NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Elwood, 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 Elwood, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 132 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 16 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 132
- EF3 or stronger
- 16
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
59 deaths in all
What the records show for Elwood
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Elwood; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 42 miles away. The record near Elwood 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 Elwood. The highest rating among the 132 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 4 times; the most recent, on May 14, 1972, came within 24 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on April 11, 1965, killed 28 people. Of the 132, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 61 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 34. The most recent tornado was on April 2, 2025. Elwood has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 83% of the 356 Indiana cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 65 times since 1975, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Elwood has more hail reports within 10 miles than 53% of the 356 Indiana cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Elwood
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 3 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 11 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 Elwood: 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 Elwood
By decade
- 2020s15(1 EF3+)
- 2010s26(1 EF3+)
- 2000s20(1 EF3+)
- 1990s15(2 EF3+)
- 1980s8
- 1970s19(2 EF3+)
- 1960s17(7 EF3+)
- 1950s12(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 12 mi | 45.7 mi | 28 / 123 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 13 mi | 48 mi | 25 / 835 |
| Mar 6, 1956 | F4 | 25 mi | 1.9 mi | 1 / 31 |
| May 14, 1972 | F4 | 24 mi | 30 mi | 0 / 20 |
| Apr 9, 1953 | F3 | in town | 156.7 mi | 3 / 22 |
| Mar 6, 1961 | F3 | 20 mi | 2 mi | 1 / 3 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF3 | 19 mi | 6.35 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 24, 2016 | EF3 | 18 mi | 8.63 mi | 0 / 20 |
| Sep 20, 2002 | F3 | 13 mi | 112 mi | 0 / 127 |
| Jun 11, 1998 | F3 | 13 mi | 18.5 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Nov 22, 1992 | F3 | 23 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 7, 1977 | F3 | 14 mi | 11.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 132, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Elwood
The Storm Prediction Center has 65 hail reports within 10 miles of Elwood since 1975, made on 40 separate days. Of these, 46 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 9 days, most recently June 8, 2018. The most recent report is from June 18, 2025. June has the most reports, 24.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Elwood
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Elwood, IN, in Elwood at 866 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 34°F and 18°F. June is the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.3 inches; the year adds up to 42.5 inches over 80 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 17 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 128 nights a year. That 42.5 inches is more than at 53 of the 115 Indiana stations used on this site (46%). Atlanta, 11 miles southwest, has its own station (Tipton 5 SW, IN): 42.4 inches a year, 0.1 less than here, and a July average high of 85°F against 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 34 | 18 | 3.2 | 7 |
| Feb | 38 | 20 | 2.3 | 5 |
| Mar | 49 | 29 | 3.0 | 7 |
| Apr | 62 | 39 | 4.0 | 8 |
| May | 72 | 51 | 4.4 | 8 |
| Jun | 81 | 60 | 5.3 | 8 |
| Jul | 84 | 63 | 4.2 | 7 |
| Aug | 83 | 61 | 3.3 | 6 |
| Sep | 77 | 53 | 3.1 | 6 |
| Oct | 64 | 42 | 3.0 | 5 |
| Nov | 50 | 32 | 3.6 | 7 |
| Dec | 39 | 23 | 3.1 | 7 |
| Year | 61 | 41 | 42.5 | 80 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Elwood, IN (866 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 Elwood
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 115 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Elwood: 97 thunderstorm wind reports, 13 floods, 3 flash floods, 1 heavy rain event and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $1.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on June 6, 2008.
August 10, 2020: thunderstorm wind in Elwood — $150,000 damage.
NWS: “Over 50 reports of trees and power lines downed by thunderstorm wind gusts. Most of which were in Anderson, Alexandria, and Elwood.”
March 19, 2007: lightning strike 3 miles from the centre of Elwood — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Lightning caused a fire which damaged a home near Elwood. No injuries were reported.”
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 Elwood's ZIP code 46036 have filed 58 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1980, and were paid $555,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2013, with 18. 2% 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, 90 have fewer than Elwood.
Madison County, which includes Elwood, has been named in 23 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 15 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 severe storms, 5 floods, 4 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 Madison County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail and inland flooding; Relatively Low for lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $34.8 million a year, the 17th highest of 92 Indiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $20.5 million (59%), 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 Elwood
- Frankton, IN5 mi
- Alexandria, IN9 mi
- Atlanta, IN11 mi
- Summitville, IN11 mi
- Tipton, IN11 mi
- Arcadia, IN12 mi
- Fairmount, IN13 mi
- Anderson, IN15 mi
- Cicero, IN15 mi
- Lapel, IN15 mi
- Greentown, IN15 mi
- Sharpsville, IN15 mi
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