NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Rising Sun, 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 Rising Sun, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1915. Since 1950, 90 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 90
- EF3 or stronger
- 10
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
23 deaths in all
What the records show for Rising Sun
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Rising Sun; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 57 miles away. The record near Rising Sun begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was an unnamed storm in 1915, a tropical storm 66 miles away. Of the 356 Indiana cities on this site, 65% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Rising Sun. The strongest of the 90 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on April 3, 1974; its path came within 3 miles, and it killed 3 people. The deadliest, an F4 on April 3, 1974, killed 11 people. Of the 90, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 36 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 31. The most recent tornado was on July 20, 2025. Of the 356 Indiana cities, 75% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Rising Sun. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 42 times since 1968, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 356 Indiana cities, 78% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Rising Sun.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Rising Sun
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Rising Sun: 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 Rising Sun
By decade
- 2020s20
- 2010s14(2 EF3+)
- 2000s2
- 1990s16(3 EF3+)
- 1980s8
- 1970s18(4 EF3+)
- 1960s5
- 1950s7(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 3 mi | 20.8 mi | 3 / 210 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 18 mi | 35.6 mi | 11 / 190 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF4 | 18 mi | 9.85 mi | 4 / 8 |
| Nov 22, 1992 | F4 | 6 mi | 26.7 mi | 1 / 10 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F4 | 19 mi | 33 mi | 0 / 37 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 5 mi | 27.1 mi | 0 / 104 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF3 | 22 mi | 8.69 mi | 3 / 5 |
| Apr 9, 1999 | F3 | 17 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Oct 1, 1977 | F3 | 25 mi | 0.7 mi | 0 / 17 |
| Feb 10, 1959 | F3 | 22 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Mar 14, 2024 | EF2 | 21 mi | 17.97 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF2 | 24 mi | 5.4 mi | 0 / 3 |
The strongest 12 of 90, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Rising Sun
The Storm Prediction Center has 42 hail reports within 10 miles of Rising Sun since 1968, made on 29 separate days. Of these, 17 were 1 inch across or larger, and 6 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on October 19, 2016. The most recent report is from April 14, 2025. April has the most reports, 17.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Rising Sun
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Warsaw Markland Dam, KY, 12 miles south of Rising Sun at 451 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 66°F; January is the coolest, at 42°F and 23°F. May is the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 3.2 inches; the year adds up to 48.0 inches over 81 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 26 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 110 nights a year. Snowfall averages 6.5 inches a year, most of it in February. That 48.0 inches is more than at 88 of the 115 Indiana stations used on this site (77%). Aurora, 8 miles north, has its own station (Cincinnati-Fernbank, OH): 47.6 inches a year, 0.4 less than here, and the same July average high, 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 42 | 23 | 3.2 | 6 | 1.5 |
| Feb | 46 | 26 | 3.5 | 6 | 2.8 |
| Mar | 56 | 33 | 4.2 | 8 | 0.7 |
| Apr | 67 | 42 | 4.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 76 | 53 | 5.3 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 62 | 4.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 66 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 86 | 65 | 3.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 80 | 57 | 3.3 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 69 | 45 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 56 | 34 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 46 | 28 | 3.9 | 8 | 1.5 |
| Year | 66 | 44 | 48.0 | 81 | 6.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Warsaw Markland Dam, KY (451 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 Rising Sun
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 190 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Rising Sun: 148 thunderstorm wind reports, 21 floods, 20 flash floods and 1 heavy rain event. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $1.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on March 1, 2017. Of the 337 Indiana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 257 have had fewer than Rising Sun.
June 19, 2021: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Rising Sun — $100,000 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 Rising Sun's ZIP code 47040 have filed 14 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $176,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 71% 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, 20 have fewer than Rising Sun.
Ohio County, which includes Rising Sun, has been named in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1968, 15 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 severe storms, 3 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 Ohio County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for tornadoes and strong wind; Very Low for hurricanes, hail, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $3.0 million a year, the 92nd highest of 92 Indiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $1.3 million (41%), 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 Rising Sun
- Aurora, IN8 mi
- Dillsboro, IN9 mi
- Burlington, KY11 mi
- Union, KY11 mi
- Warsaw, KY12 mi
- Moores Hill, IN12 mi
- Lawrenceburg, IN13 mi
- Vevay, IN14 mi
- Florence, KY15 mi
- Verona, KY15 mi
- Hebron, KY15 mi
- Walton, KY16 mi
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