NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Eaton, 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 Eaton, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 98 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 13 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 98
- EF3 or stronger
- 13
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
35 deaths in all
What the records show for Eaton
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Eaton; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 53 miles away. The record near Eaton 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 Eaton. The highest rating among the 98 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 4 times; the most recent, on April 3, 1974, came within 15 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on April 11, 1965, killed 25 people. Of the 98, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 44 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 27. The most recent tornado was on May 14, 2025. Of the 356 Indiana cities, 59% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Eaton. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 86 times since 1981, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Eaton has more hail reports within 10 miles than 73% of the 356 Indiana cities.
Compare Eaton's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Eaton
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 18 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 Eaton: 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 Eaton
By decade
- 2020s15(2 EF3+)
- 2010s15(1 EF3+)
- 2000s14(1 EF3+)
- 1990s14
- 1980s4
- 1970s8(1 EF3+)
- 1960s18(6 EF3+)
- 1950s10(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 14 mi | 48 mi | 25 / 835 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 15 mi | 52.5 mi | 4 / 125 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 15 mi | 18 mi | 1 / 12 |
| Mar 6, 1956 | F4 | 20 mi | 1.9 mi | 1 / 31 |
| Apr 9, 1953 | F3 | 2 mi | 156.7 mi | 3 / 22 |
| Mar 14, 2024 | EF3 | 16 mi | 41.34 mi | 1 / 39 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF3 | 16 mi | 6.35 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 27, 2019 | EF3 | 16 mi | 12.76 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Sep 20, 2002 | F3 | 5 mi | 112 mi | 0 / 127 |
| Dec 21, 1967 | F3 | 16 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Dec 21, 1967 | F3 | 15 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 26, 1965 | F3 | 17 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 98, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Eaton
The Storm Prediction Center has 86 hail reports within 10 miles of Eaton since 1981, made on 43 separate days. Of these, 60 were 1 inch across or larger, and 6 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on April 9, 2001. The most recent report is from April 17, 2024. May has the most reports, 41.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Eaton
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Hartford City 4 ESE, IN, 7 miles northeast of Eaton at 924 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 33°F and 19°F. June is the wettest at 4.4 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.4 inches; the year adds up to 41.8 inches over 80 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 13 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 117 nights a year. Snowfall averages 32.2 inches a year, most of it in January. That 41.8 inches is more than at 46 of the 115 Indiana stations used on this site (40%). Albany, 6 miles southeast, has its own station (Farmland 5 NNW, IN): 41.2 inches a year, 0.6 less than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 33 | 19 | 2.7 | 6 | 9.0 |
| Feb | 37 | 21 | 2.4 | 5 | 8.2 |
| Mar | 48 | 30 | 3.3 | 7 | 5.0 |
| Apr | 61 | 41 | 3.9 | 8 | 0.6 |
| May | 72 | 52 | 4.2 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 80 | 61 | 4.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 64 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 62 | 4.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 76 | 55 | 3.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 64 | 44 | 2.9 | 6 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 50 | 34 | 3.3 | 6 | 2.0 |
| Dec | 38 | 25 | 2.7 | 7 | 7.2 |
| Year | 60 | 42 | 41.8 | 80 | 32.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Hartford City 4 ESE, IN (924 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 Eaton
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 140 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Eaton: 118 thunderstorm wind reports, 13 floods and 9 flash floods. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $2.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on April 2, 2025. July has had the most flash floods, 4 of 9. Of the 337 Indiana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 139 have had fewer than Eaton.
September 3, 2011: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Eaton — 1 injured, $28,000 damage.
January 5, 2005: flood 9 miles from the centre of Eaton — $1.0 million damage.
March 31, 2023: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Eaton — $110,000 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 Eaton's ZIP code 47338 have filed 21 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1990, and were paid $430,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 14% 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, 39 have fewer than Eaton.
Delaware County, which includes Eaton, has been named in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 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 Delaware County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes; Relatively Moderate for hail, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $33.6 million a year, the 19th highest of 92 Indiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $20.5 million (61%), 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 Eaton
- Albany, IN6 mi
- Hartford City, IN8 mi
- Dunkirk, IN8 mi
- Gaston, IN8 mi
- Muncie, IN10 mi
- Redkey, IN10 mi
- Upland, IN11 mi
- Selma, IN13 mi
- Parker City, IN13 mi
- Yorktown, IN13 mi
- Montpelier, IN15 mi
- Summitville, IN16 mi
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