NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Galveston, 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
6 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Galveston, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 116 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 13 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 116
- EF3 or stronger
- 13
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
31 deaths in all
What the records show for Galveston
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Galveston; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 12 miles away. The record near Galveston begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 6 systems, one has come since 2000. Galveston is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 356 Indiana cities on this site. The highest rating among the 116 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 11, 1965, came within 15 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on April 11, 1965, killed 25 people. Of the 116, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 52 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 22. The most recent tornado was on March 19, 2025. Galveston has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 65% of the 356 Indiana cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 69 times since 1966, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Galveston has more hail reports within 10 miles than 57% of the 356 Indiana cities.
Compare Galveston's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Galveston
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 3 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 18 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 Galveston: 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 Galveston
By decade
- 2020s10
- 2010s25(3 EF3+)
- 2000s17(1 EF3+)
- 1990s10(1 EF3+)
- 1980s8
- 1970s14(1 EF3+)
- 1960s18(6 EF3+)
- 1950s14(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 12 mi | 48 mi | 25 / 835 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 15 mi | 21.8 mi | 0 / 44 |
| Apr 9, 1953 | F3 | 22 mi | 156.7 mi | 3 / 22 |
| May 16, 1968 | F3 | 22 mi | 50.3 mi | 1 / 15 |
| Mar 6, 1961 | F3 | 10 mi | 2 mi | 1 / 3 |
| Aug 24, 2016 | EF3 | 9 mi | 8.63 mi | 0 / 20 |
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF3 | 2 mi | 37.91 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 5, 2010 | EF3 | 4 mi | 7.45 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 30, 2004 | F3 | 11 mi | 4.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 11, 1998 | F3 | 16 mi | 18.5 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Jul 7, 1977 | F3 | 10 mi | 11.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 29, 1963 | F3 | 7 mi | 23.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 116, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Galveston
The Storm Prediction Center has 69 hail reports within 10 miles of Galveston since 1966, made on 51 separate days. Of these, 26 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 6 days, most recently June 22, 2008. The most recent report is from March 28, 2020. May has the most reports, 16.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Galveston
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Young America, IN, 6 miles west of Galveston at 773 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 17°F. June is the wettest at 5.2 inches of precipitation on average and February and December the driest at 2.3 inches; the year adds up to 41.1 inches over 76 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 130 nights a year. Snowfall averages 24.6 inches a year, most of it in January. That 41.1 inches is more than at 40 of the 115 Indiana stations used on this site (35%). Bunker Hill, 8 miles northeast, has its own station (Kokomo 3 WSW, IN): 44.5 inches a year, 3.4 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 | 17 | 2.5 | 5 | 8.2 |
| Feb | 36 | 20 | 2.3 | 6 | 7.3 |
| Mar | 47 | 29 | 2.6 | 6 | 2.7 |
| Apr | 60 | 38 | 3.6 | 8 | 0.6 |
| May | 72 | 50 | 3.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 80 | 60 | 5.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 62 | 5.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 81 | 60 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 77 | 52 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 64 | 42 | 3.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 49 | 32 | 3.1 | 6 | 0.7 |
| Dec | 37 | 23 | 2.3 | 6 | 5.1 |
| Year | 60 | 40 | 41.1 | 76 | 24.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Young America, IN (773 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 Galveston
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 156 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Galveston: 140 thunderstorm wind reports, 10 flash floods, 3 floods, 2 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 6, and the NWS estimated $4.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 96 mph, on June 11, 2026. May has had the most flash floods, 4 of 10. Of the 337 Indiana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 155 have had fewer than Galveston.
July 17, 1996: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Galveston — 6 injured, $60,000 damage.
June 24, 2000: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Galveston — $2.0 million damage.
July 11, 2017: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Galveston — $1.0 million 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
Cass County, which includes Galveston, has been named in 17 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 9 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 severe storms, 4 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on August 25, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Cass County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for hail; Relatively Low for tornadoes, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $15.5 million a year, the 39th highest of 92 Indiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $8.4 million (54%), 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.