NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Knox, 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
5 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Knox, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 93 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 12 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 93
- EF3 or stronger
- 12
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
31 deaths in all
What the records show for Knox
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Knox; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 38 miles away. The record near Knox begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 5 systems, one has come since 2000. Knox has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 63% of the 356 Indiana cities on this site. The highest rating among the 93 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 3, 1974, came within 24 miles. Of the 93, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 25 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 27. The most recent tornado was on April 2, 2025. Of the 356 Indiana cities, 69% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Knox. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 59 times since 1973, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 356 Indiana cities, 56% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Knox.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Knox
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 3 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 69 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 Knox: 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 Knox
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s18
- 2000s4(1 EF3+)
- 1990s13
- 1980s7
- 1970s18(4 EF3+)
- 1960s17(4 EF3+)
- 1950s13(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 24 mi | 108.7 mi | 18 / 285 |
| Apr 17, 1963 | F4 | 19 mi | 57.3 mi | 1 / 70 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F3 | 5 mi | 35.6 mi | 10 / 82 |
| Mar 12, 1976 | F3 | 22 mi | 38.5 mi | 1 / 15 |
| Oct 18, 2007 | EF3 | 23 mi | 20.33 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 12, 1976 | F3 | 1 mi | 12.1 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Mar 12, 1976 | F3 | 24 mi | 12.6 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F3 | 14 mi | 33.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 30, 1962 | F3 | 22 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 14, 1957 | F3 | 22 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 12, 1956 | F3 | 19 mi | 23.4 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 21, 1951 | F3 | 13 mi | 5.4 mi | 0 / 4 |
The strongest 12 of 93, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Knox
The Storm Prediction Center has 59 hail reports within 10 miles of Knox since 1973, made on 35 separate days. Of these, 37 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on June 25, 2023. The most recent report is from April 2, 2025. May has the most reports, 14.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Knox
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Knox Wwtp, IN, 2 miles northwest of Knox at 690 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 32°F and 16°F. June is the wettest at 4.7 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.4 inches; the year adds up to 42.4 inches over 82 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 137 nights a year. Snowfall averages 28.5 inches a year, most of it in January. That 42.4 inches is more than at 52 of the 115 Indiana stations used on this site (45%). Culver, 11 miles southeast, has its own station (Plymouth, IN): 40.2 inches a year, 2.2 less than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32 | 16 | 2.7 | 7 | 9.7 |
| Feb | 35 | 18 | 2.4 | 6 | 7.5 |
| Mar | 47 | 28 | 2.5 | 6 | 3.4 |
| Apr | 61 | 38 | 3.8 | 8 | 0.2 |
| May | 71 | 49 | 4.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 80 | 59 | 4.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 82 | 62 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 81 | 60 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 74 | 52 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 63 | 42 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 49 | 32 | 3.2 | 6 | 2.0 |
| Dec | 37 | 22 | 2.6 | 6 | 5.7 |
| Year | 59 | 40 | 42.4 | 82 | 28.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Knox Wwtp, IN (690 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 Knox
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 89 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Knox: 87 thunderstorm wind reports, 1 flood and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $1.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on July 24, 2012.
March 10, 2009: flood 9 miles from the centre of Knox — $1.0 million damage.
NWS: “Numerous roads were flooded with standing water ranging from six inches to a few feet in depth. The hardest hit areas were generally south of US 30 with at least 10 roads reported closed due to high water.”
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 Knox's ZIP code 46534 have filed 15 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1997, and were paid $260,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2018, with 10. Of the 155 Indiana cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 24 have fewer than Knox.
Starke County, which includes Knox, has been named in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 10 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 floods, 4 severe storms, 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 Starke County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes, hail, inland flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $8.3 million a year, the 72nd highest of 92 Indiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.2 million (38%), 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 Knox
- North Judson, IN9 mi
- Culver, IN11 mi
- Walkerton, IN15 mi
- Plymouth, IN16 mi
- Winamac, IN16 mi
- Wanatah, IN17 mi
- Medaryville, IN19 mi
- Argos, IN20 mi
- Kouts, IN21 mi
- North Liberty, IN21 mi
- La Porte, IN23 mi
- Wheatfield, IN24 mi
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