NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Brownstown, 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
2 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Brownstown, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 101 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 11 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 2
- Tornadoes
- 101
- EF3 or stronger
- 11
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
16 deaths in all
What the records show for Brownstown
None of the 2 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Brownstown; the strongest was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm with 46 mph winds when its centre passed 61 miles away. The record near Brownstown begins with an unnamed storm in 1915; the most recent system was Helene in 2024. Of the 356 Indiana cities on this site, 88% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Brownstown. The strongest of the 101 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on April 3, 1974; its path came within 24 miles, and it killed 6 people. Of the 101, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 47 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 24. The most recent tornado was on July 16, 2025. Of the 356 Indiana cities, 54% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Brownstown. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 35 times since 1971, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 356 Indiana cities, 89% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Brownstown.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Brownstown
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 28 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Brownstown: 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 Brownstown
By decade
- 2020s11
- 2010s25(1 EF3+)
- 2000s11
- 1990s14(3 EF3+)
- 1980s6
- 1970s18(5 EF3+)
- 1960s9(2 EF3+)
- 1950s7
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 24 mi | 68 mi | 6 / 86 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 25 mi | 35.6 mi | 4 / 17 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F4 | 18 mi | 11 mi | 1 / 51 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F4 | 5 mi | 18 mi | 0 / 9 |
| Sep 26, 1976 | F3 | 21 mi | 14.6 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Sep 26, 1976 | F3 | 9 mi | 4.9 mi | 1 / 10 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 3 mi | 35.8 mi | 1 / 26 |
| May 25, 2011 | EF3 | 12 mi | 6.75 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F3 | 8 mi | 41 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 14, 1968 | F3 | 14 mi | 3.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 19, 1963 | F3 | 10 mi | 85.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 16, 2025 | EF2 | 19 mi | 35.27 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 101, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Brownstown
The Storm Prediction Center has 35 hail reports within 10 miles of Brownstown since 1971, made on 27 separate days. Of these, 22 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on November 18, 2025, the most recent report. April has the most reports, 12.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Brownstown
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Seymour 2 N, IN, 11 miles northeast of Brownstown at 570 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 38°F and 22°F. April and May are the wettest at 5.4 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 49.6 inches over 79 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 20 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 117 nights a year. Snowfall averages 8.0 inches a year, most of it in January. That 49.6 inches is more than at 101 of the 115 Indiana stations used on this site (88%). Scottsburg, 19 miles southeast, has its own station (Salem, IN): 46.9 inches a year, 2.7 less than here, and a July average high of 87°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 38 | 22 | 3.4 | 7 | 2.8 |
| Feb | 42 | 24 | 3.1 | 5 | 1.8 |
| Mar | 52 | 32 | 4.3 | 7 | 2.0 |
| Apr | 65 | 42 | 5.4 | 9 | 0.0 |
| May | 74 | 53 | 5.4 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 82 | 61 | 5.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 85 | 64 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 84 | 62 | 4.3 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 78 | 54 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 67 | 42 | 3.6 | 5 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 53 | 33 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Dec | 42 | 26 | 3.8 | 7 | 1.1 |
| Year | 63 | 43 | 49.6 | 79 | 8.0 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Seymour 2 N, IN (570 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 Brownstown
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 96 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Brownstown: 68 thunderstorm wind reports, 18 floods, 8 flash floods and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 2 people and injured 12, and the NWS estimated $71.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on March 7, 2022. Of the 337 Indiana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 127 have had fewer than Brownstown.
April 20, 1996: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Brownstown — 2 killed, $50,000 damage.
July 21, 2003: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Brownstown — 5 injured.
March 15, 2012: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of Brownstown — 4 injured.
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
Jackson County, which includes Brownstown, has been named in 17 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 severe storms, 3 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 Jackson County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes; Relatively Low for inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $21.6 million a year, the 29th highest of 92 Indiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $10.4 million (48%), 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 Brownstown
- Seymour, IN10 mi
- Crothersville, IN12 mi
- Austin, IN16 mi
- Scottsburg, IN19 mi
- Salem, IN19 mi
- Campbellsburg, IN20 mi
- Elizabethtown, IN22 mi
- Bedford, IN23 mi
- Columbus, IN23 mi
- North Vernon, IN24 mi
- Nashville, IN25 mi
- Pekin, IN26 mi
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