NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Morristown, 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 Morristown, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1915. Since 1950, 132 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 19 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 2
- Tornadoes
- 132
- EF3 or stronger
- 19
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
7 deaths in all
What the records show for Morristown
None of the 2 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Morristown; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1915, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre crossed the city. The record near Morristown begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was an unnamed storm in 1915. Of the 356 Indiana cities on this site, 88% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Morristown. The highest rating among the 132 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 5 times; the most recent, on June 11, 1998, came within 10 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on July 9, 1980, killed 2 people. Of the 132, 9 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 51 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 31. The most recent tornado was on May 7, 2024. Morristown has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 83% of the 356 Indiana cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 59 times since 1965, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 356 Indiana cities, 56% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Morristown.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Morristown
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | overhead | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 52 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 Morristown: 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 Morristown
By decade
- 2020s14(1 EF3+)
- 2010s15
- 2000s22(3 EF3+)
- 1990s14(3 EF3+)
- 1980s16(2 EF3+)
- 1970s21(3 EF3+)
- 1960s15(5 EF3+)
- 1950s15(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 9, 1980 | F4 | 12 mi | 11 mi | 2 / 25 |
| Jun 11, 1998 | F4 | 10 mi | 13.2 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 6 mi | 18.9 mi | 0 / 17 |
| May 14, 1972 | F4 | 16 mi | 30 mi | 0 / 20 |
| Apr 25, 1961 | F4 | 5 mi | 63.1 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Oct 11, 1954 | F3 | 22 mi | 4.7 mi | 2 / 0 |
| Jun 3, 2008 | EF3 | 14 mi | 9.68 mi | 1 / 8 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 5 mi | 20.7 mi | 1 / 25 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF3 | 18 mi | 5.48 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 15, 2005 | F3 | 23 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Sep 20, 2002 | F3 | 19 mi | 112 mi | 0 / 127 |
| Nov 22, 1992 | F3 | 9 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 132, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Morristown
The Storm Prediction Center has 59 hail reports within 10 miles of Morristown since 1965, made on 46 separate days. Of these, 39 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on June 2, 1980. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. May has the most reports, 16.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Morristown
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Shelbyville Municipal Airport, IN, 9 miles southwest of Morristown at 804 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 37°F and 22°F. June is the wettest at 5.2 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.3 inches; the year adds up to 43.2 inches over 78 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 22 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 106 nights a year. That 43.2 inches is more than at 56 of the 115 Indiana stations used on this site (49%). Greenfield, 10 miles northwest, has its own station (Greenfield, IN): 47.9 inches a year, 4.7 more than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 37 | 22 | 3.1 | 5 |
| Feb | 42 | 25 | 2.3 | 5 |
| Mar | 53 | 34 | 3.5 | 7 |
| Apr | 66 | 44 | 4.5 | 8 |
| May | 76 | 55 | 4.6 | 9 |
| Jun | 83 | 63 | 5.2 | 8 |
| Jul | 86 | 65 | 3.9 | 7 |
| Aug | 85 | 63 | 3.2 | 6 |
| Sep | 80 | 55 | 3.1 | 5 |
| Oct | 67 | 45 | 3.2 | 6 |
| Nov | 53 | 35 | 3.6 | 6 |
| Dec | 42 | 27 | 3.0 | 6 |
| Year | 64 | 44 | 43.2 | 78 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Shelbyville Municipal Airport, IN (804 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 Morristown
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 153 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Morristown: 140 thunderstorm wind reports, 6 floods, 5 flash floods and 2 lightning strikes. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $1.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on July 8, 2021. April has had the most flash floods, 2 of 5. Of the 337 Indiana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 77 have had fewer than Morristown.
March 15, 2026: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Morristown — $150,000 damage.
NWS: “Numerous trees and power lines downed across a swath stretching from Manilla to near Arlington.”
April 14, 2006: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Morristown — $100,000 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 Morristown's ZIP code 46161 have filed 21 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1985, and were paid $192,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 43% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 155 Indiana cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 39 have fewer than Morristown.
Shelby County, which includes Morristown, has been named in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 9 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 severe storms, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 3, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Shelby County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes; Relatively Low for hail, inland flooding, strong wind, 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 36th highest of 92 Indiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $8.4 million (51%), 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 Morristown
- Fountaintown, IN7 mi
- Greenfield, IN10 mi
- Fairland, IN10 mi
- Shelbyville, IN11 mi
- New Palestine, IN11 mi
- Knightstown, IN13 mi
- Rushville, IN14 mi
- Saint Paul, IN18 mi
- Shirley, IN18 mi
- Mccordsville, IN20 mi
- Fortville, IN20 mi
- Ingalls, IN20 mi
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