NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Shirley, 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 Shirley, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 119 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 17 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 119
- EF3 or stronger
- 17
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
5 deaths in all
What the records show for Shirley
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Shirley; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 71 miles away. The record near Shirley begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 356 Indiana cities on this site, 65% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Shirley. The highest rating among the 119 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 6 times; the most recent, on June 11, 1998, came within 11 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on July 9, 1980, killed 2 people. Of the 119, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 45 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 27. The most recent tornado was on April 2, 2025. Shirley has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 70% of the 356 Indiana cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 45 times since 1974, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 356 Indiana cities, 74% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Shirley.
Compare Shirley's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Shirley
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 40 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 Shirley: 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 Shirley
By decade
- 2020s12
- 2010s14
- 2000s19(1 EF3+)
- 1990s15(2 EF3+)
- 1980s15(2 EF3+)
- 1970s14(4 EF3+)
- 1960s17(8 EF3+)
- 1950s13
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 9, 1980 | F4 | 21 mi | 11 mi | 2 / 25 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 19 mi | 18 mi | 1 / 12 |
| Jun 11, 1998 | F4 | 11 mi | 13.2 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 3 mi | 18.9 mi | 0 / 17 |
| May 14, 1972 | F4 | 5 mi | 30 mi | 0 / 20 |
| Apr 25, 1961 | F4 | 20 mi | 63.1 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 7 mi | 20.7 mi | 1 / 25 |
| Sep 20, 2002 | F3 | 14 mi | 112 mi | 0 / 127 |
| Nov 22, 1992 | F3 | 19 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 10, 1986 | F3 | 22 mi | 35 mi | 0 / 22 |
| Nov 26, 1965 | F3 | 3 mi | 1.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 26, 1965 | F3 | 17 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 119, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Shirley
The Storm Prediction Center has 45 hail reports within 10 miles of Shirley since 1974, made on 30 separate days. Of these, 30 were 1 inch across or larger, and 6 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 3 inches (tea cup size), was reported on 2 days, most recently May 18, 2000. The most recent report is from March 14, 2024. June has the most reports, 13.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Shirley
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is New Castle 3 SW, IN, 9 miles east of Shirley at 991 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 61°F; January is the coolest, at 34°F and 17°F. June is the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 44.4 inches over 82 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 8 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 132 nights a year. Snowfall averages 24.8 inches a year, most of it in January. That 44.4 inches is more than at 64 of the 115 Indiana stations used on this site (56%). Markleville, 5 miles northwest, has its own station (Anderson Sewage Plt, IN): 43.8 inches a year, 0.6 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 | 34 | 17 | 3.0 | 6 | 7.9 |
| Feb | 38 | 19 | 2.5 | 5 | 6.4 |
| Mar | 49 | 28 | 3.4 | 7 | 3.4 |
| Apr | 62 | 38 | 4.4 | 9 | 0.3 |
| May | 72 | 50 | 4.9 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 80 | 59 | 5.3 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 61 | 4.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 59 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 77 | 52 | 3.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 65 | 41 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 51 | 31 | 3.5 | 7 | 0.9 |
| Dec | 39 | 23 | 3.0 | 7 | 5.9 |
| Year | 61 | 40 | 44.4 | 82 | 24.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at New Castle 3 SW, IN (991 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 Shirley
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 87 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Shirley: 86 thunderstorm wind reports and 1 flash flood. They killed 0 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $548,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on October 26, 2010.
October 26, 2010: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Shirley — 2 injured, $75,000 damage.
NWS: “Significant damage occurred to a hog barn that was under construction near the intersection of County Roads 1100 North and 1100 East. Injuries occurred to two workers who were on stilts constructing the ceiling in the unfinished hog barn when the storm and damaging wind gusts moved across the area.”
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
Henry County, which includes Shirley, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 severe storms, 4 floods, 4 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 Henry County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes; Relatively Low for hail, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $14.7 million a year, the 42nd highest of 92 Indiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $8.0 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 Shirley
- Markleville, IN5 mi
- Knightstown, IN8 mi
- Middletown, IN9 mi
- New Castle, IN11 mi
- Pendleton, IN11 mi
- Ingalls, IN13 mi
- Chesterfield, IN13 mi
- Greenfield, IN14 mi
- Daleville, IN14 mi
- Fortville, IN15 mi
- Anderson, IN15 mi
- Morristown, IN18 mi
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