NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Bourbon, 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 Bourbon, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 115 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 12 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 115
- EF3 or stronger
- 12
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
95 deaths in all
What the records show for Bourbon
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Bourbon; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 24 miles away. The record near Bourbon begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 5 systems, one has come since 2000. Bourbon has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 63% of the 356 Indiana cities on this site. The highest rating among the 115 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on April 3, 1974, came within 8 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on April 11, 1965, killed 36 people. Of the 115, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 40 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 37. The most recent tornado was on April 2, 2025. Bourbon has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 64% of the 356 Indiana cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 32 times since 1983, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 356 Indiana cities, 92% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Bourbon.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Bourbon
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 3 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 59 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 Bourbon: 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 Bourbon
By decade
- 2020s8
- 2010s24(1 EF3+)
- 2000s8(1 EF3+)
- 1990s20
- 1980s5
- 1970s11(2 EF3+)
- 1960s22(4 EF3+)
- 1950s17(4 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 20 mi | 37 mi | 36 / 321 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 15 mi | 21.2 mi | 31 / 252 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 8 mi | 108.7 mi | 18 / 285 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F3 | 16 mi | 35.6 mi | 10 / 82 |
| May 27, 2019 | EF3 | 22 mi | 13.72 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 18, 2007 | EF3 | 2 mi | 20.33 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 12, 1976 | F3 | 20 mi | 12.1 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Jul 23, 1961 | F3 | 23 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jun 14, 1957 | F3 | 19 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 12, 1956 | F3 | 8 mi | 23.4 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 3, 1956 | F3 | 23 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 21, 1951 | F3 | 18 mi | 5.4 mi | 0 / 4 |
The strongest 12 of 115, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Bourbon
The Storm Prediction Center has 32 hail reports within 10 miles of Bourbon since 1983, made on 19 separate days. Of these, 21 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on June 27, 2013. The most recent report is from June 25, 2023. June has the most reports, 13.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Bourbon
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Plymouth, IN, 12 miles west of Bourbon at 815 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 31°F and 17°F. July is the wettest at 4.4 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.3 inches; the year adds up to 40.2 inches over 78 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 15 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 131 nights a year. Snowfall averages 54.9 inches a year, most of it in January. That 40.2 inches is more than at 28 of the 115 Indiana stations used on this site (24%). Etna Green, 4 miles east, has its own station (Warsaw, IN): 40.6 inches a year, 0.4 more than here, and the same July average high, 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31 | 17 | 2.6 | 6 | 18.6 |
| Feb | 35 | 19 | 2.3 | 5 | 14.1 |
| Mar | 47 | 28 | 2.5 | 6 | 6.4 |
| Apr | 60 | 38 | 3.6 | 7 | 1.1 |
| May | 71 | 49 | 4.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 81 | 59 | 4.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 84 | 63 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 61 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 76 | 54 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 63 | 42 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 48 | 32 | 3.0 | 7 | 3.3 |
| Dec | 37 | 23 | 2.6 | 6 | 11.3 |
| Year | 60 | 40 | 40.2 | 78 | 54.9 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Plymouth, IN (815 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 Bourbon
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 94 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Bourbon: 86 thunderstorm wind reports, 5 floods, 2 flash floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $6.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on July 4, 2003.
May 18, 1997: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Bourbon — 1 injured.
November 18, 2016: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Bourbon — 1 injured.
May 14, 2009: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Bourbon — $5.0 million 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
Marshall County, which includes Bourbon, has been named in 17 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 10 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 floods, 3 severe storms, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on July 22, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Marshall County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and lightning; Relatively Low for hail, inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $14.9 million a year, the 41st highest of 92 Indiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.5 million (44%), 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 Bourbon
- Etna Green, IN4 mi
- Argos, IN9 mi
- Mentone, IN11 mi
- Bremen, IN11 mi
- Plymouth, IN11 mi
- Nappanee, IN11 mi
- Warsaw, IN14 mi
- Milford, IN15 mi
- Winona Lake, IN16 mi
- Leesburg, IN17 mi
- Wakarusa, IN17 mi
- Claypool, IN17 mi
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