NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Carlisle, 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 Carlisle, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 66 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 66
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
7 deaths in all
What the records show for Carlisle
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Carlisle; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 54 mph winds when its centre passed 62 miles away. The record near Carlisle begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 72 miles away. Of the 5 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Carlisle 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 January 7, 1989; its path came within 23 miles. The deadliest, an EF3 on March 31, 2023, killed 6 people. Of the 66, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 23 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 20. The most recent tornado was on December 28, 2025. Of the 356 Indiana cities, 97% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Carlisle. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 33 times since 1976, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 356 Indiana cities, 91% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Carlisle.
Compare Carlisle's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Carlisle
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 28 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 61 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 Carlisle: 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 Carlisle
By decade
- 2020s7(1 EF3+)
- 2010s7
- 2000s9(1 EF3+)
- 1990s12
- 1980s6(1 EF3+)
- 1970s8(1 EF3+)
- 1960s5(1 EF3+)
- 1950s12(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 7, 1989 | F4 | 23 mi | 19 mi | 0 / 55 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF3 | 9 mi | 40.89 mi | 6 / 16 |
| Nov 15, 2005 | F3 | 23 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 31 |
| Apr 1, 1974 | F3 | 22 mi | 3.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 29, 1963 | F3 | 6 mi | 23.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 10, 1959 | F3 | 11 mi | 3.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 16, 2025 | EF2 | 10 mi | 14.04 mi | 1 / 3 |
| May 19, 2022 | EF2 | 24 mi | 26.85 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF2 | 23 mi | 2.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 25, 2011 | EF2 | 15 mi | 5.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 20, 2002 | F2 | 18 mi | 13.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F2 | 7 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 66, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Carlisle
The Storm Prediction Center has 33 hail reports within 10 miles of Carlisle since 1976, made on 24 separate days. Of these, 25 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on May 16, 2025, the most recent report. April and May have the most reports, 7 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Carlisle
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Freelandville, IN, 7 miles southeast of Carlisle at 550 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 37°F and 22°F. May is the wettest at 5.5 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 45.4 inches over 76 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 24 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 102 nights a year. Snowfall averages 15.1 inches a year, most of it in December. That 45.4 inches is more than at 69 of the 115 Indiana stations used on this site (60%). Sullivan, 9 miles north, has its own station (Palestine, IL): 46.3 inches a year, 0.9 more than here, and a July average high of 87°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 37 | 22 | 3.2 | 6 | 4.6 |
| Feb | 42 | 25 | 2.5 | 5 | 3.6 |
| Mar | 53 | 34 | 3.4 | 7 | 1.4 |
| Apr | 65 | 44 | 4.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 74 | 55 | 5.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 64 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 67 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 65 | 3.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 79 | 57 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 67 | 46 | 3.6 | 5 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 53 | 35 | 3.9 | 6 | 0.2 |
| Dec | 42 | 27 | 3.1 | 7 | 5.1 |
| Year | 64 | 45 | 45.4 | 76 | 15.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Freelandville, IN (550 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 Carlisle
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 74 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Carlisle: 58 thunderstorm wind reports, 11 flash floods and 5 floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $30.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on March 7, 2022. Of the 337 Indiana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 166 have had fewer than Carlisle.
June 2, 2008: flood 10 miles from the centre of Carlisle — $30.0 million damage.
February 5, 2008: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Carlisle — $200,000 damage.
June 27, 2026: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Carlisle — $150,000 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
Sullivan County, which includes Carlisle, has been named in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 severe storms, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes, on April 15, 2023. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Sullivan County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, strong wind and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes, inland flooding and lightning. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $7.9 million a year, the 74th highest of 92 Indiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $2.9 million (37%), 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.