NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Orleans, 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 Orleans, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 94 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 12 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 2
- Tornadoes
- 94
- EF3 or stronger
- 12
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
25 deaths in all
What the records show for Orleans
None of the 2 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Orleans; the strongest was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm with 46 mph winds when its centre passed 39 miles away. The record near Orleans 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 Orleans. The strongest of the 94 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on April 3, 1974; its path came within 23 miles, and it killed 6 people. The deadliest, an EF4 on March 2, 2012, killed 11 people. Of the 94, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 55 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 21. The most recent tornado was on April 2, 2025. Of the 356 Indiana cities, 66% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Orleans. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 48 times since 1971, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 356 Indiana cities, 69% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Orleans.
Compare Orleans's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Orleans
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 28 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 31 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 Orleans: 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 Orleans
By decade
- 2020s16
- 2010s27(2 EF3+)
- 2000s12(2 EF3+)
- 1990s13(4 EF3+)
- 1980s5
- 1970s7(2 EF3+)
- 1960s5(2 EF3+)
- 1950s9
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 23 mi | 68 mi | 6 / 86 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF4 | 20 mi | 46.6 mi | 11 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F4 | 11 mi | 11 mi | 1 / 51 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F4 | 10 mi | 106 mi | 1 / 12 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F4 | 16 mi | 18 mi | 0 / 9 |
| May 30, 2004 | F3 | 20 mi | 15 mi | 1 / 11 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 11 mi | 35.8 mi | 1 / 26 |
| May 25, 2011 | EF3 | 15 mi | 6.75 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 8, 2009 | EF3 | 16 mi | 1.06 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F3 | 19 mi | 41 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 24, 1967 | F3 | 23 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 19, 1963 | F3 | 13 mi | 85.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 94, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Orleans
The Storm Prediction Center has 48 hail reports within 10 miles of Orleans since 1971, made on 37 separate days. Of these, 32 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on June 25, 2023, the most recent report. April and June have the most reports, 14 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Orleans
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Paoli, IN, 7 miles southwest of Orleans at 560 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 40°F and 21°F. April and May are the wettest at 5.4 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 3.2 inches; the year adds up to 49.6 inches over 78 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 26 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 119 nights a year. Snowfall averages 12.8 inches a year, most of it in February. That 49.6 inches is more than at 100 of the 115 Indiana stations used on this site (87%). Mitchell, 7 miles northwest, has its own station (Oolitic Purdue Ex Fm, IN): 48.1 inches a year, 1.5 less than here, and a July average high of 85°F against 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 40 | 21 | 3.4 | 6 | 3.7 |
| Feb | 45 | 24 | 3.4 | 6 | 5.2 |
| Mar | 55 | 32 | 4.4 | 7 | 1.2 |
| Apr | 67 | 41 | 5.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 76 | 52 | 5.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 84 | 61 | 4.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 87 | 65 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 86 | 62 | 3.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 80 | 54 | 3.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 68 | 42 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 55 | 33 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Dec | 44 | 26 | 4.0 | 7 | 2.6 |
| Year | 65 | 43 | 49.6 | 78 | 12.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Paoli, IN (560 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 Orleans
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 147 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Orleans: 110 thunderstorm wind reports, 20 floods, 15 flash floods and 2 heavy rain events. They killed 2 people and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $31.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on April 2, 2006. Of the 337 Indiana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 212 have had fewer than Orleans.
March 9, 2026: flood 8 miles from the centre of Orleans — 2 killed, $20,000 damage.
June 7, 2008: flood 9 miles from the centre of Orleans — $30.0 million damage.
April 2, 2006: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Orleans — $500,000 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
Orange County, which includes Orleans, has been named in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1979, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 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 Orange County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Low for hail, inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and lightning. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $11.4 million a year, the 61st highest of 92 Indiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $5.6 million (49%), 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 Orleans
- Mitchell, IN7 mi
- Paoli, IN8 mi
- Campbellsburg, IN9 mi
- French Lick, IN14 mi
- Bedford, IN15 mi
- Shoals, IN18 mi
- Salem, IN19 mi
- Marengo, IN19 mi
- Dubois, IN22 mi
- English, IN23 mi
- Depauw, IN23 mi
- Palmyra, IN25 mi
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