NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit North Vernon, 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 North Vernon, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1915. Since 1950, 109 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 13 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 2
- Tornadoes
- 109
- EF3 or stronger
- 13
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
21 deaths in all
What the records show for North Vernon
None of the 2 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed North Vernon; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1892, a tropical storm with 51 mph winds when its centre passed 63 miles away. The record near North Vernon begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was an unnamed storm in 1915, a tropical storm 39 miles away. Of the 356 Indiana cities on this site, 88% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than North Vernon. The highest rating among the 109 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on June 2, 1990, came within 17 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on April 3, 1974, killed 11 people. Of the 109, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 43 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 34. The most recent tornado was on July 16, 2025. North Vernon has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 57% of the 356 Indiana cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 39 times since 1956, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 356 Indiana cities, 81% have more hail reports within 10 miles than North Vernon.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near North Vernon
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in North Vernon: 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 North Vernon
By decade
- 2020s14
- 2010s18(1 EF3+)
- 2000s11(1 EF3+)
- 1990s20(4 EF3+)
- 1980s9
- 1970s22(5 EF3+)
- 1960s10(2 EF3+)
- 1950s5
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 18 mi | 35.6 mi | 11 / 190 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 9 mi | 35.6 mi | 4 / 17 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F4 | 17 mi | 18 mi | 0 / 9 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF3 | 13 mi | 8.69 mi | 3 / 5 |
| Sep 26, 1976 | F3 | 15 mi | 14.6 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Sep 26, 1976 | F3 | 10 mi | 4.9 mi | 1 / 10 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 11 mi | 35.8 mi | 1 / 26 |
| Nov 15, 2005 | F3 | 23 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 9, 1999 | F3 | 15 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 9, 1999 | F3 | 11 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F3 | 12 mi | 41 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 14, 1968 | F3 | 17 mi | 3.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 109, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in North Vernon
The Storm Prediction Center has 39 hail reports within 10 miles of North Vernon since 1956, made on 31 separate days. Of these, 26 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on September 15, 1956. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. July has the most reports, 12.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in North Vernon
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is N Vernon 2 ESE, IN, 2 miles east of North Vernon at 743 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 40°F and 23°F. April is the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.2 inches; the year adds up to 49.4 inches over 79 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 19 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 102 nights a year. Snowfall averages 17.2 inches a year, most of it in February. That 49.4 inches is more than at 97 of the 115 Indiana stations used on this site (84%). Elizabethtown, 12 miles northwest, has its own station (Columbus, IN): 47.3 inches a year, 2.1 less than here, and the same July average high, 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 40 | 23 | 3.4 | 6 | 4.8 |
| Feb | 45 | 26 | 3.2 | 7 | 5.9 |
| Mar | 55 | 34 | 4.2 | 7 | 2.2 |
| Apr | 67 | 44 | 5.3 | 8 | 0.1 |
| May | 75 | 53 | 4.9 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 61 | 5.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 65 | 4.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 63 | 4.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 79 | 56 | 3.3 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 68 | 45 | 3.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 55 | 35 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.3 |
| Dec | 44 | 28 | 3.7 | 7 | 3.9 |
| Year | 65 | 44 | 49.4 | 79 | 17.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at N Vernon 2 ESE, IN (743 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 North Vernon
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 81 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of North Vernon: 64 thunderstorm wind reports, 11 floods, 5 flash floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $3.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on June 26, 2008. Of the 337 Indiana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 77 have had fewer than North Vernon.
August 2, 2024: lightning strike 3 miles from the centre of North Vernon — 2 injured, $1,000 damage.
NWS: “Two persons inside the tent, an 18-year-old male and a juvenile female who was 9 months pregnant, were both injured. Both victims were treated for their injuries, and were in stable yet serious condition as of the evening of August 3rd; the baby was reported unharmed.”
January 29, 2008: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of North Vernon — 1 injured, $20,000 damage.
June 19, 2021: flash flood 1 mile from the centre of North Vernon — $2.0 million damage.
NWS: “Numerous water rescues were performed during the early morning hours of June 19th. Many county and state roads were under water as a result of locations receiving more than 7 inches of 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
Jennings County, which includes North Vernon, has been named in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1968, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 severe storms, 4 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 Jennings County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Low for inland flooding and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $9.8 million a year, the 67th highest of 92 Indiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $5.3 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.
Cities near North Vernon
- Westport, IN11 mi
- Elizabethtown, IN12 mi
- Holton, IN14 mi
- Seymour, IN15 mi
- Crothersville, IN19 mi
- Osgood, IN20 mi
- Versailles, IN20 mi
- Columbus, IN20 mi
- Austin, IN20 mi
- Madison, IN21 mi
- Hope, IN21 mi
- Lexington, IN23 mi
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