NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Hamilton, 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 Hamilton, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 70 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 70
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
55 deaths in all
What the records show for Hamilton
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Hamilton; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 2 miles away. The record near Hamilton begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 6 systems, one has come since 2000. Hamilton 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 70 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on April 11, 1965, came within 23 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on April 11, 1965, killed 23 people. Of the 70, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 30 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 15. The most recent tornado was on April 2, 2025. Of the 356 Indiana cities, 96% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Hamilton. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 60 times since 1979, with stones up to 3.5 inches. Of the 356 Indiana cities, 54% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Hamilton.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Hamilton
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 3 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 53 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 Hamilton: 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 Hamilton
By decade
- 2020s11
- 2010s5(1 EF3+)
- 2000s14
- 1990s7(2 EF3+)
- 1980s4
- 1970s9(1 EF3+)
- 1960s14(4 EF3+)
- 1950s6
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 16 mi | 90.3 mi | 23 / 294 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 18 mi | 80.5 mi | 21 / 293 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 23 mi | 21.6 mi | 5 / 41 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 10 mi | 36.2 mi | 5 / 53 |
| Mar 27, 1991 | F3 | 4 mi | 21 mi | 1 / 24 |
| Aug 24, 2016 | EF3 | 24 mi | 5.16 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 27, 1991 | F3 | 19 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 6, 1961 | F3 | 1 mi | 33.4 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF2 | 25 mi | 7.86 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 24, 2016 | EF2 | 24 mi | 4.42 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 24, 2001 | F2 | 7 mi | 12.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 14, 2000 | F2 | 22 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 70, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Hamilton
The Storm Prediction Center has 60 hail reports within 10 miles of Hamilton since 1979, made on 36 separate days. Of these, 32 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3.5 inches, fell on May 7, 2024, the most recent report. May has the most reports, 22.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Hamilton
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Angola, IN, 11 miles northwest of Hamilton at 1,020 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 61°F; January is the coolest, at 31°F and 16°F. May is the wettest at 4.4 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.3 inches; the year adds up to 38.9 inches over 79 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 7 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 145 nights a year. Snowfall averages 38.9 inches a year, most of it in January. That 38.9 inches is more than at 7 of the 115 Indiana stations used on this site (6%). Edon, OH, 7 miles east, has its own station (Montpelier, OH): 37.9 inches a year, 1.0 less than here, and a July average high of 83°F against 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31 | 16 | 2.6 | 6 | 11.8 |
| Feb | 34 | 17 | 2.3 | 6 | 10.3 |
| Mar | 45 | 26 | 2.5 | 6 | 5.3 |
| Apr | 58 | 36 | 3.6 | 8 | 1.0 |
| May | 69 | 48 | 4.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 78 | 58 | 4.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 82 | 61 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 80 | 59 | 3.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 74 | 51 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 61 | 40 | 3.0 | 7 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 47 | 30 | 3.0 | 7 | 2.3 |
| Dec | 36 | 22 | 2.5 | 6 | 8.1 |
| Year | 58 | 39 | 38.9 | 79 | 38.9 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Angola, IN (1,020 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 Hamilton
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 108 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Hamilton: 104 thunderstorm wind reports, 2 lightning strikes, 1 flash flood and 1 flood. They killed 1 person and injured 5, and the NWS estimated $880,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on June 23, 2010.
August 4, 2010: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Hamilton — 1 killed.
July 21, 1998: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Hamilton — 4 injured, $250,000 damage.
June 23, 2010: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Hamilton — 1 injured, $200,000 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
Steuben County, which includes Hamilton, has been named in 12 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 5 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 tornadoes, 1 flood). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 3, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Steuben County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $10.0 million a year, the 65th highest of 92 Indiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $5.1 million (51%), 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 Hamilton
- Edon, OH7 mi
- Butler, IN8 mi
- Waterloo, IN10 mi
- Angola, IN10 mi
- Edgerton, OH11 mi
- Fremont, IN13 mi
- Hudson, IN14 mi
- Montpelier, OH15 mi
- Auburn, IN16 mi
- Montgomery, MI16 mi
- Camden, MI18 mi
- Bryan, OH18 mi
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