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NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database

Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Richmond, 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 Richmond, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1915. Since 1950, 82 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.

Hurricanes
0

within 75 mi, since 1851

Tropical storms
3

below hurricane strength

Tornadoes
82

within 25 mi, since 1950

EF3 or stronger
10

1 deaths in all

What the records show for Richmond

None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Richmond; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1892, a tropical storm with 53 mph winds when its centre passed 44 miles away. The record near Richmond begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was an unnamed storm in 1915, a tropical storm 18 miles away. Of the 356 Indiana cities on this site, 65% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Richmond. The highest rating among the 82 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on May 27, 2019, came within 23 miles. The deadliest, an EF3 on March 14, 2024, killed 1 person. Of the 82, 9 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 34 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 21. The most recent tornado was on May 14, 2025. Of the 356 Indiana cities, 86% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Richmond. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 56 times since 1970, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 356 Indiana cities, 59% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Richmond.

Compare Richmond's storm record with another city →

Tropical storms and hurricanes near Richmond

Tropical systems that passed within 75 miles of Richmond, Indiana, newest first
YearStormClosestStrength when closestPeak
1915Unnamed 1915 stormAug 2118 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 4
1902Unnamed 1902 stormJun 2959 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 1
1892Unnamed 1892 stormSep 1344 miTropical storm (53 mph)Tropical storm

Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Richmond: 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 Richmond

By decade

  • 2020s10(1 EF3+)
  • 2010s19(2 EF3+)
  • 2000s5
  • 1990s12(1 EF3+)
  • 1980s5(1 EF3+)
  • 1970s9
  • 1960s14(4 EF3+)
  • 1950s8(1 EF3+)
Strongest tornadoes near Richmond, Indiana
DateRatingDistancePathKilled / injured
May 27, 2019EF423 mi18.17 mi0 / 166
Apr 25, 1961F48 mi63.1 mi0 / 7
Mar 14, 2024EF323 mi41.34 mi1 / 39
May 27, 2019EF325 mi10.49 mi0 / 1
Nov 22, 1992F38 mi20 mi0 / 21
Mar 10, 1986F315 mi7.6 mi0 / 0
Sep 24, 1961F325 mi38.6 mi0 / 1
Jul 28, 1961F324 mi20.2 mi0 / 2
Sep 19, 1960F324 mi0.1 mi0 / 0
Nov 15, 1955F320 mi21 mi0 / 8
Jun 30, 1993F224 mi7 mi0 / 0
Jun 30, 1993F213 mi5 mi0 / 0

The strongest 12 of 82, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.

Hail in Richmond

The Storm Prediction Center has 56 hail reports within 10 miles of Richmond since 1970, made on 36 separate days. Of these, 33 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on May 31, 1985. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. July has the most reports, 14.

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.

Radar-estimated hail days in Richmond since 2019 →

Weather by month in Richmond

The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Richmond Wtr Wks, IN, 2 miles northeast of Richmond at 1,005 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 36°F and 20°F. June is the wettest at 4.8 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.3 inches; the year adds up to 42.9 inches over 81 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 16 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 117 nights a year. That 42.9 inches is more than at 55 of the 115 Indiana stations used on this site (48%). New Madison, OH, 14 miles northeast, has its own station (Greenville Wtp, OH): 40.3 inches a year, 2.6 less than here, and the same July average high, 85°F.

Monthly climate normals 1991–2020 at Richmond Wtr Wks, IN
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. inDays ≥ 0.1"
Jan36203.27
Feb40222.36
Mar51313.47
Apr64414.38
May74524.610
Jun82604.88
Jul85644.37
Aug84623.36
Sep78543.15
Oct66433.26
Nov52333.36
Dec40253.16
Year634242.981

Averages for 1991–2020 at Richmond Wtr Wks, IN (1,005 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.

Indiana weather by month, station by station →

Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Richmond

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 198 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Richmond: 158 thunderstorm wind reports, 24 floods, 13 flash floods and 3 heavy rain events. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $1.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on June 29, 2012. June has had the most flash floods, 5 of 13. Of the 337 Indiana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 194 have had fewer than Richmond.

  • June 23, 2016: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Richmond — 1 killed.

    NWS: “On the morning of June 23 at 08:37, a City of Richmond employee of the street department was assisting in clearing debris from a residence. A tree had partially fallen onto the house and the employee was assisting in clearing the tree when he evidently suffered a sudden cardiac event and collapsed on the roof.”

  • April 9, 1999: thunderstorm wind in Richmond — $200,000 damage.

    NWS: “Six homes were damaged on the south side of Richmond. Also, a barn was reported blown over and several trees were knocked down.”

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 Richmond's ZIP code 47374 have filed 30 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1986, and were paid $359,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 37% 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, 56 have fewer than Richmond.

Wayne County, which includes Richmond, has been named in 16 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1991, 10 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 severe storms, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on August 25, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Wayne County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding and lightning; Relatively Low for hail and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $24.6 million a year, the 24th highest of 92 Indiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $14.4 million (58%), 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 Richmond