NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Spencer, 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
4 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Spencer, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 79 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 79
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
3 deaths in all
What the records show for Spencer
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Spencer; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 56 mph winds when its centre passed 67 miles away. The record near Spencer begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 4 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 356 Indiana cities on this site, 37% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Spencer. The highest rating among the 79 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 6 times; the most recent, on March 31, 2023, came within 3 miles. Of the 79, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 35 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 28. The most recent tornado was on May 16, 2025. Of the 356 Indiana cities, 89% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Spencer. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 69 times since 1976, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Spencer has more hail reports within 10 miles than 57% of the 356 Indiana cities.
Compare Spencer's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Spencer
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 53 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 Spencer: 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 Spencer
By decade
- 2020s8(1 EF3+)
- 2010s12
- 2000s15(1 EF3+)
- 1990s11(2 EF3+)
- 1980s5(1 EF3+)
- 1970s17
- 1960s3(1 EF3+)
- 1950s8
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF3 | 3 mi | 5.92 mi | 2 / 2 |
| Sep 20, 2002 | F3 | 9 mi | 112 mi | 0 / 127 |
| Nov 22, 1992 | F3 | 16 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 22, 1992 | F3 | 7 mi | 5.3 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Mar 10, 1986 | F3 | 15 mi | 35 mi | 0 / 22 |
| Apr 29, 1963 | F3 | 18 mi | 23.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 16, 2025 | EF2 | 18 mi | 14.04 mi | 1 / 3 |
| May 16, 2025 | EF2 | 14 mi | 35.27 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF2 | 18 mi | 8.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 15, 2019 | EF2 | 17 mi | 3.52 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 15, 2019 | EF2 | 7 mi | 3.68 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 30, 1992 | F2 | 17 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 79, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Spencer
The Storm Prediction Center has 69 hail reports within 10 miles of Spencer since 1976, made on 39 separate days. Of these, 51 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on June 25, 2023. The most recent report is from November 18, 2025. May has the most reports, 20.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Spencer
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Spencer, IN, in Spencer at 549 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 37°F and 20°F. June is the wettest at 5.8 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.6 inches; the year adds up to 49.8 inches over 82 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 18 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 129 nights a year. Snowfall averages 15.8 inches a year, most of it in January. That 49.8 inches is more than at 103 of the 115 Indiana stations used on this site (90%). Ellettsville, 9 miles east, has its own station (Bloomington Indiana Univ, IN): 49.5 inches a year, 0.3 less than here, and the same July average high, 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 37 | 20 | 3.5 | 6 | 6.9 |
| Feb | 42 | 23 | 2.6 | 6 | 4.2 |
| Mar | 52 | 31 | 3.7 | 7 | 1.5 |
| Apr | 64 | 41 | 5.3 | 9 | 0.1 |
| May | 74 | 51 | 5.2 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 82 | 60 | 5.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 85 | 64 | 4.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 84 | 62 | 3.6 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 79 | 54 | 3.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 67 | 42 | 3.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 53 | 32 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.3 |
| Dec | 42 | 25 | 3.5 | 7 | 2.8 |
| Year | 63 | 42 | 49.8 | 82 | 15.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Spencer, IN (549 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 Spencer
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 170 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Spencer: 113 thunderstorm wind reports, 26 floods, 24 flash floods and 7 heavy rain events. They killed 3 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $133.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 83 mph, on March 31, 2023. June has had the most flash floods, 13 of 24. Of the 337 Indiana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 275 have had fewer than Spencer.
April 5, 2014: flood 8 miles from the centre of Spencer — 2 killed, $9,000 damage.
December 21, 2013: flash flood 4 miles from the centre of Spencer — 1 killed, $5,000 damage.
NWS: “An Owen County woman was killed Christmas Eve when her car hit flooded waters on her way to a Christmas family gathering. m.”
September 20, 2000: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Spencer — 1 injured, $20,000 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Spencer's ZIP code 47460 have filed 137 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1991, and were paid $3.2 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Storm in 2008: 53 claims (39% of all) and $1.9 million. 45% 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, 126 have fewer than Spencer.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Storm2008 | 53 | $1.9 million |
Owen County, which includes Spencer, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1991, 15 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 severe storms, 4 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on July 22, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Owen 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 $10.5 million a year, the 64th highest of 92 Indiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.1 million (58%), 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 Spencer
- Gosport, IN8 mi
- Ellettsville, IN9 mi
- Poland, IN11 mi
- Solsberry, IN12 mi
- Paragon, IN14 mi
- Cloverdale, IN15 mi
- Worthington, IN16 mi
- Bloomington, IN16 mi
- Clay City, IN18 mi
- Bloomfield, IN20 mi
- Martinsville, IN22 mi
- Monrovia, IN23 mi
All Indiana cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Spencer with another place →