NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Brookston, 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
4 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Brookston, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 117 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 117
- EF3 or stronger
- 10
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
24 deaths in all
What the records show for Brookston
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Brookston; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 8 miles away. The record near Brookston begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 4 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 356 Indiana cities on this site, 37% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Brookston. The highest rating among the 117 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 4 times; the most recent, on April 26, 1994, came within 6 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on April 3, 1974, killed 18 people. Of the 117, 10 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 52 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 30. The most recent tornado was on June 18, 2025. Brookston has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 67% of the 356 Indiana cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 54 times since 1965, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 356 Indiana cities, 61% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Brookston.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Brookston
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 3 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 33 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 Brookston: 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 Brookston
By decade
- 2020s11
- 2010s29(1 EF3+)
- 2000s12
- 1990s11(1 EF3+)
- 1980s6
- 1970s23(4 EF3+)
- 1960s17(3 EF3+)
- 1950s8(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 3 mi | 108.7 mi | 18 / 285 |
| Apr 26, 1994 | F4 | 6 mi | 14 mi | 3 / 70 |
| Mar 20, 1976 | F4 | 5 mi | 16.7 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 19 mi | 21.8 mi | 0 / 44 |
| Apr 9, 1953 | F3 | 25 mi | 156.7 mi | 3 / 22 |
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF3 | 17 mi | 37.91 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 25, 1978 | F3 | 13 mi | 27.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 13 mi | 25.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 29, 1963 | F3 | 11 mi | 23.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 21, 1961 | F3 | 18 mi | 23.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF2 | 7 mi | 15.16 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF2 | 16 mi | 11.53 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 117, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Brookston
The Storm Prediction Center has 54 hail reports within 10 miles of Brookston since 1965, made on 39 separate days. Of these, 30 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 11 days, most recently May 25, 2011. The most recent report is from March 31, 2023. April has the most reports, 15.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Brookston
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Chalmers 5 W, IN, 5 miles northwest of Brookston at 720 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 31°F and 16°F. June is the wettest at 5.5 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.1 inches; the year adds up to 41.0 inches over 79 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 15 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 134 nights a year. Snowfall averages 20.3 inches a year, most of it in January. That 41.0 inches is more than at 39 of the 115 Indiana stations used on this site (34%). Battle Ground, 6 miles southeast, has its own station (Delphi 2 N, IN): 39.0 inches a year, 2.0 less than here, and a July average high of 85°F against 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31 | 16 | 2.5 | 6 | 6.6 |
| Feb | 36 | 19 | 2.1 | 5 | 6.2 |
| Mar | 47 | 28 | 2.8 | 6 | 2.5 |
| Apr | 61 | 38 | 3.9 | 8 | 0.4 |
| May | 72 | 49 | 4.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 81 | 59 | 5.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 62 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 60 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 77 | 52 | 3.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 65 | 41 | 3.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 50 | 31 | 2.9 | 6 | 0.5 |
| Dec | 37 | 22 | 2.4 | 6 | 4.1 |
| Year | 60 | 40 | 41.0 | 79 | 20.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Chalmers 5 W, IN (720 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 Brookston
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 121 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Brookston: 91 thunderstorm wind reports, 25 floods and 5 flash floods. They killed 1 person and injured 6, and the NWS estimated $15.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on June 22, 2016. January has had the most flash floods, 2 of 5. Of the 337 Indiana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 77 have had fewer than Brookston.
June 21, 2011: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Brookston — 1 killed, 1 injured, $10,000 damage.
June 11, 2026: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Brookston — 4 injured, $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Two semis blown over by thunderstorm wind gusts on I-65.”
June 5, 2005: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Brookston — 1 injured, $45,000 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 Brookston's ZIP code 47923 have filed 268 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1981, and were paid $7.5 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1990: 17 claims (6% of all) and $79,000. The year with the most claims was 2008, with 81. 6% 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, 142 have fewer than Brookston.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1990 | 17 | $79,000 |
White County, which includes Brookston, has been named in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 severe storms, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes, on April 15, 2023. FEMA's National Risk Index gives White County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and lightning. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $12.5 million a year, the 55th highest of 92 Indiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.6 million (53%), 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 Brookston
- Battle Ground, IN6 mi
- West Lafayette, IN10 mi
- Delphi, IN12 mi
- Monticello, IN14 mi
- Otterbein, IN14 mi
- Lafayette, IN15 mi
- Remington, IN18 mi
- Monon, IN18 mi
- Rossville, IN19 mi
- Flora, IN21 mi
- Mulberry, IN21 mi
- Fowler, IN23 mi
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