NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Saint Paul, 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 Saint Paul, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1915. Since 1950, 103 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 15 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 103
- EF3 or stronger
- 15
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
12 deaths in all
What the records show for Saint Paul
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Saint Paul; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1892, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 72 miles away. The record near Saint Paul begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was an unnamed storm in 1915, a tropical storm 17 miles away. Of the 356 Indiana cities on this site, 65% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Saint Paul. The highest rating among the 103 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 4 times; the most recent, on July 9, 1980, came within 15 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on April 3, 1974, killed 4 people. Of the 103, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 37 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 20. The most recent tornado was on March 30, 2025. Of the 356 Indiana cities, 49% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Saint Paul. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 41 times since 1966, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 356 Indiana cities, 79% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Saint Paul.
Compare Saint Paul's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Saint Paul
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 72 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 Saint Paul: 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 Saint Paul
By decade
- 2020s15(1 EF3+)
- 2010s10
- 2000s12(2 EF3+)
- 1990s17(2 EF3+)
- 1980s11(2 EF3+)
- 1970s18(4 EF3+)
- 1960s10(2 EF3+)
- 1950s10(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 12 mi | 35.6 mi | 4 / 17 |
| Jul 9, 1980 | F4 | 15 mi | 11 mi | 2 / 25 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 23 mi | 18.9 mi | 0 / 17 |
| Apr 25, 1961 | F4 | 13 mi | 63.1 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Oct 11, 1954 | F3 | 23 mi | 4.7 mi | 2 / 0 |
| Jun 3, 2008 | EF3 | 3 mi | 9.68 mi | 1 / 8 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 17 mi | 20.7 mi | 1 / 25 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 22 mi | 35.8 mi | 1 / 26 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF3 | 23 mi | 5.48 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 15, 2005 | F3 | 9 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Nov 22, 1992 | F3 | 12 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 30, 1992 | F3 | 19 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 25 |
The strongest 12 of 103, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Saint Paul
The Storm Prediction Center has 41 hail reports within 10 miles of Saint Paul since 1966, made on 32 separate days. Of these, 29 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently August 25, 2018. The most recent report is from July 15, 2024. May has the most reports, 14.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Saint Paul
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Greensburg, IN, 9 miles southeast of Saint Paul at 937 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 66°F; January is the coolest, at 36°F and 22°F. June is the wettest at 5.4 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.8 inches; the year adds up to 47.1 inches over 84 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 109 nights a year. Snowfall averages 13.3 inches a year, most of it in January. That 47.1 inches is more than at 78 of the 115 Indiana stations used on this site (68%). Shelbyville, 11 miles northwest, has its own station (Shelbyville Sewage Plt, IN): 44.1 inches a year, 3.0 less than here, and the same July average high, 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36 | 22 | 3.4 | 7 | 4.4 |
| Feb | 41 | 24 | 2.8 | 6 | 3.8 |
| Mar | 51 | 33 | 3.8 | 8 | 1.7 |
| Apr | 64 | 44 | 4.9 | 9 | 0.0 |
| May | 74 | 55 | 5.1 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 82 | 63 | 5.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 85 | 66 | 4.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 83 | 64 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 78 | 57 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 66 | 46 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 52 | 35 | 3.6 | 7 | 0.2 |
| Dec | 41 | 27 | 3.5 | 7 | 3.1 |
| Year | 63 | 45 | 47.1 | 84 | 13.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Greensburg, IN (937 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 Saint Paul
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 108 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Saint Paul: 81 thunderstorm wind reports, 16 flash floods, 9 floods and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 1 person and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $1.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on April 14, 2006. June has had the most flash floods, 6 of 16. Of the 337 Indiana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 219 have had fewer than Saint Paul.
June 7, 2008: flash flood 10 miles from the centre of Saint Paul — 1 killed, $10,000 damage.
June 29, 2023: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Saint Paul — 1 injured, $50,000 damage.
NWS: “Tree downed by thunderstorm wind gusts onto a car with one injury reported.”
July 29, 2021: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Saint Paul — 1 injured, $18,000 damage.
NWS: “Minor tree and roof damage at 5364 South County Road 425 East. One minor injury when homeowner walked outside during storm and was hit by flying debris 3 times leading to minor chest injury and minor lacerations.”
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
Decatur County, which includes Saint Paul, has been named in 16 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 floods, 5 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on August 25, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Decatur County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for lightning; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding and strong wind; Very Low for hurricanes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $12.2 million a year, the 58th highest of 92 Indiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.5 million (53%), 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 Saint Paul
- Greensburg, IN10 mi
- Shelbyville, IN11 mi
- Hope, IN11 mi
- Rushville, IN17 mi
- Westport, IN17 mi
- Morristown, IN18 mi
- Fairland, IN19 mi
- Edinburgh, IN19 mi
- Fountaintown, IN21 mi
- Columbus, IN22 mi
- Elizabethtown, IN22 mi
- Franklin, IN23 mi
All Indiana cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Saint Paul with another place →