NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Palmyra, 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
4 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Palmyra, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 116 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 9 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 116
- EF3 or stronger
- 9
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
68 deaths in all
What the records show for Palmyra
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Palmyra; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 53 mph winds when its centre passed 57 miles away. The record near Palmyra begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 34 miles away. Of the 4 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 356 Indiana cities on this site, 37% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Palmyra. The highest rating among the 116 tornadoes within 25 miles is F5, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 3, 1974, passed within a mile of the city centre. The deadliest, an F5 on April 3, 1974, killed 31 people. Of the 116, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 74 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 25. The most recent tornado was on December 28, 2025. Palmyra has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 65% of the 356 Indiana cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 52 times since 1989, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 356 Indiana cities, 64% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Palmyra.
Compare Palmyra's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Palmyra
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Palmyra: 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 Palmyra
By decade
- 2020s23
- 2010s32(1 EF3+)
- 2000s19(1 EF3+)
- 1990s11(2 EF3+)
- 1980s7
- 1970s11(4 EF3+)
- 1960s8(1 EF3+)
- 1950s5
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 25 mi | 32 mi | 31 / 270 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | in town | 68 mi | 6 / 86 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF4 | 3 mi | 46.6 mi | 11 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 21 mi | 35.6 mi | 11 / 190 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 24 mi | 18.5 mi | 3 / 225 |
| May 30, 2004 | F3 | 10 mi | 15 mi | 1 / 11 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F3 | 8 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F3 | 24 mi | 41 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 19, 1963 | F3 | 11 mi | 85.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | EF2 | 6 mi | 15.27 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 2024 | EF2 | 21 mi | 11.15 mi | 0 / 32 |
| Mar 1, 2017 | EF2 | 23 mi | 0.68 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 116, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Palmyra
The Storm Prediction Center has 52 hail reports within 10 miles of Palmyra since 1989, made on 29 separate days. Of these, 43 were 1 inch across or larger, and 6 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on March 2, 2012. The most recent report is from April 10, 2025. April has the most reports, 15.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Palmyra
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Salem, IN, 14 miles north of Palmyra at 785 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 41°F and 24°F. May is the wettest at 5.2 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.0 inches; the year adds up to 46.9 inches over 75 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 25 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 104 nights a year. Snowfall averages 14.1 inches a year, most of it in January. That 46.9 inches is more than at 77 of the 115 Indiana stations used on this site (67%). Greenville, 6 miles southeast, has its own station (Louisville Mcalpine, KY): 48.0 inches a year, 1.1 more than here, and a July average high of 89°F against 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 41 | 24 | 3.5 | 6 | 4.9 |
| Feb | 46 | 26 | 3.2 | 6 | 4.1 |
| Mar | 56 | 34 | 4.8 | 8 | 2.2 |
| Apr | 68 | 43 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.3 |
| May | 76 | 53 | 5.2 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 84 | 62 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 87 | 65 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 86 | 63 | 3.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 81 | 56 | 3.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 45 | 3.0 | 5 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 56 | 35 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.2 |
| Dec | 44 | 28 | 4.0 | 6 | 2.2 |
| Year | 66 | 45 | 46.9 | 75 | 14.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Salem, IN (785 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 Palmyra
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 171 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Palmyra: 117 thunderstorm wind reports, 26 flash floods, 23 floods and 5 heavy rain events. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $4.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on January 29, 2008. Of the 337 Indiana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 283 have had fewer than Palmyra.
March 18, 2008: flood 5 miles from the centre of Palmyra — $3.0 million damage.
NWS: “3 feet around 330 PM EST on March 19. Flood stage at Fredericksburg is 20 feet.”
March 11, 2006: flood 5 miles from the centre of Palmyra — $500,000 damage.
NWS: “76 feet around 430 AM EST on March 12. Flood stage at Fredricksburg is 20 feet.”
November 10, 2002: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Palmyra — $150,000 damage.
NWS: “Thunderstorm winds took the roofs off numerous houses. Many trees were downed.”
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
Harrison County, which includes Palmyra, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1968, 16 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 severe storms, 6 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on July 22, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Harrison County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Low for inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $18.0 million a year, the 32nd highest of 92 Indiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $8.8 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.