NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Lapel, 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 Lapel, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 131 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 15 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 131
- EF3 or stronger
- 15
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
34 deaths in all
What the records show for Lapel
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Lapel; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 54 miles away. The record near Lapel begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 356 Indiana cities on this site, 65% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Lapel. The highest rating among the 131 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 4 times; the most recent, on June 11, 1998, came within 18 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on April 11, 1965, killed 28 people. Of the 131, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 45 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 32. The most recent tornado was on April 2, 2025. Lapel has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 82% of the 356 Indiana cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 104 times since 1965, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Lapel has more hail reports within 10 miles than 83% of the 356 Indiana cities.
Compare Lapel's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Lapel
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 24 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 Lapel: 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 Lapel
By decade
- 2020s11
- 2010s17
- 2000s17(1 EF3+)
- 1990s19(2 EF3+)
- 1980s14
- 1970s25(4 EF3+)
- 1960s17(7 EF3+)
- 1950s11(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 12 mi | 45.7 mi | 28 / 123 |
| Jun 11, 1998 | F4 | 18 mi | 13.2 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 21 mi | 18.9 mi | 0 / 17 |
| May 14, 1972 | F4 | 12 mi | 30 mi | 0 / 20 |
| Apr 9, 1953 | F3 | 16 mi | 156.7 mi | 3 / 22 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 18 mi | 20.7 mi | 1 / 25 |
| Sep 20, 2002 | F3 | 4 mi | 112 mi | 0 / 127 |
| Nov 22, 1992 | F3 | 9 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 7, 1977 | F3 | 23 mi | 11.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 26, 1965 | F3 | 22 mi | 1.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 26, 1965 | F3 | 25 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 26, 1965 | F3 | 12 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 3 |
The strongest 12 of 131, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Lapel
The Storm Prediction Center has 104 hail reports within 10 miles of Lapel since 1965, made on 62 separate days. Of these, 63 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on May 18, 2000. The most recent report is from March 14, 2024. March has the most reports, 25.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Lapel
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Anderson Sewage Plt, IN, 8 miles northeast of Lapel at 841 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 35°F and 21°F. June is the wettest at 5.2 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 43.8 inches over 80 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 14 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 112 nights a year. Snowfall averages 20.8 inches a year, most of it in January. That 43.8 inches is more than at 60 of the 115 Indiana stations used on this site (52%). Noblesville, 9 miles west, has its own station (Carmel 3 E, IN): 44.7 inches a year, 0.9 more than here, and the same July average high, 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 35 | 21 | 3.0 | 6 | 8.3 |
| Feb | 39 | 24 | 2.5 | 5 | 4.7 |
| Mar | 50 | 32 | 3.5 | 7 | 1.9 |
| Apr | 63 | 42 | 4.1 | 9 | 0.1 |
| May | 73 | 53 | 4.6 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 81 | 62 | 5.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 84 | 65 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 63 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 77 | 56 | 3.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 65 | 45 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 51 | 35 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.7 |
| Dec | 39 | 26 | 3.0 | 6 | 5.0 |
| Year | 62 | 44 | 43.8 | 80 | 20.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Anderson Sewage Plt, IN (841 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 Lapel
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 211 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Lapel: 163 thunderstorm wind reports, 24 floods, 17 flash floods and 7 lightning strikes. They killed 2 people and injured 7, and the NWS estimated $3.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 87 mph, on April 2, 2025. June has had the most flash floods, 6 of 17. Of the 337 Indiana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 235 have had fewer than Lapel.
June 26, 2015: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Lapel — 2 killed, 2 injured, $21,000 damage.
May 19, 2017: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Lapel — 2 injured, $25,000 damage.
March 23, 2011: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Lapel — 1 injured, $60,000 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
Madison County, which includes Lapel, has been named in 23 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 15 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 severe storms, 5 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 Madison County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail and inland flooding; Relatively Low for lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $34.8 million a year, the 17th highest of 92 Indiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $20.5 million (59%), 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.