NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Rochester, 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 Rochester, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 94 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 94
- EF3 or stronger
- 10
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
18 deaths in all
What the records show for Rochester
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Rochester; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 15 miles away. The record near Rochester begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 5 systems, one has come since 2000. Rochester has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 63% of the 356 Indiana cities on this site. The strongest of the 94 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 3, 1974; its path passed within a mile of the city centre, and it killed 18 people. Of the 94, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 32 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 30. The most recent tornado was on April 2, 2025. Of the 356 Indiana cities, 66% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Rochester. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 60 times since 1974, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Of the 356 Indiana cities, 54% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Rochester.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Rochester
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 3 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 19 | overhead | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 48 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 Rochester: 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 Rochester
By decade
- 2020s8
- 2010s16(1 EF3+)
- 2000s8(2 EF3+)
- 1990s15
- 1980s5
- 1970s14(2 EF3+)
- 1960s12(1 EF3+)
- 1950s16(4 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | in town | 108.7 mi | 18 / 285 |
| May 27, 2019 | EF3 | 9 mi | 13.72 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 18, 2007 | EF3 | 16 mi | 20.33 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 30, 2004 | F3 | 22 mi | 4.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 12, 1976 | F3 | 25 mi | 12.1 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 29, 1963 | F3 | 25 mi | 23.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 14, 1957 | F3 | 3 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 12, 1956 | F3 | 9 mi | 23.4 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 3, 1956 | F3 | 15 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 21, 1951 | F3 | 7 mi | 5.4 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF2 | 18 mi | 4.14 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 14, 2000 | F2 | 20 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 3 |
The strongest 12 of 94, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Rochester
The Storm Prediction Center has 60 hail reports within 10 miles of Rochester since 1974, made on 38 separate days. Of these, 39 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on June 19, 2009. The most recent report is from February 27, 2023. June has the most reports, 19.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Rochester
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Rochester, IN, 1 mile east of Rochester at 760 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 32°F and 17°F. May and July are the wettest at 4.4 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.3 inches; the year adds up to 40.7 inches over 81 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 13 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 128 nights a year. Snowfall averages 30.1 inches a year, most of it in January. That 40.7 inches is more than at 35 of the 115 Indiana stations used on this site (30%). Argos, 10 miles north, has its own station (Plymouth, IN): 40.2 inches a year, 0.5 less than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32 | 17 | 2.8 | 7 | 10.7 |
| Feb | 36 | 20 | 2.3 | 5 | 8.0 |
| Mar | 47 | 28 | 2.6 | 6 | 3.3 |
| Apr | 60 | 39 | 3.9 | 8 | 0.5 |
| May | 71 | 50 | 4.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 80 | 60 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 63 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 61 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 76 | 53 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 64 | 43 | 3.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 49 | 32 | 3.1 | 7 | 1.3 |
| Dec | 37 | 23 | 2.4 | 7 | 6.3 |
| Year | 60 | 41 | 40.7 | 81 | 30.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Rochester, IN (760 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 Rochester
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 122 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Rochester: 115 thunderstorm wind reports, 5 floods and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 3 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $598,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 79 mph, on May 15, 2007.
January 8, 2008: flood 2 miles from the centre of Rochester — 2 killed, 1 injured, $125,000 damage.
NWS: “Numerous roads across Fulton county were at least partially, if not fully impassable with flood waters from low areas, creeks, streams and rivers. County officials closed all roads to general travel from the evening of January 8th to the morning hours of the 9th.”
August 4, 2017: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Rochester — 1 killed.
May 30, 2008: lightning strike in Rochester — 1 injured.
NWS: “An 18-year-old male was struck by lightning while traveling in his car near the intersection of South Park Road and West 13th Street. The bolt came through his windshield, and striking him on the shoulder.”
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 Rochester's ZIP code 46975 have filed 134 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1981, and were paid $1.6 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1982: 45 claims (34% of all) and $323,000. The year with the most claims was 2008, with 25. 35% 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, 124 have fewer than Rochester.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1982 | 45 | $323,000 |
Fulton County, which includes Rochester, has been named in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 10 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 severe storms, 4 snowstorms, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 3, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Fulton County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes, inland flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $7.0 million a year, the 78th highest of 92 Indiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $2.4 million (34%), 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 Rochester
- Argos, IN10 mi
- Macy, IN10 mi
- Akron, IN11 mi
- Mentone, IN13 mi
- Culver, IN14 mi
- Bourbon, IN17 mi
- Silver Lake, IN17 mi
- Etna Green, IN18 mi
- Claypool, IN18 mi
- Plymouth, IN19 mi
- Royal Center, IN20 mi
- Winamac, IN22 mi
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