NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Princeton, 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 Princeton, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 128 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 128
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
11 deaths in all
What the records show for Princeton
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Princeton; the strongest was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm with 41 mph winds when its centre passed 42 miles away. The record near Princeton begins with an unnamed storm in 1915; the most recent system was Helene in 2024. Of the 4 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 356 Indiana cities on this site, 37% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Princeton. The highest rating among the 128 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on June 2, 1990, came within 7 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on June 2, 1990, killed 6 people. Of the 128, 9 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 72 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 36. The most recent tornado was on December 28, 2025. Princeton has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 79% of the 356 Indiana cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 60 times since 1967, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 356 Indiana cities, 54% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Princeton.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Princeton
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 28 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 9 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 Princeton: 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 Princeton
By decade
- 2020s29
- 2010s30(1 EF3+)
- 2000s13
- 1990s20(2 EF3+)
- 1980s12(2 EF3+)
- 1970s12
- 1960s6
- 1950s6
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2, 1990 | F4 | 10 mi | 13 mi | 6 / 60 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F4 | 7 mi | 106 mi | 1 / 12 |
| Jan 7, 1989 | F4 | 13 mi | 19 mi | 0 / 55 |
| Feb 28, 2017 | EF3 | 6 mi | 44.13 mi | 1 / 2 |
| Apr 3, 1989 | F3 | 7 mi | 3.1 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Jan 29, 2008 | EF2 | 12 mi | 7.01 mi | 2 / 0 |
| Apr 11, 1979 | F2 | 25 mi | 10 mi | 1 / 2 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | EF2 | 16 mi | 10.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 15, 2025 | EF2 | 8 mi | 57.49 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 9, 2024 | EF2 | 10 mi | 8.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 26, 2024 | EF2 | 12 mi | 12.14 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 2024 | EF2 | 14 mi | 14.92 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 128, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Princeton
The Storm Prediction Center has 60 hail reports within 10 miles of Princeton since 1967, made on 50 separate days. Of these, 31 were 1 inch across or larger, and 6 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on May 3, 1996. The most recent report is from March 19, 2025. June has the most reports, 15.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Princeton
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Princeton 1 W, IN, 1 mile northwest of Princeton at 480 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 66°F; January is the coolest, at 40°F and 21°F. May is the wettest at 5.7 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.2 inches; the year adds up to 49.9 inches over 73 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 38 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 100 nights a year. Snowfall averages 12.2 inches a year, most of it in December. That 49.9 inches is more than at 104 of the 115 Indiana stations used on this site (90%). Owensville, 9 miles southwest, has its own station (Mt Carmel, IL): 48.8 inches a year, 1.1 less than here, and a July average high of 87°F against 88°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 40 | 21 | 3.4 | 6 | 3.6 |
| Feb | 45 | 24 | 3.2 | 5 | 3.4 |
| Mar | 55 | 32 | 4.5 | 7 | 1.2 |
| Apr | 67 | 43 | 5.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 77 | 54 | 5.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 85 | 63 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 88 | 66 | 4.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 87 | 64 | 3.3 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 81 | 57 | 4.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 69 | 45 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 55 | 33 | 4.1 | 5 | 0.2 |
| Dec | 44 | 26 | 3.8 | 6 | 3.7 |
| Year | 66 | 44 | 49.9 | 73 | 12.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Princeton 1 W, IN (480 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 Princeton
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 301 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Princeton: 168 floods, 99 thunderstorm wind reports, 18 flash floods, 14 heavy rain events and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $4.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on April 19, 2011. June has had the most flash floods, 7 of 18. Of the 337 Indiana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 243 have had fewer than Princeton.
June 12, 1998: thunderstorm wind in Princeton — 2 injured, $500,000 damage.
NWS: “Very damaging thunderstorm winds in excess of 70 MPH affected a narrow swath of Gibson County from near Princeton to Oakland City. Two trailers were destroyed, numerous trees were downed, and 40 to 50 homes were damaged.”
October 24, 2001: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Princeton — 1 injured, $50,000 damage.
January 3, 2005: flood 3 miles from the centre of Princeton — $500,000 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 Princeton's ZIP code 47670 have filed 23 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $110,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 9% 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, 43 have fewer than Princeton.
Gibson County, which includes Princeton, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1968, 18 of them major disasters (by incident: 12 severe storms, 5 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 3, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Gibson 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 $17.8 million a year, the 33rd highest of 92 Indiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $5.0 million (28%), 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 Princeton
- Fort Branch, IN7 mi
- Owensville, IN9 mi
- Haubstadt, IN11 mi
- Oakland City, IN13 mi
- Mount Carmel, IL14 mi
- Elberfeld, IN15 mi
- Poseyville, IN17 mi
- Petersburg, IN17 mi
- Winslow, IN20 mi
- Wadesville, IN22 mi
- Vincennes, IN22 mi
- Chandler, IN23 mi
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