NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Gaston, 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
3 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Gaston, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 106 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 16 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 106
- EF3 or stronger
- 16
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
36 deaths in all
What the records show for Gaston
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Gaston; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 49 miles away. The record near Gaston begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 356 Indiana cities on this site, 65% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Gaston. The highest rating among the 106 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 6 times; the most recent, on April 3, 1974, came within 24 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on April 11, 1965, killed 25 people. Of the 106, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 46 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 35. The most recent tornado was on April 2, 2025. Gaston has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 53% of the 356 Indiana cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 84 times since 1981, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Gaston has more hail reports within 10 miles than 71% of the 356 Indiana cities.
Compare Gaston's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Gaston
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 15 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 Gaston: 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 Gaston
By decade
- 2020s13(2 EF3+)
- 2010s17(1 EF3+)
- 2000s16(1 EF3+)
- 1990s9(1 EF3+)
- 1980s5
- 1970s16(3 EF3+)
- 1960s18(6 EF3+)
- 1950s12(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 13 mi | 48 mi | 25 / 835 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 17 mi | 52.5 mi | 4 / 125 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 21 mi | 18 mi | 1 / 12 |
| Mar 6, 1956 | F4 | 18 mi | 1.9 mi | 1 / 31 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 24 mi | 18.9 mi | 0 / 17 |
| May 14, 1972 | F4 | 22 mi | 30 mi | 0 / 20 |
| Apr 9, 1953 | F3 | in town | 156.7 mi | 3 / 22 |
| Mar 14, 2024 | EF3 | 22 mi | 41.34 mi | 1 / 39 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF3 | 12 mi | 6.35 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 27, 2019 | EF3 | 19 mi | 12.76 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Sep 20, 2002 | F3 | in town | 112 mi | 0 / 127 |
| Jun 11, 1998 | F3 | 22 mi | 18.5 mi | 0 / 8 |
The strongest 12 of 106, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Gaston
The Storm Prediction Center has 84 hail reports within 10 miles of Gaston since 1981, made on 51 separate days. Of these, 51 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2 inches (hen egg size), was reported on 2 days, most recently March 14, 2024. The most recent report is from June 18, 2025. May has the most reports, 36.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Gaston
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Muncie Delaware Co Airport, IN, 8 miles southeast of Gaston at 937 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 66°F; January is the coolest, at 36°F and 21°F. June is the wettest at 4.8 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.3 inches; the year adds up to 40.4 inches over 78 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 18 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 119 nights a year. That 40.4 inches is more than at 31 of the 115 Indiana stations used on this site (27%). Summitville, 8 miles west, has its own station (Elwood, IN): 42.5 inches a year, 2.1 more than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36 | 21 | 2.5 | 5 |
| Feb | 40 | 24 | 2.3 | 5 |
| Mar | 51 | 33 | 3.1 | 7 |
| Apr | 64 | 43 | 3.9 | 8 |
| May | 75 | 54 | 4.4 | 9 |
| Jun | 83 | 64 | 4.8 | 9 |
| Jul | 86 | 66 | 4.1 | 6 |
| Aug | 84 | 63 | 3.4 | 6 |
| Sep | 79 | 56 | 3.1 | 5 |
| Oct | 66 | 45 | 3.0 | 6 |
| Nov | 52 | 36 | 3.2 | 6 |
| Dec | 41 | 27 | 2.6 | 6 |
| Year | 63 | 44 | 40.4 | 78 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Muncie Delaware Co Airport, IN (937 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 Gaston
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 120 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Gaston: 98 thunderstorm wind reports, 11 floods, 9 flash floods, 1 heavy rain event and 1 lightning strike. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $1.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on April 2, 2025. July has had the most flash floods, 4 of 9. Of the 337 Indiana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 139 have had fewer than Gaston.
January 13, 2013: flood 8 miles from the centre of Gaston — 1 killed.
January 5, 2005: flood 10 miles from the centre of Gaston — $1.0 million damage.
March 31, 2023: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Gaston — $110,000 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
Delaware County, which includes Gaston, has been named in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 severe storms, 4 floods, 3 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 Delaware County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes; Relatively Moderate for hail, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $33.6 million a year, the 19th highest of 92 Indiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $20.5 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.