NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Rushville, 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 Rushville, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1915. Since 1950, 93 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 13 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 93
- EF3 or stronger
- 13
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
9 deaths in all
What the records show for Rushville
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Rushville; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1892, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 67 miles away. The record near Rushville begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was an unnamed storm in 1915, a tropical storm 12 miles away. Of the 356 Indiana cities on this site, 65% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Rushville. The highest rating among the 93 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 5 times; the most recent, on June 11, 1998, came within 21 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on April 3, 1974, killed 4 people. Of the 93, 10 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 31 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 20. The most recent tornado was on May 7, 2024. Of the 356 Indiana cities, 69% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Rushville. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 50 times since 1971, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 356 Indiana cities, 66% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Rushville.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Rushville
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Rushville: 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 Rushville
By decade
- 2020s10
- 2010s8
- 2000s13(1 EF3+)
- 1990s14(2 EF3+)
- 1980s13(2 EF3+)
- 1970s13(3 EF3+)
- 1960s13(4 EF3+)
- 1950s9(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 16 mi | 35.6 mi | 4 / 17 |
| Jul 9, 1980 | F4 | 2 mi | 11 mi | 2 / 25 |
| Jun 11, 1998 | F4 | 21 mi | 13.2 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 15 mi | 18.9 mi | 0 / 17 |
| Apr 25, 1961 | F4 | 1 mi | 63.1 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Jun 3, 2008 | EF3 | 9 mi | 9.68 mi | 1 / 8 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 19 mi | 20.7 mi | 1 / 25 |
| Nov 22, 1992 | F3 | 19 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 10, 1986 | F3 | 21 mi | 35 mi | 0 / 22 |
| Nov 26, 1965 | F3 | 18 mi | 1.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 18, 1962 | F3 | 22 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 19, 1960 | F3 | 9 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 93, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Rushville
The Storm Prediction Center has 50 hail reports within 10 miles of Rushville since 1971, made on 36 separate days. Of these, 37 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on August 9, 2000. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. June has the most reports, 11.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Rushville
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Rushville, IN, 1 mile southwest of Rushville at 948 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 34°F and 19°F. May and June are the wettest at 5.1 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 45.7 inches over 83 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 119 nights a year. Snowfall averages 15.9 inches a year, most of it in January. That 45.7 inches is more than at 71 of the 115 Indiana stations used on this site (62%). Knightstown, 14 miles north, has its own station (New Castle 3 SW, IN): 44.4 inches a year, 1.3 less than here, and the same July average high, 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 34 | 19 | 3.6 | 7 | 6.2 |
| Feb | 39 | 22 | 2.5 | 6 | 3.4 |
| Mar | 50 | 30 | 3.5 | 7 | 2.8 |
| Apr | 63 | 41 | 4.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 73 | 52 | 5.1 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 81 | 61 | 5.1 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 64 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 62 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 77 | 54 | 3.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 65 | 43 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 51 | 33 | 3.6 | 7 | 0.3 |
| Dec | 40 | 25 | 3.2 | 7 | 3.1 |
| Year | 61 | 42 | 45.7 | 83 | 15.9 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Rushville, IN (948 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 Rushville
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 130 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Rushville: 121 thunderstorm wind reports, 4 flash floods, 3 floods and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $2.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on August 25, 2018.
March 15, 2025: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Rushville — 3 injured, $500,000 damage.
NWS: “Thunderstorm winds caused damage over 50 locations across Rush County with trees or powerlines down and at least two dozen structures damaged. Three people were injured north of Rushville where winds blew over a security trailer.”
June 19, 2021: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Rushville — $250,000 damage.
NWS: “Rapidly flowing water over State Road 244 in southern Rush county. A section of County Road 1000 South was washed out by flood waters.”
September 21, 2022: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Rushville — $200,000 damage.
NWS: “damaging 6 homes, including partial roof damage to a building on the southwest side of Rushville. Winds continued to down trees and powerlines to the southeast side of Rushville.”
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 Rushville's ZIP code 46173 have filed 20 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $179,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 30% 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, 38 have fewer than Rushville.
Rush County, which includes Rushville, has been named in 17 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 10 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 severe storms, 4 floods, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on August 25, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Rush County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail and strong wind; Very Low for hurricanes, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $6.6 million a year, the 81st highest of 92 Indiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.6 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 Rushville
- Knightstown, IN14 mi
- Morristown, IN14 mi
- Connersville, IN16 mi
- Laurel, IN16 mi
- Saint Paul, IN17 mi
- Shelbyville, IN19 mi
- Greensburg, IN20 mi
- Cambridge City, IN20 mi
- Shirley, IN21 mi
- Fountaintown, IN22 mi
- New Castle, IN22 mi
- Greenfield, IN22 mi
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