NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Elizabethtown, 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
2 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Elizabethtown, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1915. Since 1950, 107 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 14 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 2
- Tornadoes
- 107
- EF3 or stronger
- 14
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
11 deaths in all
What the records show for Elizabethtown
None of the 2 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Elizabethtown; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1892, a tropical storm with 51 mph winds when its centre passed 74 miles away. The record near Elizabethtown begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was an unnamed storm in 1915, a tropical storm 27 miles away. Of the 356 Indiana cities on this site, 88% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Elizabethtown. The highest rating among the 107 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on June 2, 1990, came within 12 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on April 3, 1974, killed 4 people. Of the 107, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 43 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 24. The most recent tornado was on July 16, 2025. Elizabethtown has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 56% of the 356 Indiana cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 54 times since 1975, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 356 Indiana cities, 61% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Elizabethtown.
Compare Elizabethtown's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Elizabethtown
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Elizabethtown: 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 Elizabethtown
By decade
- 2020s15
- 2010s13(1 EF3+)
- 2000s15(2 EF3+)
- 1990s20(5 EF3+)
- 1980s7
- 1970s22(4 EF3+)
- 1960s8(2 EF3+)
- 1950s7
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 4 mi | 35.6 mi | 4 / 17 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F4 | 12 mi | 18 mi | 0 / 9 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF3 | 22 mi | 8.69 mi | 3 / 5 |
| Jun 3, 2008 | EF3 | 23 mi | 9.68 mi | 1 / 8 |
| Sep 26, 1976 | F3 | 24 mi | 14.6 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Sep 26, 1976 | F3 | 12 mi | 4.9 mi | 1 / 10 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 2 mi | 35.8 mi | 1 / 26 |
| Nov 15, 2005 | F3 | 13 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 9, 1999 | F3 | 24 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 22, 1992 | F3 | 21 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 30, 1992 | F3 | 18 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 25 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F3 | 22 mi | 41 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 107, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Elizabethtown
The Storm Prediction Center has 54 hail reports within 10 miles of Elizabethtown since 1975, made on 44 separate days. Of these, 36 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on August 1, 1993. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Elizabethtown
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Columbus, IN, 7 miles west of Elizabethtown at 609 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 39°F and 22°F. June is the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.9 inches; the year adds up to 47.3 inches over 80 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 22 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 108 nights a year. Snowfall averages 16.3 inches a year, most of it in January. That 47.3 inches is more than at 80 of the 115 Indiana stations used on this site (70%). North Vernon, 12 miles southeast, has its own station (N Vernon 2 ESE, IN): 49.4 inches a year, 2.1 more than here, and the same July average high, 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39 | 22 | 3.4 | 6 | 5.9 |
| Feb | 43 | 24 | 2.9 | 6 | 4.5 |
| Mar | 54 | 32 | 3.8 | 7 | 1.8 |
| Apr | 66 | 42 | 5.0 | 9 | 0.0 |
| May | 75 | 53 | 5.0 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 62 | 5.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 65 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 63 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 80 | 55 | 3.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 68 | 44 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 54 | 34 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Dec | 43 | 26 | 3.7 | 7 | 4.0 |
| Year | 65 | 44 | 47.3 | 80 | 16.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Columbus, IN (609 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 Elizabethtown
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 136 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Elizabethtown: 101 thunderstorm wind reports, 18 floods, 12 flash floods and 5 lightning strikes. They killed 2 people and injured 4, and the NWS estimated $402.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on June 15, 2019. June has had the most flash floods, 9 of 12. Of the 337 Indiana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 179 have had fewer than Elizabethtown.
April 5, 2018: flood 9 miles from the centre of Elizabethtown — 1 killed.
April 6, 2025: flood 9 miles from the centre of Elizabethtown — 1 killed.
August 2, 2024: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of Elizabethtown — 2 injured, $1,000 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 Elizabethtown's ZIP code 47232 have filed 19 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1996, and were paid $240,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 42% 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, 34 have fewer than Elizabethtown.
Bartholomew County, which includes Elizabethtown, has been named in 13 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 8 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 floods, 3 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on July 22, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Bartholomew County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, inland flooding and strong wind; Relatively Low for hail, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $33.6 million a year, the 18th highest of 92 Indiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $20.4 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 Elizabethtown
- Columbus, IN8 mi
- Hope, IN12 mi
- North Vernon, IN12 mi
- Westport, IN12 mi
- Seymour, IN13 mi
- Edinburgh, IN19 mi
- Nineveh, IN21 mi
- Brownstown, IN22 mi
- Saint Paul, IN22 mi
- Greensburg, IN22 mi
- Holton, IN23 mi
- Crothersville, IN23 mi
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