NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit French Lick, 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 French Lick, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 100 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 9 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 2
- Tornadoes
- 100
- EF3 or stronger
- 9
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
24 deaths in all
What the records show for French Lick
None of the 2 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed French Lick; the strongest was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm with 46 mph winds when its centre passed 28 miles away. The record near French Lick begins with an unnamed storm in 1915; the most recent system was Helene in 2024. Of the 356 Indiana cities on this site, 88% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than French Lick. The strongest of the 100 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on April 3, 1974; its path came within 21 miles, and it killed 6 people. The deadliest, an EF4 on March 2, 2012, killed 11 people. Of the 100, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 59 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 24. The most recent tornado was on March 15, 2025. Of the 356 Indiana cities, 56% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than French Lick. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 51 times since 1979, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Of the 356 Indiana cities, 65% have more hail reports within 10 miles than French Lick.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near French Lick
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 28 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in French Lick: 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 French Lick
By decade
- 2020s14
- 2010s37(1 EF3+)
- 2000s8(2 EF3+)
- 1990s14(3 EF3+)
- 1980s5
- 1970s8(1 EF3+)
- 1960s8(2 EF3+)
- 1950s6
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 21 mi | 68 mi | 6 / 86 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF4 | 24 mi | 46.6 mi | 11 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F4 | 20 mi | 11 mi | 1 / 51 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F4 | 11 mi | 106 mi | 1 / 12 |
| May 30, 2004 | F3 | 13 mi | 15 mi | 1 / 11 |
| Mar 8, 2009 | EF3 | 24 mi | 1.06 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F3 | 19 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 24, 1967 | F3 | 9 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 19, 1963 | F3 | 13 mi | 85.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 25, 2023 | EF2 | 5 mi | 9.12 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Mar 15, 2025 | EF2 | 19 mi | 57.49 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 1, 2017 | EF2 | 20 mi | 0.68 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 100, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in French Lick
The Storm Prediction Center has 51 hail reports within 10 miles of French Lick since 1979, made on 33 separate days. Of these, 30 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on June 25, 2023. The most recent report is from June 18, 2025. June has the most reports, 16.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in French Lick
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Dubois S In Forage Fm, IN, 5 miles southwest of French Lick at 690 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 40°F and 19°F. May is the wettest at 6.0 inches of precipitation on average and February and August the driest at 3.2 inches; the year adds up to 51.7 inches over 82 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 31 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 112 nights a year. Snowfall averages 12.7 inches a year, most of it in January. That 51.7 inches is more than at 111 of the 115 Indiana stations used on this site (97%). Paoli, 8 miles east, has its own station (Paoli, IN): 49.6 inches a year, 2.1 less than here, and a July average high of 87°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 40 | 19 | 3.4 | 6 | 4.1 |
| Feb | 45 | 22 | 3.2 | 6 | 3.5 |
| Mar | 55 | 30 | 4.5 | 8 | 1.1 |
| Apr | 66 | 41 | 5.7 | 9 | 0.0 |
| May | 75 | 51 | 6.0 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 59 | 5.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 62 | 4.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 86 | 60 | 3.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 80 | 53 | 4.0 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 69 | 42 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 55 | 32 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 45 | 24 | 4.0 | 7 | 3.8 |
| Year | 65 | 41 | 51.7 | 82 | 12.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Dubois S In Forage Fm, IN (690 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 French Lick
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 109 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of French Lick: 88 thunderstorm wind reports, 16 flash floods, 4 floods and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 1 person and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $220,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on April 2, 2006. April has had the most flash floods, 5 of 16. Of the 337 Indiana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 219 have had fewer than French Lick.
March 20, 2008: flood 7 miles from the centre of French Lick — 1 killed, $10,000 damage.
NWS: “An elderly man drowned after driving into floodwaters while he was on his way to a doctor's appointment. The 85 year old male was pulled from a flooded area near the Lost River.”
March 1, 2017: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of French Lick — 1 injured, $16,000 damage.
April 2, 2006: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of French Lick — $100,000 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 French Lick's ZIP code 47432 have filed 22 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1983, and were paid $773,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 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, 42 have fewer than French Lick.
Orange County, which includes French Lick, has been named in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1979, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 severe storms, 4 floods, 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 Orange County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Low for hail, inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and lightning. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $11.4 million a year, the 61st highest of 92 Indiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $5.6 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 French Lick
- Paoli, IN8 mi
- Dubois, IN8 mi
- Shoals, IN13 mi
- Orleans, IN14 mi
- English, IN16 mi
- Mitchell, IN17 mi
- Marengo, IN18 mi
- Jasper, IN18 mi
- Loogootee, IN20 mi
- Campbellsburg, IN22 mi
- Huntingburg, IN23 mi
- Ferdinand, IN23 mi
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