NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Pierceton, 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
5 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Pierceton, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 92 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 92
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
23 deaths in all
What the records show for Pierceton
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Pierceton; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 7 miles away. The record near Pierceton begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 5 systems, one has come since 2000. Pierceton has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 63% of the 356 Indiana cities on this site. The strongest of the 92 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 3, 1974; its path came within 10 miles, and it killed 18 people. Of the 92, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 39 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 25. The most recent tornado was on April 2, 2025. Of the 356 Indiana cities, 71% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Pierceton. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 85 times since 1979, with stones up to 4.25 inches. Pierceton has more hail reports within 10 miles than 72% of the 356 Indiana cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Pierceton
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 3 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 45 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 Pierceton: 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 Pierceton
By decade
- 2020s8
- 2010s23(1 EF3+)
- 2000s8(1 EF3+)
- 1990s14
- 1980s4
- 1970s9(2 EF3+)
- 1960s17(1 EF3+)
- 1950s9(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 10 mi | 108.7 mi | 18 / 285 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 19 mi | 36.2 mi | 5 / 53 |
| May 27, 2019 | EF3 | 16 mi | 13.72 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 18, 2007 | EF3 | 21 mi | 20.33 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 23, 1961 | F3 | 8 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Aug 12, 1956 | F3 | 11 mi | 23.4 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 3, 1956 | F3 | 21 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF2 | 12 mi | 4.14 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 14, 2000 | F2 | 12 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F2 | 11 mi | 3.5 mi | 0 / 9 |
| Oct 16, 1988 | F2 | 23 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 20, 1976 | F2 | 22 mi | 11.6 mi | 0 / 10 |
The strongest 12 of 92, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Pierceton
The Storm Prediction Center has 85 hail reports within 10 miles of Pierceton since 1979, made on 54 separate days. Of these, 38 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.25 inches, fell on May 9, 2003. The most recent report is from June 18, 2025. May has the most reports, 24.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Pierceton
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Warsaw, IN, 9 miles west of Pierceton at 815 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 33°F and 17°F. May is the wettest at 4.9 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.0 inches; the year adds up to 40.6 inches over 79 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 12 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 131 nights a year. That 40.6 inches is more than at 32 of the 115 Indiana stations used on this site (28%). North Webster, 8 miles north, has its own station (Northern Indiana WFO, IN): 39.9 inches a year, 0.7 less than here, and a July average high of 83°F against 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 33 | 17 | 2.6 | 6 |
| Feb | 37 | 19 | 2.0 | 5 |
| Mar | 48 | 28 | 2.2 | 5 |
| Apr | 61 | 38 | 4.1 | 8 |
| May | 72 | 49 | 4.9 | 8 |
| Jun | 81 | 58 | 4.7 | 8 |
| Jul | 84 | 62 | 4.4 | 7 |
| Aug | 82 | 60 | 4.5 | 7 |
| Sep | 76 | 52 | 2.9 | 6 |
| Oct | 64 | 42 | 3.2 | 7 |
| Nov | 50 | 31 | 2.7 | 7 |
| Dec | 38 | 22 | 2.4 | 6 |
| Year | 60 | 40 | 40.6 | 79 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Warsaw, IN (815 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 Pierceton
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 221 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Pierceton: 200 thunderstorm wind reports, 13 floods, 4 flash floods and 4 lightning strikes. They killed 1 person and injured 6, and the NWS estimated $3.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on July 22, 2011.
July 1, 2014: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Pierceton — 1 killed.
June 22, 2007: lightning strike 8 miles from the centre of Pierceton — 4 injured.
August 29, 2022: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Pierceton — 2 injured, $20,000 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Pierceton's ZIP code 46562 have filed 49 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1981, and were paid $400,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1982: 10 claims (20% of all) and $51,000. The year with the most claims was 2008, with 10. 22% 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, 79 have fewer than Pierceton.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1982 | 10 | $51,000 |
Kosciusko County, which includes Pierceton, has been named in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 10 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 severe storms, 4 snowstorms, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 3, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Kosciusko County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and lightning; Relatively Low for hail, inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $24.8 million a year, the 23rd highest of 92 Indiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $9.9 million (40%), 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 Pierceton
- Winona Lake, IN6 mi
- Warsaw, IN8 mi
- North Webster, IN8 mi
- Leesburg, IN9 mi
- South Whitley, IN10 mi
- Claypool, IN11 mi
- Columbia City, IN12 mi
- Cromwell, IN12 mi
- Syracuse, IN14 mi
- Silver Lake, IN15 mi
- North Manchester, IN15 mi
- Milford, IN16 mi
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