NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Butler, 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 Butler, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 66 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 66
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
30 deaths in all
What the records show for Butler
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Butler; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 6 miles away. The record near Butler begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 5 systems, one has come since 2000. Butler has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 63% of the 356 Indiana cities on this site. The strongest of the 66 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 11, 1965; its path came within 24 miles, and it killed 23 people. Of the 66, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 30 have come since 2000. May and July have had the most tornadoes, 12 each. The most recent tornado was on March 30, 2025. Of the 356 Indiana cities, 97% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Butler. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 35 times since 1977, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 356 Indiana cities, 89% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Butler.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Butler
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 3 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 45 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 Butler: 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 Butler
By decade
- 2020s10
- 2010s7(1 EF3+)
- 2000s13
- 1990s7(2 EF3+)
- 1980s4
- 1970s7(1 EF3+)
- 1960s12(3 EF3+)
- 1950s6
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 24 mi | 90.3 mi | 23 / 294 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 18 mi | 36.2 mi | 5 / 53 |
| Mar 27, 1991 | F3 | 12 mi | 21 mi | 1 / 24 |
| May 16, 1968 | F3 | 23 mi | 50.3 mi | 1 / 15 |
| Aug 24, 2016 | EF3 | 16 mi | 5.16 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 27, 1991 | F3 | 25 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 6, 1961 | F3 | 10 mi | 33.4 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF2 | 17 mi | 7.86 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 24, 2016 | EF2 | 17 mi | 4.42 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 24, 2001 | F2 | 12 mi | 12.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 14, 2000 | F2 | 16 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 14, 1992 | F2 | 15 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 28 |
The strongest 12 of 66, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Butler
The Storm Prediction Center has 35 hail reports within 10 miles of Butler since 1977, made on 25 separate days. Of these, 19 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 4 days, most recently June 1, 2019. The most recent report is from June 1, 2019. May has the most reports, 11.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Butler
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Hicksville, OH, 11 miles southeast of Butler at 750 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 61°F; January is the coolest, at 33°F and 17°F. May is the wettest at 4.4 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.9 inches; the year adds up to 35.1 inches over 70 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 22 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 143 nights a year. That 35.1 inches is more than at 2 of the 115 Indiana stations used on this site (2%). Waterloo, 8 miles west, has its own station (Garrett 1 S, IN): 39.5 inches a year, 4.4 more than here, and a July average high of 81°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 33 | 17 | 2.3 | 6 |
| Feb | 37 | 19 | 1.9 | 5 |
| Mar | 47 | 28 | 2.3 | 6 |
| Apr | 61 | 37 | 3.5 | 7 |
| May | 72 | 48 | 4.4 | 8 |
| Jun | 81 | 59 | 3.7 | 6 |
| Jul | 85 | 61 | 2.8 | 5 |
| Aug | 83 | 60 | 3.3 | 6 |
| Sep | 77 | 51 | 2.9 | 6 |
| Oct | 64 | 42 | 2.6 | 6 |
| Nov | 50 | 31 | 3.1 | 6 |
| Dec | 38 | 23 | 2.3 | 5 |
| Year | 61 | 40 | 35.1 | 70 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Hicksville, OH (750 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 Butler
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 68 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Butler: 65 thunderstorm wind reports, 2 flash floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 1 person and injured 6, and the NWS estimated $1.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on June 23, 2010.
August 4, 2010: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Butler — 1 killed.
July 21, 2016: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Butler — 3 injured.
June 23, 2010: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Butler — 1 injured, $200,000 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
DeKalb County, which includes Butler, has been named in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1982, 9 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 severe storms, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 3, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives DeKalb County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Low for hail, inland flooding and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $13.4 million a year, the 47th highest of 92 Indiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $7.2 million (54%), 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 Butler
- Edgerton, OH7 mi
- Waterloo, IN8 mi
- Hamilton, IN8 mi
- Auburn, IN10 mi
- Hicksville, OH11 mi
- Spencerville, IN11 mi
- Edon, OH12 mi
- Harlan, IN14 mi
- Garrett, IN15 mi
- Grabill, IN16 mi
- Leo, IN16 mi
- Bryan, OH17 mi
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