NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Peru, 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
6 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Peru, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 102 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 15 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 102
- EF3 or stronger
- 15
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
45 deaths in all
What the records show for Peru
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Peru; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 8 miles away. The record near Peru begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 6 systems, one has come since 2000. Peru is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 356 Indiana cities on this site. The highest rating among the 102 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 3, 1974, came within 22 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on April 11, 1965, killed 25 people. Of the 102, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 49 have come since 2000. May and June have had the most tornadoes, 18 each. The most recent tornado was on March 19, 2025. Of the 356 Indiana cities, 52% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Peru. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 72 times since 1976, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Peru has more hail reports within 10 miles than 60% of the 356 Indiana cities.
Compare Peru's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Peru
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 3 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 24 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 Peru: 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 Peru
By decade
- 2020s8
- 2010s28(4 EF3+)
- 2000s13(1 EF3+)
- 1990s9(1 EF3+)
- 1980s6
- 1970s13(2 EF3+)
- 1960s12(5 EF3+)
- 1950s13(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 21 mi | 48 mi | 25 / 835 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 22 mi | 108.7 mi | 18 / 285 |
| May 16, 1968 | F3 | 12 mi | 50.3 mi | 1 / 15 |
| Mar 6, 1961 | F3 | 20 mi | 2 mi | 1 / 3 |
| May 27, 2019 | EF3 | 16 mi | 13.72 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 24, 2016 | EF3 | 18 mi | 8.63 mi | 0 / 20 |
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF3 | 12 mi | 37.91 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 5, 2010 | EF3 | 9 mi | 7.45 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 30, 2004 | F3 | in town | 4.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 11, 1998 | F3 | 22 mi | 18.5 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Jul 7, 1977 | F3 | 23 mi | 11.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 29, 1963 | F3 | 2 mi | 23.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 102, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Peru
The Storm Prediction Center has 72 hail reports within 10 miles of Peru since 1976, made on 50 separate days. Of these, 30 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 6 days, most recently June 22, 2008. The most recent report is from March 14, 2024. June has the most reports, 17.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Peru
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Wabash, IN, 13 miles east of Peru at 665 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 34°F and 18°F. June is the wettest at 4.9 inches of precipitation on average and February and December the driest at 2.3 inches; the year adds up to 40.4 inches over 79 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 16 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 131 nights a year. Snowfall averages 19.5 inches a year, most of it in January. That 40.4 inches is more than at 29 of the 115 Indiana stations used on this site (25%). Bunker Hill, 7 miles south, has its own station (Kokomo 3 WSW, IN): 44.5 inches a year, 4.1 more than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 34 | 18 | 2.4 | 6 | 7.3 |
| Feb | 38 | 20 | 2.3 | 5 | 4.8 |
| Mar | 49 | 29 | 2.6 | 6 | 2.4 |
| Apr | 62 | 40 | 3.5 | 7 | 0.4 |
| May | 73 | 51 | 4.4 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 82 | 61 | 4.9 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 85 | 64 | 4.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 83 | 62 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 78 | 54 | 3.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 66 | 43 | 3.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 51 | 33 | 2.9 | 6 | 1.0 |
| Dec | 38 | 24 | 2.3 | 6 | 3.6 |
| Year | 61 | 41 | 40.4 | 79 | 19.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Wabash, IN (665 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 Peru
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 165 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Peru: 158 thunderstorm wind reports, 3 flash floods, 2 floods and 2 heavy rain events. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $973,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 84 mph, on June 21, 1997.
September 18, 2015: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Peru — 1 injured.
July 26, 2005: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Peru — $150,000 damage.
June 4, 2010: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Peru — $125,000 damage.
NWS: “A large tree fell onto a house north of New Waverly. The house was considered to be a total loss as the tree penetrated the roof and buckled three of the four outside walls.”
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
Flood insurance policyholders in Peru's ZIP code 46970 have filed 29 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1982, and were paid $300,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 10% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 155 Indiana cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 54 have fewer than Peru.
Miami County, which includes Peru, has been named in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1991, 8 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 severe storms, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 3, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Miami 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 $15.6 million a year, the 38th highest of 92 Indiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $9.7 million (62%), 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 Peru
- Bunker Hill, IN7 mi
- Walton, IN11 mi
- Wabash, IN13 mi
- Galveston, IN14 mi
- Macy, IN14 mi
- Logansport, IN15 mi
- La Fontaine, IN19 mi
- Kokomo, IN19 mi
- Greentown, IN20 mi
- Akron, IN20 mi
- Silver Lake, IN23 mi
- North Manchester, IN23 mi
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