NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Memphis, 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 Memphis, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 130 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 13 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 130
- EF3 or stronger
- 13
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
37 deaths in all
What the records show for Memphis
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Memphis; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 50 miles away. The record near Memphis begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 50 miles away. 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 Memphis. The strongest of the 130 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on April 3, 1974; its path came within 7 miles, and it killed 6 people. The deadliest, an EF4 on March 2, 2012, killed 11 people. Of the 130, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 75 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 32. The most recent tornado was on April 2, 2025. Memphis has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 81% of the 356 Indiana cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 91 times since 1958, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Memphis has more hail reports within 10 miles than 76% of the 356 Indiana cities.
Compare Memphis's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Memphis
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Memphis: 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 Memphis
By decade
- 2020s26(1 EF3+)
- 2010s29(1 EF3+)
- 2000s20(1 EF3+)
- 1990s13(5 EF3+)
- 1980s8
- 1970s17(4 EF3+)
- 1960s14(1 EF3+)
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 7 mi | 68 mi | 6 / 86 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF4 | 4 mi | 46.6 mi | 11 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 5 mi | 35.6 mi | 11 / 190 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 15 mi | 18.5 mi | 3 / 225 |
| May 28, 1996 | F4 | 22 mi | 30 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Sep 26, 1976 | F3 | 23 mi | 14.6 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | EF3 | 22 mi | 9.68 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 18, 2007 | EF3 | 12 mi | 4.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F3 | 10 mi | 17 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F3 | 15 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F3 | 5 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F3 | 22 mi | 41 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 130, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Memphis
The Storm Prediction Center has 91 hail reports within 10 miles of Memphis since 1958, made on 60 separate days. Of these, 68 were 1 inch across or larger, and 6 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on March 2, 2012. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. May has the most reports, 25.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Memphis
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Louisville Mcalpine, KY, 14 miles south of Memphis at 440 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 70°F; January is the coolest, at 43°F and 26°F. April and May are the wettest at 4.8 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 3.3 inches; the year adds up to 48.0 inches over 79 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 46 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 77 nights a year. Snowfall averages 4.3 inches a year, most of it in January. That 48.0 inches is more than at 88 of the 115 Indiana stations used on this site (77%). Henryville, 5 miles north, has its own station (Salem, IN): 46.9 inches a year, 1.1 less than here, and a July average high of 87°F against 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43 | 26 | 3.5 | 6 | 2.3 |
| Feb | 48 | 29 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.3 |
| Mar | 57 | 37 | 4.5 | 8 | 0.3 |
| Apr | 69 | 47 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 77 | 58 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 85 | 66 | 4.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 89 | 70 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 88 | 69 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 82 | 62 | 3.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 50 | 3.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 57 | 38 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 47 | 31 | 4.5 | 7 | 1.4 |
| Year | 68 | 48 | 48.0 | 79 | 4.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Louisville Mcalpine, KY (440 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 Memphis
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 203 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Memphis: 136 thunderstorm wind reports, 47 flash floods, 11 floods, 7 heavy rain events and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 1 person and injured 7, and the NWS estimated $444,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on May 1, 2002. July has had the most flash floods, 9 of 47. Of the 337 Indiana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 326 have had fewer than Memphis.
July 14, 2015: flood 8 miles from the centre of Memphis — 1 killed, $20,000 damage.
March 15, 2025: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Memphis — 4 injured.
June 29, 2023: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Memphis — 2 injured.
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
Clark County, which includes Memphis, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 16 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 severe storms, 5 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 Clark County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding and lightning; Relatively Low for hail and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $54.4 million a year, the 9th highest of 92 Indiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $25.3 million (46%), 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 Memphis
- Henryville, IN5 mi
- Sellersburg, IN6 mi
- Charlestown, IN6 mi
- Borden, IN8 mi
- Floyds Knobs, IN11 mi
- Goshen, KY11 mi
- Jeffersonville, IN12 mi
- Clarksville, IN12 mi
- New Albany, IN12 mi
- Prospect, KY12 mi
- Pekin, IN13 mi
- Greenville, IN14 mi
All Indiana cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Memphis with another place →