NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Knightstown, 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 Knightstown, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1915. Since 1950, 114 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 19 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 114
- EF3 or stronger
- 19
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
6 deaths in all
What the records show for Knightstown
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Knightstown; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1892, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 74 miles away. The record near Knightstown begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was an unnamed storm in 1915, a tropical storm directly overhead. Of the 356 Indiana cities on this site, 65% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Knightstown. The highest rating among the 114 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 6 times; the most recent, on June 11, 1998, came within 11 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on July 9, 1980, killed 2 people. Of the 114, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 41 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 25. The most recent tornado was on April 2, 2025. Knightstown has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 63% of the 356 Indiana cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 43 times since 1965, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 356 Indiana cities, 77% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Knightstown.
Compare Knightstown's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Knightstown
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | overhead | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Knightstown: 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 Knightstown
By decade
- 2020s11
- 2010s11
- 2000s19(2 EF3+)
- 1990s15(3 EF3+)
- 1980s14(2 EF3+)
- 1970s16(4 EF3+)
- 1960s16(7 EF3+)
- 1950s12(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 9, 1980 | F4 | 13 mi | 11 mi | 2 / 25 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 21 mi | 18 mi | 1 / 12 |
| Jun 11, 1998 | F4 | 11 mi | 13.2 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 4 mi | 18.9 mi | 0 / 17 |
| May 14, 1972 | F4 | 13 mi | 30 mi | 0 / 20 |
| Apr 25, 1961 | F4 | 12 mi | 63.1 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Jun 3, 2008 | EF3 | 21 mi | 9.68 mi | 1 / 8 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 9 mi | 20.7 mi | 1 / 25 |
| Sep 20, 2002 | F3 | 21 mi | 112 mi | 0 / 127 |
| Nov 22, 1992 | F3 | 22 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 22, 1992 | F3 | 24 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 10, 1986 | F3 | 19 mi | 35 mi | 0 / 22 |
The strongest 12 of 114, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Knightstown
The Storm Prediction Center has 43 hail reports within 10 miles of Knightstown since 1965, made on 34 separate days. Of these, 30 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on April 3, 1974. The most recent report is from July 2, 2023. April has the most reports, 9.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Knightstown
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is New Castle 3 SW, IN, 9 miles northeast of Knightstown at 991 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 61°F; January is the coolest, at 34°F and 17°F. June is the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 44.4 inches over 82 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 8 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 132 nights a year. Snowfall averages 24.8 inches a year, most of it in January. That 44.4 inches is more than at 64 of the 115 Indiana stations used on this site (56%). Markleville, 13 miles northwest, has its own station (Anderson Sewage Plt, IN): 43.8 inches a year, 0.6 less 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 | 34 | 17 | 3.0 | 6 | 7.9 |
| Feb | 38 | 19 | 2.5 | 5 | 6.4 |
| Mar | 49 | 28 | 3.4 | 7 | 3.4 |
| Apr | 62 | 38 | 4.4 | 9 | 0.3 |
| May | 72 | 50 | 4.9 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 80 | 59 | 5.3 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 61 | 4.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 59 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 77 | 52 | 3.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 65 | 41 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 51 | 31 | 3.5 | 7 | 0.9 |
| Dec | 39 | 23 | 3.0 | 7 | 5.9 |
| Year | 61 | 40 | 44.4 | 82 | 24.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at New Castle 3 SW, IN (991 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 Knightstown
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 102 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Knightstown: 98 thunderstorm wind reports, 3 floods and 1 flash flood. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $677,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on April 8, 2020.
April 8, 2020: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Knightstown — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “A barn was destroyed due to thunderstorm wind gusts at this location. In addition, corn stalks completely covered a nearby fence.”
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
Henry County, which includes Knightstown, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 severe storms, 4 floods, 4 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 Henry County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes; Relatively Low 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 $14.7 million a year, the 42nd highest of 92 Indiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $8.0 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.
Cities near Knightstown
- Shirley, IN8 mi
- New Castle, IN12 mi
- Markleville, IN13 mi
- Morristown, IN13 mi
- Rushville, IN14 mi
- Greenfield, IN14 mi
- Middletown, IN16 mi
- Cambridge City, IN18 mi
- Pendleton, IN18 mi
- Ingalls, IN19 mi
- Fountaintown, IN19 mi
- Fortville, IN20 mi
All Indiana cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Knightstown with another place →