NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Carmel, 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
3 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Carmel, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 144 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 12 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 144
- EF3 or stronger
- 12
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
34 deaths in all
What the records show for Carmel
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Carmel; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 51 miles away. The record near Carmel begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 356 Indiana cities on this site, 65% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Carmel. The highest rating among the 144 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on June 11, 1998, came within 16 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on April 11, 1965, killed 28 people. Of the 144, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 46 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 31. The most recent tornado was on April 2, 2025. Carmel has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 92% of the 356 Indiana cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 230 times since 1955, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Carmel has more hail reports within 10 miles than 98% of the 356 Indiana cities.
Compare Carmel's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Carmel
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 24 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 Carmel: 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 Carmel
By decade
- 2020s8
- 2010s18
- 2000s20(1 EF3+)
- 1990s20(2 EF3+)
- 1980s18
- 1970s29(2 EF3+)
- 1960s17(6 EF3+)
- 1950s14(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 12 mi | 45.7 mi | 28 / 123 |
| Jun 11, 1998 | F4 | 16 mi | 13.2 mi | 0 / 4 |
| May 14, 1972 | F4 | 13 mi | 30 mi | 0 / 20 |
| Apr 9, 1953 | F3 | 21 mi | 156.7 mi | 3 / 22 |
| Sep 20, 2002 | F3 | 11 mi | 112 mi | 0 / 127 |
| Nov 22, 1992 | F3 | 6 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 25, 1978 | F3 | 17 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 9, 1969 | F3 | 12 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Nov 26, 1965 | F3 | 16 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Nov 26, 1965 | F3 | 6 mi | 14.7 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Apr 22, 1963 | F3 | 10 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 20 |
| Mar 11, 1962 | F3 | 20 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 144, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Carmel
The Storm Prediction Center has 230 hail reports within 10 miles of Carmel since 1955, made on 88 separate days. Of these, 136 were 1 inch across or larger, and 9 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on June 2, 2009. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. April has the most reports, 82.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Carmel
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Carmel 3 E, IN, 4 miles east of Carmel at 752 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 35°F and 19°F. June is the wettest at 5.5 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.2 inches; the year adds up to 44.7 inches over 79 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 18 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 122 nights a year. That 44.7 inches is more than at 67 of the 115 Indiana stations used on this site (58%). Zionsville, 8 miles west, has its own station (Whitestown, IN): 41.5 inches a year, 3.2 less than here, and a July average high of 83°F against 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 35 | 19 | 2.8 | 6 |
| Feb | 39 | 21 | 2.2 | 5 |
| Mar | 49 | 30 | 3.4 | 7 |
| Apr | 62 | 41 | 4.3 | 8 |
| May | 72 | 51 | 5.0 | 8 |
| Jun | 81 | 61 | 5.5 | 9 |
| Jul | 84 | 64 | 4.3 | 6 |
| Aug | 83 | 62 | 4.2 | 6 |
| Sep | 77 | 55 | 3.5 | 5 |
| Oct | 65 | 43 | 3.3 | 6 |
| Nov | 51 | 33 | 3.4 | 6 |
| Dec | 39 | 24 | 2.8 | 7 |
| Year | 61 | 42 | 44.7 | 79 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Carmel 3 E, IN (752 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 Carmel
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 332 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Carmel: 227 thunderstorm wind reports, 52 floods, 28 flash floods, 21 lightning strikes and 4 heavy rain events. They killed 11 people and injured 56, and the NWS estimated $10.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on May 30, 2008. June has had the most flash floods, 14 of 28. Of the 337 Indiana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 291 have had fewer than Carmel.
August 13, 2011: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Carmel — 7 killed, 43 injured, $975,000 damage.
June 26, 2015: flash flood 10 miles from the centre of Carmel — 2 killed, 2 injured, $21,000 damage.
July 9, 2017: flood 7 miles from the centre of Carmel — 1 killed, 1 injured, $1,000 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 Carmel's 2 ZIP codes have filed 139 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $1.7 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from 2026-08-Indiana-Flooding in 2026: 35 claims (25% of all) and $1.1 million, then Flooding in 1990 with 18. 39% 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, 128 have fewer than Carmel.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-Indiana-Flooding2026 | 35 | $1.1 million |
| Flooding1990 | 18 | $76,000 |
Hamilton County, which includes Carmel, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 severe storms, 4 floods, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on August 25, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Hamilton County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes and lightning; Relatively Moderate 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 $129.0 million a year, the 3rd highest of 92 Indiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $72.8 million (56%), 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.