NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Tell City, 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 Tell City, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 79 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 79
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
62 deaths in all
What the records show for Tell City
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Tell City; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 54 mph winds when its centre passed 52 miles away. The record near Tell City begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 4 miles away. Of the 356 Indiana cities on this site, 65% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Tell City. The highest rating among the 79 tornadoes within 25 miles is F5, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 3, 1974, came within 7 miles. The deadliest, an F5 on April 3, 1974, killed 31 people. Of the 79, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 50 have come since 2000. April and May have had the most tornadoes, 17 each. The most recent tornado was on March 30, 2025. Of the 356 Indiana cities, 89% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Tell City. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 37 times since 1972, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 356 Indiana cities, 86% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Tell City.
Compare Tell City's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Tell City
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 28 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 52 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 Tell City: 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 Tell City
By decade
- 2020s8
- 2010s25
- 2000s17(3 EF3+)
- 1990s11
- 1980s7
- 1970s6(3 EF3+)
- 1960s3(1 EF3+)
- 1950s2(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 20 mi | 32 mi | 31 / 270 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 7 mi | 68 mi | 6 / 86 |
| Nov 6, 2005 | F3 | 19 mi | 41.3 mi | 24 / 238 |
| Oct 18, 2007 | EF3 | 20 mi | 6.99 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Jan 3, 2000 | F3 | 25 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 18 |
| Nov 19, 1970 | F3 | 2 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 19, 1963 | F3 | 22 mi | 85.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 9, 1952 | F3 | 2 mi | 35 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 28, 2002 | F2 | 10 mi | 32.3 mi | 1 / 19 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF2 | 9 mi | 16.49 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 19, 2011 | EF2 | 23 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 25, 2011 | EF2 | 25 mi | 1.93 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 Tell City
The Storm Prediction Center has 37 hail reports within 10 miles of Tell City since 1972, made on 31 separate days. Of these, 22 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on May 19, 1989. The most recent report is from March 15, 2025. May has the most reports, 10.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Tell City
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Tell City, IN, 2 miles southwest of Tell City at 390 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 41°F and 26°F. May is the wettest at 5.8 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 3.0 inches; the year adds up to 51.2 inches over 79 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 28 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 78 nights a year. That 51.2 inches is more than at 110 of the 115 Indiana stations used on this site (96%). Cannelton, 4 miles southeast, has its own station (Cannelton, IN): 48.9 inches a year, 2.3 less than here, and a July average high of 87°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 41 | 26 | 3.7 | 6 |
| Feb | 45 | 28 | 3.5 | 6 |
| Mar | 54 | 36 | 4.7 | 8 |
| Apr | 66 | 45 | 5.3 | 8 |
| May | 74 | 55 | 5.8 | 9 |
| Jun | 82 | 64 | 5.1 | 8 |
| Jul | 85 | 67 | 4.1 | 7 |
| Aug | 85 | 66 | 3.0 | 5 |
| Sep | 79 | 58 | 3.7 | 5 |
| Oct | 68 | 47 | 3.9 | 6 |
| Nov | 55 | 37 | 3.9 | 6 |
| Dec | 44 | 30 | 4.5 | 8 |
| Year | 65 | 47 | 51.2 | 79 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Tell City, IN (390 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 Tell City
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 198 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Tell City: 138 thunderstorm wind reports, 42 floods, 16 flash floods and 2 heavy rain events. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $884,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 104 mph, on October 24, 2001. August has had the most flash floods, 4 of 16. Of the 337 Indiana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 219 have had fewer than Tell City.
May 30, 2004: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Tell City — $200,000 damage.
NWS: “Thunderstorm winds caused extensive roof damage to two multi story warehouses. Flying debris caused additional damage to nearby buildings.”
January 29, 2008: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Tell City — $200,000 damage.
NWS: “Thunderstorm winds blew the roof off a home in Leopold. In the Ashland Road area, winds destroyed a farm building housing several tractors and other farm equipment.”
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 Tell City's ZIP code 47586 have filed 23 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $70,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 9% 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, 43 have fewer than Tell City.
Perry County, which includes Tell City, has been named in 23 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 severe storms, 6 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on July 22, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Perry 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 $11.5 million a year, the 60th highest of 92 Indiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.6 million (57%), 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.