NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Clarksville, 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 Clarksville, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 114 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 11 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 114
- EF3 or stronger
- 11
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
34 deaths in all
What the records show for Clarksville
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Clarksville; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 53 mph winds when its centre passed 41 miles away. The record near Clarksville begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 42 miles away. 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 Clarksville. The strongest of the 114 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on April 3, 1974; its path came within 17 miles, and it killed 6 people. The deadliest, an EF4 on March 2, 2012, killed 11 people. Of the 114, 11 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 72 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 27. The most recent tornado was on April 2, 2025. Clarksville has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 63% of the 356 Indiana cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 202 times since 1958, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Clarksville has more hail reports within 10 miles than 97% of the 356 Indiana cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Clarksville
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Clarksville: 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 Clarksville
By decade
- 2020s25(1 EF3+)
- 2010s28(1 EF3+)
- 2000s19(1 EF3+)
- 1990s14(4 EF3+)
- 1980s6
- 1970s14(3 EF3+)
- 1960s7(1 EF3+)
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 17 mi | 68 mi | 6 / 86 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF4 | 15 mi | 46.6 mi | 11 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 17 mi | 35.6 mi | 11 / 190 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 6 mi | 18.5 mi | 3 / 225 |
| May 28, 1996 | F4 | 11 mi | 30 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | EF3 | 13 mi | 9.68 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 18, 2007 | EF3 | 16 mi | 4.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F3 | 20 mi | 17 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F3 | 16 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F3 | 6 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 7 |
| May 10, 1969 | F3 | 25 mi | 4.3 mi | 0 / 14 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | EF2 | 21 mi | 15.27 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 114, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Clarksville
The Storm Prediction Center has 202 hail reports within 10 miles of Clarksville since 1958, made on 106 separate days. Of these, 153 were 1 inch across or larger, and 13 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on May 3, 1996. The most recent report is from March 15, 2025. April has the most reports, 55.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Clarksville
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Louisville Mcalpine, KY, 2 miles southwest of Clarksville at 440 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 70°F; January is the coolest, at 43°F and 26°F. April and May are the wettest at 4.8 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 3.3 inches; the year adds up to 48.0 inches over 79 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 46 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 77 nights a year. Snowfall averages 4.3 inches a year, most of it in January. That 48.0 inches is more than at 88 of the 115 Indiana stations used on this site (77%). Louisville, KY, 8 miles southeast, has its own station (Louisville Bowman Field, KY): 48.3 inches a year, 0.3 more than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43 | 26 | 3.5 | 6 | 2.3 |
| Feb | 48 | 29 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.3 |
| Mar | 57 | 37 | 4.5 | 8 | 0.3 |
| Apr | 69 | 47 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 77 | 58 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 85 | 66 | 4.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 89 | 70 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 88 | 69 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 82 | 62 | 3.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 50 | 3.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 57 | 38 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 47 | 31 | 4.5 | 7 | 1.4 |
| Year | 68 | 48 | 48.0 | 79 | 4.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Louisville Mcalpine, KY (440 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 Clarksville
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 753 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Clarksville: 514 thunderstorm wind reports, 143 flash floods, 66 floods, 17 heavy rain events and 13 lightning strikes. They killed 6 people and injured 5, and the NWS estimated $50.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 93 mph, on June 25, 2023. June has had the most flash floods, 25 of 143. Of the 337 Indiana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 335 have had fewer than Clarksville.
July 19, 2012: lightning strike 7 miles from the centre of Clarksville — 2 killed, $90,000 damage.
April 20, 2000: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Clarksville — 1 killed, $15,000 damage.
NWS: “An elderly woman was killed when a tree was blown on to a mobile home at the Pioneer Mobile Home Park.”
September 8, 2018: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Clarksville — 1 killed, $10,000 damage.
NWS: “A Yellow Cab taxi driver tried to drive through standing water underneath a railroad overpass at 13th Street and Oak Street. When the vehicle he was driving stalled, the driver made several calls to 911, but provided an incorrect location for rescuers.”
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 Clarksville's ZIP code 47129 have filed 76 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $1.3 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1997: 23 claims (30% of all) and $364,000. 55% 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, 102 have fewer than Clarksville.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1997 | 23 | $364,000 |
Clark County, which includes Clarksville, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 16 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 severe storms, 5 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on July 22, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Clark County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding and lightning; Relatively Low for hail and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $54.4 million a year, the 9th highest of 92 Indiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $25.3 million (46%), 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 Clarksville
- Jeffersonville, IN3 mi
- New Albany, IN3 mi
- Sellersburg, IN6 mi
- Floyds Knobs, IN7 mi
- Louisville, KY8 mi
- Prospect, KY10 mi
- Georgetown, IN11 mi
- Memphis, IN12 mi
- Lanesville, IN12 mi
- Charlestown, IN12 mi
- Greenville, IN13 mi
- Goshen, KY13 mi
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