NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Oakland City, 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 Oakland City, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 143 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 143
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
35 deaths in all
What the records show for Oakland City
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Oakland City; the strongest was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm with 43 mph winds when its centre passed 34 miles away. The record near Oakland City begins with an unnamed storm in 1915; the most recent system was Helene in 2024. Of the 356 Indiana cities on this site, 65% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Oakland City. The highest rating among the 143 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on June 2, 1990, came within 13 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on November 6, 2005, killed 24 people. Of the 143, 9 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 84 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 40. The most recent tornado was on December 28, 2025. Oakland City has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 92% of the 356 Indiana cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 55 times since 1967, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Of the 356 Indiana cities, 60% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Oakland City.
Compare Oakland City's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Oakland City
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 28 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 18 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 Oakland City: 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 Oakland City
By decade
- 2020s31
- 2010s39(1 EF3+)
- 2000s14(1 EF3+)
- 1990s19(2 EF3+)
- 1980s12(2 EF3+)
- 1970s11
- 1960s8
- 1950s9
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2, 1990 | F4 | 11 mi | 13 mi | 6 / 60 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F4 | 13 mi | 106 mi | 1 / 12 |
| Jan 7, 1989 | F4 | 20 mi | 19 mi | 0 / 55 |
| Nov 6, 2005 | F3 | 21 mi | 41.3 mi | 24 / 238 |
| Feb 28, 2017 | EF3 | in town | 44.13 mi | 1 / 2 |
| Apr 3, 1989 | F3 | 13 mi | 3.1 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Jan 29, 2008 | EF2 | 23 mi | 7.01 mi | 2 / 0 |
| Apr 11, 1979 | F2 | 18 mi | 10 mi | 1 / 2 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | EF2 | 19 mi | 10.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 15, 2025 | EF2 | 2 mi | 57.49 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 9, 2024 | EF2 | 22 mi | 8.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 26, 2024 | EF2 | 16 mi | 12.14 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 143, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Oakland City
The Storm Prediction Center has 55 hail reports within 10 miles of Oakland City since 1967, made on 46 separate days. Of these, 29 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on July 31, 2012. The most recent report is from April 10, 2025. June has the most reports, 15.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Oakland City
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Stendal, IN, 10 miles east of Oakland City at 635 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 39°F and 24°F. May is the wettest at 5.9 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.4 inches; the year adds up to 52.4 inches over 80 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 29 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 91 nights a year. That 52.4 inches is more than at 112 of the 115 Indiana stations used on this site (97%). Winslow, 8 miles northeast, has its own station (Petersburg 61 Brg, IN): 47.9 inches a year, 4.5 less than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39 | 24 | 3.6 | 6 |
| Feb | 44 | 27 | 3.4 | 6 |
| Mar | 54 | 35 | 4.8 | 8 |
| Apr | 66 | 46 | 5.5 | 8 |
| May | 74 | 56 | 5.9 | 8 |
| Jun | 83 | 64 | 4.6 | 7 |
| Jul | 85 | 67 | 4.7 | 7 |
| Aug | 85 | 65 | 4.1 | 5 |
| Sep | 79 | 58 | 3.5 | 5 |
| Oct | 68 | 47 | 3.6 | 6 |
| Nov | 54 | 37 | 4.3 | 6 |
| Dec | 45 | 28 | 4.4 | 8 |
| Year | 65 | 46 | 52.4 | 80 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Stendal, IN (635 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 Oakland City
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 105 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Oakland City: 77 thunderstorm wind reports, 15 flash floods, 7 floods, 5 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. They killed 1 person and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $7.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 110 mph, on July 31, 2012. June has had the most flash floods, 6 of 15. Of the 337 Indiana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 212 have had fewer than Oakland City.
May 30, 2015: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Oakland City — 1 killed, 1 injured, $2,000 damage.
July 31, 2012: thunderstorm wind in Oakland City — 1 injured, $6.0 million damage.
NWS: “A very destructive macroburst with winds estimated up to 110 mph snapped or uprooted thousands of trees. Hundreds of structures were damaged.”
April 26, 2011: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Oakland City — $150,000 damage.
NWS: “Hundreds of trees were either snapped or uprooted. Numerous homes received minor roof 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
Gibson County, which includes Oakland City, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1968, 18 of them major disasters (by incident: 12 severe storms, 5 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 3, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Gibson County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, 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 $17.8 million a year, the 33rd highest of 92 Indiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $5.0 million (28%), 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.