | 21 mi | 52.8 mi | 4 / 17 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 9 mi | 52.5 mi | 4 / 125 |
| Mar 6, 1956 | F4 | 24 mi | 1.9 mi | 1 / 31 |
| May 16, 1968 | F3 | 18 mi | 50.3 mi | 1 / 15 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF3 | 22 mi | 6.35 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 27, 2019 | EF3 | 11 mi | 12.76 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Nov 10, 2002 | F3 | 14 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 20, 2002 | F3 | 17 mi | 112 mi | 0 / 127 |
| Dec 21, 1967 | F3 | 17 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 18, 2021 | EF2 | 19 mi | 5.38 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 5, 2017 | EF2 | 20 mi | 38.72 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 101, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Bluffton
The Storm Prediction Center has 62 hail reports within 10 miles of Bluffton since 1956, made on 40 separate days. Of these, 36 were 1 inch across or larger, and 6 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently June 8, 1993. The most recent report is from April 2, 2025. March has the most reports, 12.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Bluffton
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Bluffton 6N, IN, 6 miles north of Bluffton at 861 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 32°F and 17°F. May and June are the wettest at 4.7 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.0 inches; the year adds up to 40.1 inches over 77 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 12 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 126 nights a year. Snowfall averages 23.3 inches a year, most of it in January. That 40.1 inches is more than at 25 of the 115 Indiana stations used on this site (22%). Berne, 13 miles east, has its own station (Berne Wwtp, IN): 42.0 inches a year, 1.9 more than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32 | 17 | 2.5 | 6 | 7.6 |
| Feb | 36 | 19 | 2.0 | 5 | 6.5 |
| Mar | 47 | 28 | 2.7 | 6 | 3.6 |
| Apr | 60 | 39 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.4 |
| May | 71 | 51 | 4.7 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 80 | 60 | 4.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 63 | 4.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 81 | 61 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 76 | 54 | 3.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 63 | 42 | 2.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 49 | 32 | 3.1 | 6 | 1.1 |
| Dec | 37 | 23 | 2.3 | 6 | 4.1 |
| Year | 59 | 41 | 40.1 | 77 | 23.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Bluffton 6N, IN (861 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 Bluffton
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 103 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Bluffton: 97 thunderstorm wind reports, 3 flash floods, 2 lightning strikes and 1 flood. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $913,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on March 31, 2023.
June 9, 2008: lightning strike 2 miles from the centre of Bluffton — $250,000 damage.
NWS: “Lightning struck the corner of the Farm Credit Services office in Bluffton. Employees reported a loud boom, but nothing was apparent immediately.”
November 6, 2005: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Bluffton — $150,000 damage.
NWS: “Numerous reports of damage to buildings, trees, tree limbs, power lines and poles were received across the county. A pole barn was flattened south of Bluffton, as well as a tree being blown down onto a semi travelling on US 224.”
October 26, 2010: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Bluffton — $100,000 damage.
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 Bluffton's ZIP code 46714 have filed 37 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1985, and were paid $625,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2003, with 19. 3% 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, 70 have fewer than Bluffton.
Wells County, which includes Bluffton, has been named in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 8 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 snowstorms, 3 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 tornadoes). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 3, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Wells County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for tornadoes, inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes, hail and lightning. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $9.6 million a year, the 69th highest of 92 Indiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $5.4 million (56%), 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 Bluffton
- Ossian, IN10 mi
- Markle, IN11 mi
- Berne, IN13 mi
- Monroe, IN13 mi
- Geneva, IN14 mi
- Montpelier, IN14 mi
- Decatur, IN14 mi
- Warren, IN14 mi
- Roanoke, IN19 mi
- Huntington, IN20 mi
- Hartford City, IN22 mi
- Monroeville, IN24 mi
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