NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Clay City, 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 Clay City, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 77 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 77
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
9 deaths in all
What the records show for Clay City
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Clay City; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 55 mph winds when its centre passed 55 miles away. The record near Clay City begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. 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 Clay City. The highest rating among the 77 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 6 times; the most recent, on March 31, 2023, came within 18 miles. Of the 77, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 28 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 28. The most recent tornado was on December 28, 2025. Of the 356 Indiana cities, 93% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Clay City. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 19 times since 1960, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 356 Indiana cities, 99% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Clay City.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Clay City
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 46 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 Clay City: 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 Clay City
By decade
- 2020s6(2 EF3+)
- 2010s12
- 2000s10
- 1990s13(1 EF3+)
- 1980s4
- 1970s15
- 1960s8(3 EF3+)
- 1950s9
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF3 | 18 mi | 40.89 mi | 6 / 16 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF3 | 21 mi | 5.92 mi | 2 / 2 |
| Nov 22, 1992 | F3 | 25 mi | 5.3 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 29, 1963 | F3 | 12 mi | 23.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 29, 1963 | F3 | 25 mi | 5.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 22, 1960 | F3 | 21 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 16, 2025 | EF2 | 15 mi | 14.04 mi | 1 / 3 |
| Jun 15, 2019 | EF2 | 24 mi | 3.52 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 15, 2019 | EF2 | 24 mi | 3.68 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F2 | 15 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 24, 1976 | F2 | 21 mi | 2.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 18, 1975 | F2 | 23 mi | 3.6 mi | 0 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 77, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Clay City
The Storm Prediction Center has 19 hail reports within 10 miles of Clay City since 1960, made on 15 separate days. Of these, 17 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on June 5, 1975. The most recent report is from April 16, 2013. April has the most reports, 7.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Clay City
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Terre Haute Hulman Regional Airport, IN, 16 miles northwest of Clay City at 575 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 37°F and 21°F. April and May are the wettest at 4.7 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.0 inches; the year adds up to 40.7 inches over 72 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 110 nights a year. That 40.7 inches is more than at 33 of the 115 Indiana stations used on this site (29%). Jasonville, 10 miles southwest, has its own station (Elnora, IN): 49.5 inches a year, 8.8 more than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 37 | 21 | 2.6 | 5 |
| Feb | 42 | 24 | 2.0 | 5 |
| Mar | 53 | 33 | 2.9 | 7 |
| Apr | 65 | 43 | 4.7 | 8 |
| May | 75 | 53 | 4.7 | 9 |
| Jun | 83 | 62 | 4.6 | 8 |
| Jul | 86 | 65 | 4.3 | 7 |
| Aug | 85 | 63 | 3.0 | 4 |
| Sep | 79 | 54 | 2.9 | 4 |
| Oct | 67 | 43 | 3.4 | 6 |
| Nov | 53 | 34 | 3.1 | 5 |
| Dec | 41 | 26 | 2.5 | 5 |
| Year | 64 | 43 | 40.7 | 72 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Terre Haute Hulman Regional Airport, IN (575 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 Clay City
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 67 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Clay City: 51 thunderstorm wind reports, 7 floods, 5 flash floods and 4 heavy rain events. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $91.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on May 25, 2011. Of the 337 Indiana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 77 have had fewer than Clay City.
July 25, 2009: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Clay City — 1 injured, $18,000 damage.
June 4, 2008: flood 9 miles from the centre of Clay City — $90.0 million damage.
January 3, 2005: flood 9 miles from the centre of Clay City — $500,000 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
Clay County, which includes Clay City, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1959, 15 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 severe storms, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on July 22, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Clay County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail 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 $10.6 million a year, the 63rd highest of 92 Indiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.7 million (45%), 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 Clay City
- Jasonville, IN10 mi
- Worthington, IN13 mi
- Poland, IN15 mi
- Shelburn, IN16 mi
- Farmersburg, IN16 mi
- Brazil, IN17 mi
- Linton, IN17 mi
- Spencer, IN18 mi
- Terre Haute, IN18 mi
- Sullivan, IN20 mi
- Bloomfield, IN21 mi
- Solsberry, IN23 mi
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