NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Petersburg, 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 Petersburg, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 118 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 118
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
9 deaths in all
What the records show for Petersburg
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Petersburg; the strongest was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm with 44 mph winds when its centre passed 42 miles away. The record near Petersburg 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 Petersburg. The highest rating among the 118 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on June 2, 1990, came within 3 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on June 2, 1990, killed 6 people. Of the 118, 14 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 66 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 33. The most recent tornado was on December 28, 2025. Petersburg has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 68% of the 356 Indiana cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 44 times since 1972, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 356 Indiana cities, 76% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Petersburg.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Petersburg
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 28 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 11 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 Petersburg: 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 Petersburg
By decade
- 2020s19
- 2010s36(1 EF3+)
- 2000s11(1 EF3+)
- 1990s18(3 EF3+)
- 1980s10(2 EF3+)
- 1970s8
- 1960s7
- 1950s9(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2, 1990 | F4 | in town | 13 mi | 6 / 60 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F4 | 3 mi | 106 mi | 1 / 12 |
| Jan 7, 1989 | F4 | 12 mi | 19 mi | 0 / 55 |
| Feb 28, 2017 | EF3 | 11 mi | 44.13 mi | 1 / 2 |
| Nov 15, 2005 | F3 | 17 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 31 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F3 | 18 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1989 | F3 | 21 mi | 3.1 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Feb 10, 1959 | F3 | 20 mi | 3.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 25, 2023 | EF2 | 25 mi | 9.12 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Mar 15, 2025 | EF2 | 5 mi | 57.49 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 26, 2024 | EF2 | 8 mi | 12.14 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 2024 | EF2 | 25 mi | 14.92 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 118, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Petersburg
The Storm Prediction Center has 44 hail reports within 10 miles of Petersburg since 1972, made on 38 separate days. Of these, 20 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently May 1, 2002. The most recent report is from April 10, 2025. April has the most reports, 12.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Petersburg
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Petersburg 61 Brg, IN, 2 miles southeast of Petersburg at 472 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 39°F and 22°F. April is the wettest at 5.1 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.9 inches; the year adds up to 47.9 inches over 77 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 28 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 103 nights a year. That 47.9 inches is more than at 85 of the 115 Indiana stations used on this site (74%). Oakland City, 11 miles south, has its own station (Stendal, IN): 52.4 inches a year, 4.5 more than here, and a July average high of 85°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39 | 22 | 3.5 | 7 |
| Feb | 44 | 24 | 2.9 | 5 |
| Mar | 54 | 32 | 4.0 | 7 |
| Apr | 66 | 41 | 5.1 | 8 |
| May | 75 | 52 | 4.9 | 8 |
| Jun | 83 | 61 | 4.8 | 7 |
| Jul | 86 | 64 | 4.1 | 6 |
| Aug | 85 | 62 | 3.7 | 5 |
| Sep | 80 | 54 | 3.7 | 5 |
| Oct | 68 | 44 | 3.3 | 5 |
| Nov | 55 | 34 | 4.0 | 7 |
| Dec | 43 | 26 | 3.9 | 7 |
| Year | 65 | 43 | 47.9 | 77 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Petersburg 61 Brg, IN (472 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 Petersburg
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 230 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Petersburg: 135 floods, 76 thunderstorm wind reports, 16 flash floods and 3 heavy rain events. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $2.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on April 2, 2006. Of the 337 Indiana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 219 have had fewer than Petersburg.
September 19, 2005: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Petersburg — 1 injured, $2,000 damage.
NWS: “Windows were blown out of a house. Broken glass injured the arm of a woman.”
July 1, 2015: flood 2 miles from the centre of Petersburg — $402,000 damage.
NWS: “Minor flooding continued along the White River from June through most of July. Low-lying woods and fields near the river were inundated.”
May 1, 2011: flood 2 miles from the centre of Petersburg — $300,000 damage.
NWS: “Major flooding continued on the White River from April. 88 feet on May 3.”
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
Pike County, which includes Petersburg, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 16 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 severe storms, 5 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on August 25, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Pike County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for tornadoes, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes, hail and inland flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $6.1 million a year, the 82nd highest of 92 Indiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $2.7 million (44%), 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 Petersburg
- Winslow, IN8 mi
- Oakland City, IN11 mi
- Washington, IN14 mi
- Princeton, IN17 mi
- Vincennes, IN17 mi
- Montgomery, IN19 mi
- Jasper, IN20 mi
- Bicknell, IN21 mi
- Fort Branch, IN22 mi
- Huntingburg, IN22 mi
- Elberfeld, IN22 mi
- Haubstadt, IN25 mi
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