NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Plainfield, 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 Plainfield, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 145 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 12 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 145
- EF3 or stronger
- 12
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
6 deaths in all
What the records show for Plainfield
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Plainfield; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 58 miles away. The record near Plainfield begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. 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 Plainfield. The highest rating among the 145 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on June 11, 1998, came within 24 miles. The deadliest, an F2 on May 13, 1995, killed 3 people. Of the 145, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 54 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 32. The most recent tornado was on April 2, 2025. Plainfield has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 93% of the 356 Indiana cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 236 times since 1956, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Plainfield has more hail reports within 10 miles than 98% of the 356 Indiana cities.
Compare Plainfield's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Plainfield
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 35 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 Plainfield: 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 Plainfield
By decade
- 2020s9(1 EF3+)
- 2010s23
- 2000s22(1 EF3+)
- 1990s20(3 EF3+)
- 1980s15(1 EF3+)
- 1970s21(2 EF3+)
- 1960s21(3 EF3+)
- 1950s14(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 11, 1998 | F4 | 24 mi | 13.2 mi | 0 / 4 |
| May 14, 1972 | F4 | 18 mi | 30 mi | 0 / 20 |
| Oct 11, 1954 | F3 | 23 mi | 4.7 mi | 2 / 0 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF3 | 19 mi | 5.48 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 20, 2002 | F3 | 11 mi | 112 mi | 0 / 127 |
| Nov 22, 1992 | F3 | 19 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 22, 1992 | F3 | 9 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 10, 1986 | F3 | 16 mi | 35 mi | 0 / 22 |
| Jun 25, 1978 | F3 | 8 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 9, 1969 | F3 | 13 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Nov 26, 1965 | F3 | 20 mi | 14.7 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Apr 22, 1963 | F3 | 22 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 20 |
The strongest 12 of 145, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Plainfield
The Storm Prediction Center has 236 hail reports within 10 miles of Plainfield since 1956, made on 110 separate days. Of these, 138 were 1 inch across or larger, and 11 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 3 inches (tea cup size), was reported on 2 days, most recently May 22, 2011. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. April has the most reports, 53.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Plainfield
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Indianapolis, IN, 6 miles east of Plainfield at 790 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 66°F; January is the coolest, at 36°F and 21°F. June is the wettest at 5.0 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.4 inches; the year adds up to 43.6 inches over 78 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 20 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 105 nights a year. Snowfall averages 25.5 inches a year, most of it in January. That 43.6 inches is more than at 59 of the 115 Indiana stations used on this site (51%). Avon, 5 miles north, has its own station (Indianapolis Eagle Creek Airport, IN): 40.9 inches a year, 2.7 less than here, and the same July average high, 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36 | 21 | 3.1 | 6 | 8.8 |
| Feb | 41 | 24 | 2.4 | 5 | 6.0 |
| Mar | 52 | 33 | 3.7 | 7 | 3.2 |
| Apr | 64 | 43 | 4.3 | 8 | 0.2 |
| May | 73 | 54 | 4.8 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 82 | 63 | 5.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 85 | 66 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 84 | 65 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 78 | 57 | 3.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 66 | 46 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 52 | 35 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.8 |
| Dec | 40 | 26 | 2.9 | 6 | 6.4 |
| Year | 63 | 44 | 43.6 | 78 | 25.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Indianapolis, IN (790 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 Plainfield
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 338 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Plainfield: 270 thunderstorm wind reports, 31 floods, 27 flash floods, 5 heavy rain events and 5 lightning strikes. They killed 4 people and injured 10, and the NWS estimated $4.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on January 29, 2008. July has had the most flash floods, 8 of 27. Of the 337 Indiana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 284 have had fewer than Plainfield.
July 27, 2020: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Plainfield — 1 killed, 3 injured, $50,000 damage.
June 11, 2009: lightning strike 10 miles from the centre of Plainfield — 1 killed, 2 injured.
May 30, 2004: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of Plainfield — 1 killed.
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 Plainfield's ZIP code 46168 have filed 32 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $135,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2003, with 14. 13% 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, 63 have fewer than Plainfield.
Hendricks County, which includes Plainfield, has been named in 14 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1996, 8 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods, 2 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 3, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Hendricks County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $60.4 million a year, the 6th highest of 92 Indiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $34.1 million (56%), 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.