NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Elizabeth, 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 Elizabeth, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 119 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 9 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 119
- EF3 or stronger
- 9
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
55 deaths in all
What the records show for Elizabeth
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Elizabeth; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 53 mph winds when its centre passed 37 miles away. The record near Elizabeth begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 25 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 Elizabeth. The highest rating among the 119 tornadoes within 25 miles is F5, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 3, 1974, came within 21 miles. The deadliest, an F5 on April 3, 1974, killed 31 people. Of the 119, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 79 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 27. The most recent tornado was on December 28, 2025. Elizabeth has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 70% of the 356 Indiana cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 63 times since 1965, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Elizabeth has more hail reports within 10 miles than 49% of the 356 Indiana cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Elizabeth
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 37 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 Elizabeth: 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 Elizabeth
By decade
- 2020s28(1 EF3+)
- 2010s29(1 EF3+)
- 2000s22(1 EF3+)
- 1990s15(2 EF3+)
- 1980s7
- 1970s13(3 EF3+)
- 1960s5(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 8 mi | 32 mi | 31 / 270 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 21 mi | 68 mi | 6 / 86 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF4 | 24 mi | 46.6 mi | 11 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 13 mi | 18.5 mi | 3 / 225 |
| May 28, 1996 | F4 | 12 mi | 30 mi | 0 / 10 |
| May 30, 2004 | F3 | 24 mi | 15 mi | 1 / 11 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | EF3 | 22 mi | 9.68 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F3 | 17 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 7 |
| May 10, 1969 | F3 | 19 mi | 4.3 mi | 0 / 14 |
| Apr 28, 2002 | F2 | 19 mi | 32.3 mi | 1 / 19 |
| Apr 2, 2024 | EF2 | 21 mi | 11.15 mi | 0 / 32 |
| Jun 22, 2011 | EF2 | 22 mi | 1.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 119, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Elizabeth
The Storm Prediction Center has 63 hail reports within 10 miles of Elizabeth since 1965, made on 37 separate days. Of these, 45 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on May 9, 2023. The most recent report is from March 15, 2025. May has the most reports, 14.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Elizabeth
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Louisville International Airport, KY, 13 miles east of Elizabeth at 488 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 71°F; January is the coolest, at 44°F and 28°F. Highs reach 90°F on about 43 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 74 nights a year. Snowfall averages 13.4 inches a year, most of it in January. That 48.4 inches is more than at 93 of the 115 Indiana stations used on this site (81%). Lanesville, 8 miles north, has its own station (Louisville Mcalpine, KY): 48.0 inches a year, 0.4 less than here, and the same July average high, 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 44 | 28 | 3.4 | 6 | 4.5 |
| Feb | 48 | 31 | 3.4 | 6 | 4.1 |
| Mar | 58 | 39 | 4.6 | 8 | 2.1 |
| Apr | 70 | 49 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.1 |
| May | 78 | 59 | 5.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 86 | 67 | 4.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 89 | 71 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 88 | 70 | 3.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 82 | 62 | 3.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 71 | 50 | 3.7 | 5 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 58 | 39 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.3 |
| Dec | 47 | 32 | 4.1 | 7 | 2.2 |
| Year | 68 | 50 | 48.4 | 80 | 13.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Louisville International Airport, KY (488 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 Elizabeth
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 177 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Elizabeth: 142 thunderstorm wind reports, 20 flash floods, 11 floods, 3 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $2.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 104 mph, on October 24, 2001. June has had the most flash floods, 7 of 20. Of the 337 Indiana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 257 have had fewer than Elizabeth.
February 22, 2018: flood 9 miles from the centre of Elizabeth — $1.3 million damage.
March 19, 2008: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Elizabeth — $500,000 damage.
February 22, 2018: flood 8 miles from the centre of Elizabeth — $275,000 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 Elizabeth's ZIP code 47117 have filed 116 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $7.1 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Central U.S. April Flooding in 2025: 17 claims (15% of all) and $3.4 million, then Flooding in 1997 with 14. The year with the most claims was 2018, with 25. 36% 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, 120 have fewer than Elizabeth.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Central U.S. April Flooding2025 | 17 | $3.4 million |
| Flooding1997 | 14 | $316,000 |
Harrison County, which includes Elizabeth, 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.
Cities near Elizabeth
- Lanesville, IN8 mi
- Corydon, IN10 mi
- Fairdale, KY12 mi
- Georgetown, IN12 mi
- Brandenburg, KY13 mi
- Brooks, KY14 mi
- New Salisbury, IN15 mi
- New Albany, IN15 mi
- Fort Knox, KY16 mi
- Floyds Knobs, IN16 mi
- Louisville, KY17 mi
- Greenville, IN17 mi
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