NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Covington, 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 Covington, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 96 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 96
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
4 deaths in all
What the records show for Covington
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Covington; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 56 mph winds when its centre passed 1 mile away. The record near Covington 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 Covington. The strongest of the 96 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on March 20, 1976; its path came within 15 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on April 9, 1953, killed 3 people. Of the 96, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 40 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 23. The most recent tornado was on October 3, 2025. Of the 356 Indiana cities, 62% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Covington. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 48 times since 1974, with stones up to 3.5 inches. Of the 356 Indiana cities, 69% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Covington.
Compare Covington's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Covington
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 3 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 14 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 Covington: 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 Covington
By decade
- 2020s8
- 2010s19
- 2000s13
- 1990s16
- 1980s10(1 EF3+)
- 1970s12(2 EF3+)
- 1960s12(2 EF3+)
- 1950s6(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 20, 1976 | F4 | 15 mi | 63.7 mi | 0 / 18 |
| Apr 9, 1953 | F3 | 6 mi | 156.7 mi | 3 / 22 |
| Jun 2, 1980 | F3 | 18 mi | 18.1 mi | 1 / 16 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 11 mi | 25.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 22, 1963 | F3 | 24 mi | 38.6 mi | 0 / 40 |
| Jul 21, 1961 | F3 | 5 mi | 23.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 10, 2021 | EF2 | 21 mi | 3.65 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF2 | 8 mi | 12.73 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF2 | 2 mi | 5.94 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF2 | 10 mi | 19.68 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Aug 8, 1991 | F2 | 25 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F2 | 23 mi | 17.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 96, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Covington
The Storm Prediction Center has 48 hail reports within 10 miles of Covington since 1974, made on 38 separate days. Of these, 33 were 1 inch across or larger, and 7 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3.5 inches, fell on September 30, 1977. The most recent report is from May 20, 2025. May has the most reports, 17.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Covington
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Perrysville 4 WNW, IN, 7 miles southwest of Covington at 611 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 35°F and 17°F. June is the wettest at 4.8 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.0 inches; the year adds up to 38.9 inches over 74 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 24 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 124 nights a year. Snowfall averages 19.2 inches a year, most of it in January. That 38.9 inches is more than at 7 of the 115 Indiana stations used on this site (6%). Veedersburg, 9 miles east, has its own station (Attica 2E, IN): 40.0 inches a year, 1.1 more than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 35 | 17 | 2.4 | 5 | 5.6 |
| Feb | 40 | 21 | 2.0 | 5 | 5.2 |
| Mar | 51 | 30 | 2.7 | 6 | 2.6 |
| Apr | 64 | 40 | 3.9 | 8 | 0.3 |
| May | 75 | 52 | 4.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 61 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 63 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 61 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 80 | 53 | 2.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 68 | 42 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 52 | 32 | 3.1 | 6 | 1.0 |
| Dec | 40 | 23 | 2.4 | 5 | 4.5 |
| Year | 63 | 41 | 38.9 | 74 | 19.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Perrysville 4 WNW, IN (611 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 Covington
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 157 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Covington: 84 thunderstorm wind reports, 67 floods, 5 flash floods and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $1.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on June 11, 2026. June has had the most flash floods, 4 of 5. Of the 337 Indiana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 77 have had fewer than Covington.
June 13, 2015: flood 7 miles from the centre of Covington — 1 killed, $500 damage.
NWS: “An 18-year-old Covington man is dead after being swept through the Coal Creek low head dam Saturday, July 13th. Indiana Conservation Officers were called to the area just after 7:00 PM EDT after Fountain County Dispatch received a report of a man that had been swept through the Coal Creek low head dam in Stringtown.”
July 1, 2021: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Covington — $500,000 damage.
NWS: “Heavy rains washed out a section of State Road 32 in far eastern Fountain county along the border with Montgomery county.”
June 29, 2023: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Covington — $350,000 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
Fountain County, which includes Covington, has been named in 13 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1991, 7 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 severe storms, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on August 25, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Fountain County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for tornadoes and hail; Very Low for hurricanes, inland flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $8.2 million a year, the 73rd highest of 92 Indiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $2.8 million (34%), 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.