NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Hope, 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 Hope, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1915. Since 1950, 112 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 17 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 2
- Tornadoes
- 112
- EF3 or stronger
- 17
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
14 deaths in all
What the records show for Hope
None of the 2 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Hope; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1915, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 19 miles away. The record near Hope begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was an unnamed storm in 1915. Of the 356 Indiana cities on this site, 88% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Hope. The highest rating among the 112 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on June 2, 1990, came within 23 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on April 3, 1974, killed 4 people. Of the 112, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 41 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 24. The most recent tornado was on May 16, 2025. Hope has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 60% of the 356 Indiana cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 49 times since 1963, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 356 Indiana cities, 67% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Hope.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Hope
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 74 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 Hope: 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 Hope
By decade
- 2020s18(1 EF3+)
- 2010s11(1 EF3+)
- 2000s12(2 EF3+)
- 1990s21(3 EF3+)
- 1980s11(1 EF3+)
- 1970s21(4 EF3+)
- 1960s10(3 EF3+)
- 1950s8(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 11 mi | 35.6 mi | 4 / 17 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F4 | 23 mi | 18 mi | 0 / 9 |
| Apr 25, 1961 | F4 | 20 mi | 63.1 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF3 | 25 mi | 8.69 mi | 3 / 5 |
| Oct 11, 1954 | F3 | 21 mi | 4.7 mi | 2 / 0 |
| Jun 3, 2008 | EF3 | 12 mi | 9.68 mi | 1 / 8 |
| Sep 26, 1976 | F3 | 24 mi | 4.9 mi | 1 / 10 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 20 mi | 20.7 mi | 1 / 25 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 12 mi | 35.8 mi | 1 / 26 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF3 | 23 mi | 5.48 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 15, 2005 | F3 | 2 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Nov 22, 1992 | F3 | 11 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 112, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Hope
The Storm Prediction Center has 49 hail reports within 10 miles of Hope since 1963, made on 31 separate days. Of these, 36 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 9 days, most recently July 31, 2012. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. May has the most reports, 19.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Hope
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Columbus, IN, 12 miles southwest of Hope at 609 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 39°F and 22°F. June is the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.9 inches; the year adds up to 47.3 inches over 80 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 22 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 108 nights a year. Snowfall averages 16.3 inches a year, most of it in January. That 47.3 inches is more than at 80 of the 115 Indiana stations used on this site (70%). Saint Paul, 11 miles northeast, has its own station (Greensburg, IN): 47.1 inches a year, 0.2 less than here, and a July average high of 85°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39 | 22 | 3.4 | 6 | 5.9 |
| Feb | 43 | 24 | 2.9 | 6 | 4.5 |
| Mar | 54 | 32 | 3.8 | 7 | 1.8 |
| Apr | 66 | 42 | 5.0 | 9 | 0.0 |
| May | 75 | 53 | 5.0 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 62 | 5.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 65 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 63 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 80 | 55 | 3.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 68 | 44 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 54 | 34 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Dec | 43 | 26 | 3.7 | 7 | 4.0 |
| Year | 65 | 44 | 47.3 | 80 | 16.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Columbus, IN (609 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 Hope
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 142 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Hope: 117 thunderstorm wind reports, 12 flash floods, 10 floods and 3 lightning strikes. They killed 2 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $101.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on June 15, 2019. June has had the most flash floods, 7 of 12. Of the 337 Indiana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 179 have had fewer than Hope.
June 7, 2008: flash flood 3 miles from the centre of Hope — 1 killed, $10,000 damage.
NWS: “A man was driving home from work on Saturday June 7th on County Road 550 North near County Road 475 East when the flooded Haw Creek pushed his vehicle about 300 yards off the road. He was advised to stay in his vehicle, however he tried to walk away.”
June 7, 2008: flash flood 2 miles from the centre of Hope — 1 killed, $10,000 damage.
NWS: “A man drowned the afternoon of Saturday June 7th after his car was swept off the road near the flooded Haw Creek. He got out of his car and tried to walk back to his house.”
July 26, 2016: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of Hope — 1 injured.
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 Hope's ZIP code 47246 have filed 12 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1998, and were paid $320,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 75% 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, 13 have fewer than Hope.
Bartholomew County, which includes Hope, has been named in 13 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 8 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 floods, 3 severe storms, 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 Bartholomew County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, inland flooding and strong wind; Relatively Low for hail, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $33.6 million a year, the 18th highest of 92 Indiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $20.4 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.
Cities near Hope
- Columbus, IN10 mi
- Saint Paul, IN11 mi
- Elizabethtown, IN12 mi
- Edinburgh, IN13 mi
- Westport, IN13 mi
- Shelbyville, IN16 mi
- Greensburg, IN16 mi
- Nineveh, IN19 mi
- Franklin, IN20 mi
- North Vernon, IN21 mi
- Trafalgar, IN22 mi
- Fairland, IN23 mi
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