NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Kentland, 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
4 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Kentland, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 99 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 99
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Kentland
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Kentland; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 34 miles away. The record near Kentland begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 4 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 356 Indiana cities on this site, 37% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Kentland. The strongest of the 99 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 17, 1963; its path came within 24 miles, and it killed 1 person. The deadliest, an F3 on March 12, 1976, killed 1 person. Of the 99, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 51 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 25. The most recent tornado was on December 28, 2025. Of the 356 Indiana cities, 58% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Kentland. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 38 times since 1970, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 356 Indiana cities, 83% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Kentland.
Compare Kentland's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Kentland
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 3 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 55 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 Kentland: 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 Kentland
By decade
- 2020s13
- 2010s23(2 EF3+)
- 2000s15
- 1990s9
- 1980s7
- 1970s15(2 EF3+)
- 1960s6(2 EF3+)
- 1950s11(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 17, 1963 | F4 | 24 mi | 57.3 mi | 1 / 70 |
| Mar 12, 1976 | F3 | 20 mi | 38.5 mi | 1 / 15 |
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF3 | 24 mi | 29.83 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Jun 5, 2010 | EF3 | 23 mi | 7.75 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 23 mi | 25.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 15, 1968 | F3 | 11 mi | 7.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 6, 1956 | F3 | 22 mi | 9.4 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF2 | 19 mi | 15.16 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF2 | 14 mi | 11.53 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF2 | 24 mi | 9.23 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF2 | 22 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 25, 2011 | EF2 | 12 mi | 1.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 99, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Kentland
The Storm Prediction Center has 38 hail reports within 10 miles of Kentland since 1970, made on 35 separate days. Of these, 24 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on June 27, 1993. The most recent report is from June 26, 2019. June has the most reports, 11.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Kentland
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Watseka 2 NW, IL, 16 miles west of Kentland at 620 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 33°F and 16°F. June is the wettest at 5.0 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.0 inches; the year adds up to 38.5 inches over 75 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 16 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 134 nights a year. Snowfall averages 17.1 inches a year, most of it in January. That 38.5 inches is more than at 6 of the 115 Indiana stations used on this site (5%). Morocco, 13 miles north, has its own station (Rensselaer, IN): 40.1 inches a year, 1.6 more than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 33 | 16 | 2.1 | 5 | 5.4 |
| Feb | 37 | 18 | 2.0 | 5 | 4.7 |
| Mar | 50 | 29 | 2.4 | 6 | 1.6 |
| Apr | 62 | 38 | 3.7 | 8 | 0.3 |
| May | 74 | 50 | 4.4 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 82 | 60 | 5.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 85 | 63 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 83 | 60 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 79 | 52 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 66 | 41 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 51 | 31 | 2.7 | 6 | 0.7 |
| Dec | 38 | 21 | 2.1 | 5 | 4.4 |
| Year | 62 | 40 | 38.5 | 75 | 17.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Watseka 2 NW, IL (620 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 Kentland
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 95 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Kentland: 70 thunderstorm wind reports, 12 flash floods, 6 floods, 6 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. They killed 3 people and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $937,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 78 mph, on June 4, 2011. Of the 337 Indiana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 179 have had fewer than Kentland.
February 5, 2008: flood 5 miles from the centre of Kentland — 3 killed.
NWS: “After heavy rain and flash flooding on February 4th and 5th, flood waters slowly subsided by February 9th due to saturated and frozen ground and already high river levels. On February 7th, a car was removed from the bottom of a flooded stone quarry.”
February 4, 2008: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Kentland — $500,000 damage.
NWS: “Widespread flooding was reported across Newton County with many roads flooded and impassible. 37 inches.”
January 8, 2008: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Kentland — $250,000 damage.
NWS: “Streams and creeks overflowed and flooded many roads throughout the county with hundreds of reports of high water and flooding. Two roads washed away due to flooding.”
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
Newton County, which includes Kentland, has been named in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 severe storms, 4 snowstorms, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 3, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Newton County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail and strong wind; Very Low for hurricanes, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $5.8 million a year, the 84th highest of 92 Indiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $2.6 million (45%), 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 Kentland
- Morocco, IN13 mi
- Fowler, IN13 mi
- Remington, IN15 mi
- Watseka, IL15 mi
- Milford, IL17 mi
- Rensselaer, IN21 mi
- Saint Anne, IL22 mi
- Lake Village, IN23 mi
- Hoopeston, IL24 mi
- Otterbein, IN27 mi
- Momence, IL27 mi
- Clifton, IL28 mi
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