NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Santa Claus, 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 Santa Claus, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 105 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 105
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
33 deaths in all
What the records show for Santa Claus
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Santa Claus; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 54 mph winds when its centre passed 65 miles away. The record near Santa Claus begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 10 miles away. Of the 356 Indiana cities on this site, 65% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Santa Claus. The strongest of the 105 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on April 3, 1974; its path came within 10 miles, and it killed 6 people. The deadliest, an F3 on November 6, 2005, killed 24 people. Of the 105, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 68 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 29. The most recent tornado was on June 7, 2025. Santa Claus has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 51% of the 356 Indiana cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 53 times since 1967, with stones up to 4.25 inches. Of the 356 Indiana cities, 63% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Santa Claus.
Compare Santa Claus's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Santa Claus
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 28 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Santa Claus: 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 Santa Claus
By decade
- 2020s13
- 2010s35
- 2000s20(3 EF3+)
- 1990s15
- 1980s7
- 1970s6(2 EF3+)
- 1960s4(1 EF3+)
- 1950s5(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 10 mi | 68 mi | 6 / 86 |
| Nov 6, 2005 | F3 | 7 mi | 41.3 mi | 24 / 238 |
| May 30, 2004 | F3 | 24 mi | 15 mi | 1 / 11 |
| Oct 18, 2007 | EF3 | 22 mi | 6.99 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Nov 19, 1970 | F3 | 14 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 19, 1963 | F3 | 20 mi | 85.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 9, 1952 | F3 | 15 mi | 35 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 28, 2002 | F2 | 24 mi | 32.3 mi | 1 / 19 |
| Apr 11, 1979 | F2 | 19 mi | 10 mi | 1 / 2 |
| Mar 28, 2020 | EF2 | 25 mi | 5.06 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Feb 28, 2017 | EF2 | 21 mi | 5.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF2 | 21 mi | 16.49 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 105, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Santa Claus
The Storm Prediction Center has 53 hail reports within 10 miles of Santa Claus since 1967, made on 40 separate days. Of these, 31 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.25 inches, fell on May 25, 2006. The most recent report is from June 25, 2023. May has the most reports, 16.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Santa Claus
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Saint Meinrad, IN, 7 miles northeast of Santa Claus at 510 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 43°F and 26°F. May is the wettest at 5.4 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 2.9 inches; the year adds up to 49.6 inches over 79 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 23 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 90 nights a year. Snowfall averages 8.3 inches a year, most of it in January. That 49.6 inches is more than at 102 of the 115 Indiana stations used on this site (89%). Huntingburg, 13 miles north, has its own station (Stendal, IN): 52.4 inches a year, 2.8 more than here, and a July average high of 85°F against 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43 | 26 | 3.5 | 7 | 3.0 |
| Feb | 48 | 29 | 3.5 | 6 | 2.4 |
| Mar | 58 | 37 | 4.8 | 8 | 1.3 |
| Apr | 69 | 46 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 77 | 55 | 5.4 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 84 | 63 | 4.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 87 | 67 | 4.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 87 | 65 | 2.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 82 | 58 | 3.6 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 71 | 47 | 3.6 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 58 | 37 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 47 | 30 | 4.0 | 7 | 1.6 |
| Year | 67 | 47 | 49.6 | 79 | 8.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Saint Meinrad, IN (510 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 Santa Claus
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 114 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Santa Claus: 87 thunderstorm wind reports, 16 flash floods, 5 heavy rain events, 4 floods and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $1.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 96 mph, on May 9, 2014. July has had the most flash floods, 5 of 16. Of the 337 Indiana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 219 have had fewer than Santa Claus.
February 24, 2007: lightning strike 8 miles from the centre of Santa Claus — 1 injured, $5,000 damage.
April 19, 1996: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Santa Claus — $200,000 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
Spencer County, which includes Santa Claus, has been named in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1979, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 severe storms, 4 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 Spencer County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and lightning. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $12.6 million a year, the 52nd highest of 92 Indiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.0 million (47%), 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.