NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Marengo, 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 Marengo, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 99 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 99
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
23 deaths in all
What the records show for Marengo
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Marengo; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 53 mph winds when its centre passed 63 miles away. The record near Marengo begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 23 miles away. Of the 356 Indiana cities on this site, 65% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Marengo. The strongest of the 99 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on April 3, 1974; its path came within 5 miles, and it killed 6 people. The deadliest, an EF4 on March 2, 2012, killed 11 people. Of the 99, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 62 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 21. The most recent tornado was on December 28, 2025. Of the 356 Indiana cities, 58% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Marengo. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 65 times since 1981, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Marengo has more hail reports within 10 miles than 53% of the 356 Indiana cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Marengo
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 28 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Marengo: 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 Marengo
By decade
- 2020s18
- 2010s31(1 EF3+)
- 2000s13(1 EF3+)
- 1990s15(1 EF3+)
- 1980s7
- 1970s6(1 EF3+)
- 1960s5(1 EF3+)
- 1950s4
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 5 mi | 68 mi | 6 / 86 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF4 | 10 mi | 46.6 mi | 11 / 0 |
| May 30, 2004 | F3 | in town | 15 mi | 1 / 11 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F3 | 22 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Apr 19, 1963 | F3 | 4 mi | 85.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 25, 2023 | EF2 | 22 mi | 9.12 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | EF2 | 15 mi | 15.27 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 1, 2017 | EF2 | 22 mi | 0.68 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 25, 2011 | EF2 | 19 mi | 4.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 19, 2011 | EF2 | 23 mi | 1.04 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 28, 2011 | EF2 | 21 mi | 14.17 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 27, 2004 | F2 | 15 mi | 25.9 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 Marengo
The Storm Prediction Center has 65 hail reports within 10 miles of Marengo since 1981, made on 40 separate days. Of these, 48 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on July 27, 1981. The most recent report is from March 30, 2025. April has the most reports, 16.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Marengo
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is English, IN, 9 miles southwest of Marengo at 510 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 66°F; January is the coolest, at 43°F and 24°F. June is the wettest at 5.4 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 2.9 inches; the year adds up to 50.9 inches over 79 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 31 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 110 nights a year. That 50.9 inches is more than at 107 of the 115 Indiana stations used on this site (93%). Paoli, 13 miles northwest, has its own station (Paoli, IN): 49.6 inches a year, 1.3 less than here, and a July average high of 87°F against 88°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43 | 24 | 3.8 | 7 |
| Feb | 48 | 26 | 3.6 | 7 |
| Mar | 58 | 35 | 4.8 | 8 |
| Apr | 69 | 44 | 5.3 | 8 |
| May | 77 | 54 | 5.0 | 9 |
| Jun | 86 | 62 | 5.4 | 8 |
| Jul | 88 | 66 | 3.8 | 5 |
| Aug | 88 | 64 | 2.9 | 5 |
| Sep | 82 | 56 | 3.7 | 5 |
| Oct | 71 | 44 | 4.0 | 5 |
| Nov | 58 | 35 | 4.3 | 7 |
| Dec | 47 | 28 | 4.3 | 7 |
| Year | 68 | 45 | 50.9 | 79 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at English, IN (510 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 Marengo
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 202 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Marengo: 154 thunderstorm wind reports, 29 flash floods, 18 floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $4.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on April 9, 2011. Of the 337 Indiana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 296 have had fewer than Marengo.
April 2, 2006: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Marengo — 2 injured, $5,000 damage.
April 29, 2017: flood 7 miles from the centre of Marengo — $4.0 million damage.
May 27, 2004: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Marengo — $250,000 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Marengo's ZIP code 47140 have filed 31 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $227,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 1990, with 10. Of the 155 Indiana cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 59 have fewer than Marengo.
Crawford County, which includes Marengo, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 severe storms, 4 floods, 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 Crawford County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for tornadoes, inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes, hail and lightning. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $5.9 million a year, the 83rd highest of 92 Indiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.4 million (58%), 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 Marengo
- Depauw, IN7 mi
- English, IN8 mi
- Paoli, IN13 mi
- Palmyra, IN14 mi
- New Salisbury, IN15 mi
- Corydon, IN17 mi
- French Lick, IN18 mi
- Orleans, IN19 mi
- Campbellsburg, IN19 mi
- Greenville, IN20 mi
- Pekin, IN20 mi
- Salem, IN21 mi
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