NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Francesville, 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
5 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Francesville, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 81 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 81
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
20 deaths in all
What the records show for Francesville
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Francesville; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 29 miles away. The record near Francesville begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 5 systems, one has come since 2000. Francesville has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 63% of the 356 Indiana cities on this site. The highest rating among the 81 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 3, 1974, came within 17 miles. Of the 81, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 33 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 24. The most recent tornado was on July 15, 2024. Of the 356 Indiana cities, 87% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Francesville. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 33 times since 1985, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 356 Indiana cities, 91% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Francesville.
Compare Francesville's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Francesville
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 3 | overhead | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 56 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 Francesville: 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 Francesville
By decade
- 2020s5
- 2010s22
- 2000s6
- 1990s6
- 1980s2
- 1970s16(3 EF3+)
- 1960s12(2 EF3+)
- 1950s12(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 17 mi | 108.7 mi | 18 / 285 |
| Apr 17, 1963 | F4 | 6 mi | 57.3 mi | 1 / 70 |
| Mar 12, 1976 | F3 | 20 mi | 38.5 mi | 1 / 15 |
| Mar 12, 1976 | F3 | 23 mi | 12.1 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 30, 1962 | F3 | 23 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 21, 1951 | F3 | 23 mi | 5.4 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF2 | 20 mi | 4.15 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF2 | 20 mi | 4.15 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 25, 2011 | EF2 | 21 mi | 1.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 11, 1998 | F2 | 13 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 26, 1994 | F2 | in town | 20 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 14, 1968 | F2 | 18 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 81, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Francesville
The Storm Prediction Center has 33 hail reports within 10 miles of Francesville since 1985, made on 28 separate days. Of these, 22 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on June 4, 2008. The most recent report is from March 22, 2023. June has the most reports, 11.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Francesville
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Francesville, IN, in Francesville at 680 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 32°F and 16°F. July is the wettest at 4.9 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.0 inches; the year adds up to 38.9 inches over 74 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 12 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 134 nights a year. Snowfall averages 26.3 inches a year, most of it in January. That 38.9 inches is more than at 9 of the 115 Indiana stations used on this site (8%). Winamac, 13 miles east, has its own station (Winamac 2SSE, IN): 39.9 inches a year, 1.0 more 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 | 32 | 16 | 2.3 | 5 | 8.9 |
| Feb | 36 | 18 | 2.0 | 4 | 7.4 |
| Mar | 47 | 28 | 2.5 | 6 | 3.3 |
| Apr | 60 | 38 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.4 |
| May | 72 | 50 | 3.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 80 | 59 | 4.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 62 | 4.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 81 | 60 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 77 | 53 | 3.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 64 | 41 | 3.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 49 | 31 | 2.6 | 6 | 0.9 |
| Dec | 37 | 22 | 2.2 | 5 | 5.4 |
| Year | 60 | 40 | 38.9 | 74 | 26.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Francesville, IN (680 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 Francesville
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 34 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Francesville: 30 thunderstorm wind reports, 2 flash floods, 1 flood and 1 heavy rain event. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $310,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on July 19, 2020.
February 20, 2018: flood 7 miles from the centre of Francesville — $230,000 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
Pulaski County, which includes Francesville, has been named in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 10 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 severe storms, 4 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 Pulaski County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail and strong wind; Very Low for hurricanes, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $5.1 million a year, the 87th highest of 92 Indiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $2.2 million (43%), 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.