NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Depauw, 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 Depauw, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 103 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 103
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
53 deaths in all
What the records show for Depauw
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Depauw; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 53 mph winds when its centre passed 57 miles away. The record near Depauw begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 27 miles away. Of the 356 Indiana cities on this site, 65% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Depauw. The highest rating among the 103 tornadoes within 25 miles is F5, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 3, 1974, passed within a mile of the city centre. The deadliest, an F5 on April 3, 1974, killed 31 people. Of the 103, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 67 have come since 2000. April and May have had the most tornadoes, 22 each. The most recent tornado was on December 28, 2025. Of the 356 Indiana cities, 49% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Depauw. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 63 times since 1981, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Depauw has more hail reports within 10 miles than 49% of the 356 Indiana cities.
Compare Depauw's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Depauw
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 57 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 Depauw: 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 Depauw
By decade
- 2020s23
- 2010s29(1 EF3+)
- 2000s15(1 EF3+)
- 1990s13(1 EF3+)
- 1980s6
- 1970s8(2 EF3+)
- 1960s5(1 EF3+)
- 1950s4
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 22 mi | 32 mi | 31 / 270 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | in town | 68 mi | 6 / 86 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF4 | 6 mi | 46.6 mi | 11 / 0 |
| May 30, 2004 | F3 | 3 mi | 15 mi | 1 / 11 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F3 | 15 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Apr 19, 1963 | F3 | 10 mi | 85.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | EF2 | 11 mi | 15.27 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 1, 2017 | EF2 | 24 mi | 0.68 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 25, 2011 | EF2 | 23 mi | 4.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 27, 2004 | F2 | 12 mi | 25.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 28, 1996 | F2 | 13 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 20, 1996 | F2 | 11 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 103, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Depauw
The Storm Prediction Center has 63 hail reports within 10 miles of Depauw since 1981, made on 38 separate days. Of these, 54 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on July 27, 1981. The most recent report is from April 10, 2025. April has the most reports, 20.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Depauw
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is English, IN, 14 miles west of Depauw at 510 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 66°F; January is the coolest, at 43°F and 24°F. June is the wettest at 5.4 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 2.9 inches; the year adds up to 50.9 inches over 79 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 31 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 110 nights a year. That 50.9 inches is more than at 107 of the 115 Indiana stations used on this site (93%). New Salisbury, 8 miles east, has its own station (Louisville Mcalpine, KY): 48.0 inches a year, 2.9 less than here, and a July average high of 89°F against 88°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43 | 24 | 3.8 | 7 |
| Feb | 48 | 26 | 3.6 | 7 |
| Mar | 58 | 35 | 4.8 | 8 |
| Apr | 69 | 44 | 5.3 | 8 |
| May | 77 | 54 | 5.0 | 9 |
| Jun | 86 | 62 | 5.4 | 8 |
| Jul | 88 | 66 | 3.8 | 5 |
| Aug | 88 | 64 | 2.9 | 5 |
| Sep | 82 | 56 | 3.7 | 5 |
| Oct | 71 | 44 | 4.0 | 5 |
| Nov | 58 | 35 | 4.3 | 7 |
| Dec | 47 | 28 | 4.3 | 7 |
| Year | 68 | 45 | 50.9 | 79 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at English, IN (510 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 Depauw
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 186 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Depauw: 136 thunderstorm wind reports, 26 floods and 24 flash floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $4.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on April 9, 2011. April has had the most flash floods, 6 of 24. Of the 337 Indiana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 275 have had fewer than Depauw.
March 18, 2008: flood 6 miles from the centre of Depauw — $3.0 million damage.
March 11, 2006: flood 6 miles from the centre of Depauw — $500,000 damage.
November 10, 2002: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Depauw — $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
Harrison County, which includes Depauw, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1968, 16 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 severe storms, 6 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 Harrison County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Low for inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $18.0 million a year, the 32nd highest of 92 Indiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $8.8 million (49%), 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.