NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Richland, 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
3 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Richland, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 119 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 119
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
26 deaths in all
What the records show for Richland
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Richland; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 55 mph winds when its centre passed 64 miles away. The record near Richland begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 7 miles away. Of the 356 Indiana cities on this site, 65% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Richland. The highest rating among the 119 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 7 times; the most recent, on October 18, 2007, came within 11 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on November 6, 2005, killed 24 people. Of the 119, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 77 have come since 2000. April and May have had the most tornadoes, 28 each. The most recent tornado was on June 13, 2025. Richland has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 70% of the 356 Indiana cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 63 times since 1960, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Richland has more hail reports within 10 miles than 49% of the 356 Indiana cities.
Compare Richland's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Richland
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 28 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Richland: 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 Richland
By decade
- 2020s25
- 2010s30
- 2000s22(3 EF3+)
- 1990s12
- 1980s16
- 1970s5(1 EF3+)
- 1960s2
- 1950s7(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 6, 2005 | F3 | 7 mi | 41.3 mi | 24 / 238 |
| Apr 3, 1956 | F3 | 18 mi | 22.9 mi | 1 / 2 |
| Oct 18, 2007 | EF3 | 11 mi | 6.99 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Jan 3, 2000 | F3 | 12 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 18 |
| Nov 19, 1970 | F3 | 23 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Nov 15, 1955 | F3 | 19 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 9 |
| Dec 9, 1952 | F3 | 12 mi | 35 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 11, 1979 | F2 | 10 mi | 10 mi | 1 / 2 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | EF2 | 24 mi | 10.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 2024 | EF2 | 18 mi | 14.92 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 2024 | EF2 | 17 mi | 14.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 28, 2020 | EF2 | 8 mi | 5.06 mi | 0 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 119, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Richland
The Storm Prediction Center has 63 hail reports within 10 miles of Richland since 1960, made on 52 separate days. Of these, 38 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on April 20, 2003. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. April has the most reports, 15.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Richland
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Boonville 1S, IN, 8 miles northwest of Richland at 400 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 42°F and 25°F. April is the wettest at 5.5 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 3.2 inches; the year adds up to 51.1 inches over 78 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 41 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 90 nights a year. Snowfall averages 11.3 inches a year, most of it in January. That 51.1 inches is more than at 109 of the 115 Indiana stations used on this site (95%). Newburgh, 10 miles west, has its own station (Newburgh L&D, IN): 47.6 inches a year, 3.5 less than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 42 | 25 | 3.5 | 6 | 3.4 |
| Feb | 47 | 29 | 3.6 | 6 | 3.2 |
| Mar | 58 | 36 | 4.9 | 8 | 1.6 |
| Apr | 70 | 46 | 5.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 79 | 56 | 5.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 86 | 65 | 4.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 89 | 68 | 4.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 88 | 66 | 3.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 82 | 58 | 3.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 47 | 3.8 | 5 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 57 | 37 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.3 |
| Dec | 46 | 29 | 4.2 | 7 | 2.7 |
| Year | 68 | 47 | 51.1 | 78 | 11.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Boonville 1S, IN (400 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 Richland
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 149 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Richland: 84 thunderstorm wind reports, 37 floods, 14 flash floods and 14 heavy rain events. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $2.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 105 mph, on June 26, 2011. April has had the most flash floods, 4 of 14. Of the 337 Indiana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 204 have had fewer than Richland.
May 25, 2011: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Richland — 1 injured, $50,000 damage.
March 18, 2008: flood 2 miles from the centre of Richland — $250,000 damage.
NWS: “Three young boys were rescued unhurt when their boat capsized in Anderson River backwaters just southeast of New Boston. Several stranded motorists were rescued.”
March 18, 2008: flood 9 miles from the centre of Richland — $250,000 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 Richland's ZIP code 47634 have filed 10 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1996, and were paid $70,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 40% 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, 0 have fewer than Richland.
Spencer County, which includes Richland, has been named in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1979, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 severe storms, 4 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 Spencer 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 $12.6 million a year, the 52nd highest of 92 Indiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.0 million (47%), 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.