NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit New Palestine, 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 New Palestine, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 145 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 20 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 145
- EF3 or stronger
- 20
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
7 deaths in all
What the records show for New Palestine
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed New Palestine; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 72 miles away. The record near New Palestine 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 New Palestine. The highest rating among the 145 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 5 times; the most recent, on June 11, 1998, came within 4 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on July 9, 1980, killed 2 people. Of the 145, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 47 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 32. The most recent tornado was on April 2, 2025. New Palestine has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 93% of the 356 Indiana cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 132 times since 1963, with stones up to 3.4 inches. New Palestine has more hail reports within 10 miles than 90% of the 356 Indiana cities.
Compare New Palestine's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near New Palestine
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 44 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 New Palestine: 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 New Palestine
By decade
- 2020s17(1 EF3+)
- 2010s15
- 2000s15(2 EF3+)
- 1990s20(4 EF3+)
- 1980s20(2 EF3+)
- 1970s24(4 EF3+)
- 1960s17(5 EF3+)
- 1950s17(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 9, 1980 | F4 | 23 mi | 11 mi | 2 / 25 |
| Jun 11, 1998 | F4 | 4 mi | 13.2 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 13 mi | 18.9 mi | 0 / 17 |
| May 14, 1972 | F4 | 7 mi | 30 mi | 0 / 20 |
| Apr 25, 1961 | F4 | 11 mi | 63.1 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Oct 11, 1954 | F3 | 18 mi | 4.7 mi | 2 / 0 |
| Jun 3, 2008 | EF3 | 22 mi | 9.68 mi | 1 / 8 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 6 mi | 20.7 mi | 1 / 25 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF3 | 12 mi | 5.48 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 20, 2002 | F3 | 9 mi | 112 mi | 0 / 127 |
| Nov 22, 1992 | F3 | 14 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 22, 1992 | F3 | 14 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 145, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in New Palestine
The Storm Prediction Center has 132 hail reports within 10 miles of New Palestine since 1963, made on 71 separate days. Of these, 93 were 1 inch across or larger, and 11 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3.4 inches, fell on June 18, 2021. The most recent report is from May 20, 2025. May has the most reports, 28.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in New Palestine
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Greenfield, IN, 8 miles northeast of New Palestine at 869 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 35°F and 19°F. June is the wettest at 5.7 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.6 inches; the year adds up to 47.9 inches over 85 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 15 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 119 nights a year. Snowfall averages 20.2 inches a year, most of it in January. That 47.9 inches is more than at 87 of the 115 Indiana stations used on this site (76%). Fountaintown, 5 miles southeast, has its own station (Shelbyville Municipal Airport, IN): 43.2 inches a year, 4.7 less than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 35 | 19 | 3.3 | 7 | 7.4 |
| Feb | 39 | 22 | 2.6 | 5 | 5.4 |
| Mar | 50 | 30 | 3.7 | 8 | 1.8 |
| Apr | 62 | 41 | 4.7 | 9 | 0.1 |
| May | 73 | 52 | 5.3 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 81 | 61 | 5.7 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 84 | 64 | 4.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 83 | 62 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 78 | 55 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 65 | 43 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 51 | 33 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.7 |
| Dec | 39 | 24 | 3.2 | 7 | 4.8 |
| Year | 62 | 42 | 47.9 | 85 | 20.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Greenfield, IN (869 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 New Palestine
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 175 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of New Palestine: 154 thunderstorm wind reports, 9 floods, 7 lightning strikes and 5 flash floods. They killed 0 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $5.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on April 19, 1996. Of the 337 Indiana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 77 have had fewer than New Palestine.
October 6, 2019: lightning strike 5 miles from the centre of New Palestine — 1 injured, $750,000 damage.
NWS: “A lightning strike caused a fire in a residential neighborhood on the southeast side of Indianapolis Indiana. This fire led to damage at 3 residences.”
August 19, 2009: lightning strike 10 miles from the centre of New Palestine — 1 injured, $1,000 damage.
April 29, 2009: flood 9 miles from the centre of New Palestine — $3.0 million 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
Hancock County, which includes New Palestine, has been named in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 severe storms, 4 floods, 3 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 Hancock 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 $22.7 million a year, the 27th highest of 92 Indiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $13.4 million (59%), 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 New Palestine
- Fountaintown, IN5 mi
- Fairland, IN8 mi
- Greenfield, IN8 mi
- Beech Grove, IN10 mi
- Morristown, IN11 mi
- Mccordsville, IN12 mi
- Indianapolis, IN14 mi
- Fortville, IN15 mi
- Greenwood, IN15 mi
- Whiteland, IN15 mi
- Shelbyville, IN16 mi
- Fishers, IN16 mi
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