NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Rensselaer, 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 Rensselaer, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 84 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 84
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
20 deaths in all
What the records show for Rensselaer
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Rensselaer; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 36 miles away. The record near Rensselaer begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 5 systems, one has come since 2000. Rensselaer has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 63% of the 356 Indiana cities on this site. The highest rating among the 84 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 3, 1974, came within 25 miles. Of the 84, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 44 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 21. The most recent tornado was on March 30, 2025. Of the 356 Indiana cities, 83% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Rensselaer. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 24 times since 1981, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 356 Indiana cities, 98% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Rensselaer.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Rensselaer
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 3 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 60 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 Rensselaer: 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 Rensselaer
By decade
- 2020s9
- 2010s28
- 2000s7
- 1990s2
- 1980s2
- 1970s11(2 EF3+)
- 1960s12(3 EF3+)
- 1950s13
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 25 mi | 108.7 mi | 18 / 285 |
| Apr 17, 1963 | F4 | 10 mi | 57.3 mi | 1 / 70 |
| Mar 12, 1976 | F3 | 15 mi | 38.5 mi | 1 / 15 |
| Apr 30, 1962 | F3 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 23, 1961 | F3 | 16 mi | 51.7 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF2 | 24 mi | 15.16 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF2 | 19 mi | 11.53 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 30, 2014 | EF2 | 23 mi | 3.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF2 | 23 mi | 4.15 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF2 | 23 mi | 4.15 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 25, 2011 | EF2 | 8 mi | 1.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 26, 1994 | F2 | 14 mi | 20 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 84, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Rensselaer
The Storm Prediction Center has 24 hail reports within 10 miles of Rensselaer since 1981, made on 21 separate days. Of these, 15 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 3 days, most recently April 14, 2006. The most recent report is from July 23, 2022. June has the most reports, 8.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Rensselaer
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Rensselaer, IN, 3 miles southwest of Rensselaer at 630 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 32°F and 16°F. June is the wettest at 4.8 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.0 inches; the year adds up to 40.1 inches over 77 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 17 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 127 nights a year. Snowfall averages 25.3 inches a year, most of it in February. That 40.1 inches is more than at 25 of the 115 Indiana stations used on this site (22%). Francesville, 14 miles east, has its own station (Francesville, IN): 38.9 inches a year, 1.2 less than here, and a July average high of 83°F against 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32 | 16 | 2.6 | 5 | 8.2 |
| Feb | 37 | 19 | 2.0 | 6 | 8.8 |
| Mar | 48 | 29 | 2.7 | 6 | 3.5 |
| Apr | 61 | 39 | 3.9 | 8 | 0.1 |
| May | 72 | 51 | 4.3 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 81 | 60 | 4.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 84 | 63 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 83 | 61 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 77 | 53 | 3.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 64 | 41 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 49 | 31 | 2.6 | 6 | 0.5 |
| Dec | 37 | 22 | 2.3 | 6 | 4.2 |
| Year | 60 | 41 | 40.1 | 77 | 25.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Rensselaer, IN (630 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 Rensselaer
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 78 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Rensselaer: 56 thunderstorm wind reports, 10 flash floods, 8 floods, 3 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. They killed 1 person and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $3.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on July 19, 2020. June has had the most flash floods, 6 of 10. Of the 337 Indiana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 155 have had fewer than Rensselaer.
January 8, 2008: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Rensselaer — 1 killed, $1.0 million damage.
NWS: “Lake Arthur Estates in Remington was evacuted after four to five feet of water flooded the trailer park. Interstate 65 was closed near mile marker 210 after Carpenter Creek overflowed its banks and flooded all lanes of traffic.”
April 30, 1997: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Rensselaer — 2 injured.
July 23, 2022: lightning strike 3 miles from the centre of Rensselaer — 1 injured.
NWS: “A 10 year old girl was touching a metal fence that was in contact with a barn, when the barn was struck by lightning. The current traveled through the fence and into her right arm.”
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 Rensselaer's ZIP code 47978 have filed 38 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $492,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2003, with 12. 11% 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, 72 have fewer than Rensselaer.
Jasper County, which includes Rensselaer, has been named in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1991, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 severe storms, 3 floods, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 3, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Jasper County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and lightning. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $12.8 million a year, the 51st highest of 92 Indiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.9 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 Rensselaer
- Francesville, IN14 mi
- Remington, IN14 mi
- Monon, IN15 mi
- Demotte, IN16 mi
- Medaryville, IN16 mi
- Wheatfield, IN16 mi
- Morocco, IN16 mi
- Lake Village, IN19 mi
- Kentland, IN21 mi
- Monticello, IN24 mi
- Kouts, IN24 mi
- Hebron, IN25 mi
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