NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Mitchell, 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
2 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Mitchell, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 88 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 11 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 2
- Tornadoes
- 88
- EF3 or stronger
- 11
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
6 deaths in all
What the records show for Mitchell
None of the 2 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Mitchell; the strongest was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm with 46 mph winds when its centre passed 44 miles away. The record near Mitchell begins with an unnamed storm in 1915; the most recent system was Helene in 2024. Of the 356 Indiana cities on this site, 88% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Mitchell. The highest rating among the 88 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on June 2, 1990, came within 8 miles. The deadliest, an F1 on March 19, 1963, killed 2 people. Of the 88, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 53 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 19. The most recent tornado was on April 2, 2025. Of the 356 Indiana cities, 78% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Mitchell. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 64 times since 1971, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Mitchell has more hail reports within 10 miles than 51% of the 356 Indiana cities.
Compare Mitchell's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Mitchell
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 28 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Mitchell: 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 Mitchell
By decade
- 2020s17
- 2010s23(1 EF3+)
- 2000s13(2 EF3+)
- 1990s12(5 EF3+)
- 1980s4
- 1970s6(1 EF3+)
- 1960s3(2 EF3+)
- 1950s10
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2, 1990 | F4 | 4 mi | 11 mi | 1 / 51 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F4 | 8 mi | 106 mi | 1 / 12 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F4 | 14 mi | 18 mi | 0 / 9 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 11 mi | 35.8 mi | 1 / 26 |
| May 25, 2011 | EF3 | 11 mi | 6.75 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 8, 2009 | EF3 | 10 mi | 1.06 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Nov 15, 2005 | F3 | 22 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 31 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F3 | 21 mi | 41 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F3 | 22 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 24, 1967 | F3 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 19, 1963 | F3 | 20 mi | 85.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 25, 2023 | EF2 | 19 mi | 9.12 mi | 1 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 88, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Mitchell
The Storm Prediction Center has 64 hail reports within 10 miles of Mitchell since 1971, made on 43 separate days. Of these, 43 were 1 inch across or larger, and 7 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on May 25, 2011. The most recent report is from April 30, 2025. April has the most reports, 16.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Mitchell
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Oolitic Purdue Ex Fm, IN, 11 miles north of Mitchell at 652 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 38°F and 21°F. May is the wettest at 5.6 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.8 inches; the year adds up to 48.1 inches over 81 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 18 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 119 nights a year. Snowfall averages 16.4 inches a year, most of it in January. That 48.1 inches is more than at 91 of the 115 Indiana stations used on this site (79%). Orleans, 7 miles southeast, has its own station (Paoli, IN): 49.6 inches a year, 1.5 more than here, and a July average high of 87°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 38 | 21 | 3.4 | 6 | 5.1 |
| Feb | 43 | 23 | 2.8 | 6 | 4.7 |
| Mar | 53 | 31 | 3.9 | 7 | 2.1 |
| Apr | 65 | 41 | 5.1 | 9 | 0.1 |
| May | 74 | 52 | 5.6 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 82 | 61 | 5.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 85 | 64 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 62 | 3.6 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 79 | 55 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 67 | 43 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 54 | 33 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.2 |
| Dec | 42 | 25 | 3.5 | 7 | 4.2 |
| Year | 64 | 42 | 48.1 | 81 | 16.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Oolitic Purdue Ex Fm, IN (652 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 Mitchell
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 148 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Mitchell: 103 thunderstorm wind reports, 27 floods, 16 flash floods and 2 heavy rain events. They killed 3 people and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $31.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 82 mph, on April 2, 2006. May has had the most flash floods, 6 of 16. Of the 337 Indiana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 219 have had fewer than Mitchell.
March 9, 2026: flood 6 miles from the centre of Mitchell — 2 killed, $20,000 damage.
NWS: “The East Fork White River, while cresting in moderate flood stage in southeastern Lawrence County, swept away a truck carrying two people during the overnight early on the 9th.”
March 12, 2006: flood 9 miles from the centre of Mitchell — 1 killed, $100,000 damage.
June 7, 2008: flood 6 miles from the centre of Mitchell — $30.0 million damage.
NWS: “Flooding occurred along the East Fork White River in Lawrence County, including in the Rivervale, Bedford, and Williams areas due to heavy rain.”
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
Lawrence County, which includes Mitchell, 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 Lawrence County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Low for hail, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $16.3 million a year, the 35th highest of 92 Indiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $8.5 million (52%), 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 Mitchell
- Orleans, IN7 mi
- Bedford, IN9 mi
- Campbellsburg, IN14 mi
- Paoli, IN14 mi
- Shoals, IN16 mi
- French Lick, IN17 mi
- Springville, IN18 mi
- Loogootee, IN22 mi
- Salem, IN24 mi
- Dubois, IN24 mi
- Marengo, IN26 mi
- Brownstown, IN26 mi
All Indiana cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Mitchell with another place →