NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Portland, 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 Portland, 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, 13 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 92
- EF3 or stronger
- 13
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
10 deaths in all
What the records show for Portland
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Portland; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 60 miles away. The record near Portland begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; 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 Portland. The highest rating among the 92 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 3, 1974, came within 8 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on April 11, 1965, killed 4 people. Of the 92, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 42 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 17. The most recent tornado was on May 14, 2025. Of the 356 Indiana cities, 71% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Portland. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 19 times since 1959, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 356 Indiana cities, 99% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Portland.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Portland
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Portland: 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 Portland
By decade
- 2020s20(1 EF3+)
- 2010s11(2 EF3+)
- 2000s11(2 EF3+)
- 1990s14
- 1980s9(1 EF3+)
- 1970s6(1 EF3+)
- 1960s13(4 EF3+)
- 1950s8(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 15 mi | 52.5 mi | 4 / 125 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 8 mi | 18 mi | 1 / 12 |
| Apr 9, 1953 | F3 | 15 mi | 156.7 mi | 3 / 22 |
| Mar 14, 2024 | EF3 | 17 mi | 41.34 mi | 1 / 39 |
| May 27, 2019 | EF3 | 17 mi | 10.84 mi | 1 / 8 |
| May 27, 2019 | EF3 | 14 mi | 12.76 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Nov 10, 2002 | F3 | 18 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 20, 2002 | F3 | 18 mi | 112 mi | 0 / 127 |
| Mar 10, 1986 | F3 | 23 mi | 7.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 21, 1967 | F3 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 24, 1961 | F3 | 16 mi | 38.6 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jul 28, 1961 | F3 | 18 mi | 20.2 mi | 0 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 92, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Portland
The Storm Prediction Center has 19 hail reports within 10 miles of Portland since 1959, made on 16 separate days. Of these, 11 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on July 19, 1967. The most recent report is from March 14, 2024. April has the most reports, 8.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Portland
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Portland 1 SW, IN, 1 mile west of Portland at 910 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 34°F and 17°F. June is the wettest at 4.6 inches of precipitation on average and December the driest at 2.4 inches; the year adds up to 40.0 inches over 76 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 13 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 132 nights a year. Snowfall averages 19.4 inches a year, most of it in January. That 40.0 inches is more than at 23 of the 115 Indiana stations used on this site (20%). Redkey, 11 miles southwest, has its own station (Farmland 5 NNW, IN): 41.2 inches a year, 1.2 more than here, and the same July average high, 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 34 | 17 | 2.8 | 6 | 6.4 |
| Feb | 38 | 19 | 2.7 | 5 | 5.4 |
| Mar | 48 | 28 | 2.8 | 6 | 3.1 |
| Apr | 62 | 38 | 3.6 | 8 | 0.3 |
| May | 72 | 49 | 4.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 80 | 59 | 4.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 84 | 62 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 60 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 77 | 52 | 3.0 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 64 | 41 | 2.9 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 51 | 31 | 3.0 | 6 | 0.6 |
| Dec | 39 | 23 | 2.4 | 6 | 3.5 |
| Year | 61 | 40 | 40.0 | 76 | 19.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Portland 1 SW, IN (910 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 Portland
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 77 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Portland: 61 thunderstorm wind reports, 10 floods, 5 flash floods and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $650,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on October 29, 1996. July has had the most flash floods, 4 of 5. Of the 337 Indiana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 77 have had fewer than Portland.
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 Portland's ZIP code 47371 have filed 31 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1990, and were paid $406,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2011, with 15. Of the 155 Indiana cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 59 have fewer than Portland.
Jay County, which includes Portland, has been named in 16 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 8 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 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 Jay County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail and inland flooding; Very Low for hurricanes, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $7.6 million a year, the 76th highest of 92 Indiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.2 million (54%), 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 Portland
- Redkey, IN11 mi
- Fort Recovery, OH11 mi
- Geneva, IN12 mi
- Dunkirk, IN13 mi
- Union City, IN16 mi
- Berne, IN17 mi
- Winchester, IN17 mi
- Albany, IN17 mi
- Coldwater, OH17 mi
- Saint Henry, OH18 mi
- Union City, OH18 mi
- Farmland, IN18 mi
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