NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Middletown, 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 Middletown, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 113 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 14 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 113
- EF3 or stronger
- 14
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
7 deaths in all
What the records show for Middletown
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Middletown; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 65 miles away. The record near Middletown 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 Middletown. The highest rating among the 113 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 4 times; the most recent, on June 11, 1998, came within 19 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on April 9, 1953, killed 3 people. Of the 113, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 38 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 26. The most recent tornado was on April 2, 2025. Middletown has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 61% of the 356 Indiana cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 71 times since 1980, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Middletown has more hail reports within 10 miles than 59% of the 356 Indiana cities.
Compare Middletown's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Middletown
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 33 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 Middletown: 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 Middletown
By decade
- 2020s13(1 EF3+)
- 2010s10
- 2000s15(1 EF3+)
- 1990s18(2 EF3+)
- 1980s11
- 1970s15(4 EF3+)
- 1960s18(5 EF3+)
- 1950s13(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 13 mi | 18 mi | 1 / 12 |
| Jun 11, 1998 | F4 | 19 mi | 13.2 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 5 mi | 18.9 mi | 0 / 17 |
| May 14, 1972 | F4 | 3 mi | 30 mi | 0 / 20 |
| Apr 9, 1953 | F3 | 19 mi | 156.7 mi | 3 / 22 |
| Mar 14, 2024 | EF3 | 23 mi | 41.34 mi | 1 / 39 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 15 mi | 20.7 mi | 1 / 25 |
| Sep 20, 2002 | F3 | 11 mi | 112 mi | 0 / 127 |
| Nov 22, 1992 | F3 | 22 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 26, 1965 | F3 | 11 mi | 1.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 26, 1965 | F3 | 9 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 26, 1965 | F3 | 19 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 3 |
The strongest 12 of 113, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Middletown
The Storm Prediction Center has 71 hail reports within 10 miles of Middletown since 1980, made on 46 separate days. Of these, 45 were 1 inch across or larger, and 7 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on May 18, 2000. The most recent report is from March 14, 2024. June has the most reports, 21.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Middletown
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Anderson Sewage Plt, IN, 12 miles northwest of Middletown 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%). Shirley, 9 miles south, has its own station (New Castle 3 SW, IN): 44.4 inches a year, 0.6 more than here, and a July average high of 83°F against 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 Middletown
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 128 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Middletown: 111 thunderstorm wind reports, 8 floods, 4 flash floods, 4 lightning strikes and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 1 person and injured 8, and the NWS estimated $5.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on October 26, 2010.
June 4, 2011: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Middletown — 1 killed, 3 injured, $12,000 damage.
October 26, 2010: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Middletown — 2 injured, $75,000 damage.
July 23, 2011: lightning strike 2 miles from the centre of Middletown — 2 injured.
NWS: “Police say two 11-year-old boys hurt by a lightning strike in central Indiana were attending a family reunion when the storm rolled in. , was in critical but stable condition at Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, while the other of Indianapolis was hospitalized in fair condition.”
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 Middletown, 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.