NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Thorntown, 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
5 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Thorntown, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 137 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 137
- EF3 or stronger
- 10
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
61 deaths in all
What the records show for Thorntown
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Thorntown; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 28 miles away. The record near Thorntown begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 5 systems, one has come since 2000. Thorntown has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 63% of the 356 Indiana cities on this site. The highest rating among the 137 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on April 11, 1965, came within 17 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on April 11, 1965, killed 28 people. Of the 137, 10 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 55 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 33. The most recent tornado was on April 2, 2025. Thorntown has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 87% of the 356 Indiana cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 89 times since 1955, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Thorntown has more hail reports within 10 miles than 75% of the 356 Indiana cities.
Compare Thorntown's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Thorntown
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 3 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 4 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 Thorntown: 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 Thorntown
By decade
- 2020s7
- 2010s28(1 EF3+)
- 2000s20
- 1990s17(1 EF3+)
- 1980s16(1 EF3+)
- 1970s19(1 EF3+)
- 1960s22(5 EF3+)
- 1950s8(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 4 mi | 45.7 mi | 28 / 123 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 22 mi | 48 mi | 25 / 835 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 17 mi | 21.8 mi | 0 / 44 |
| Apr 9, 1953 | F3 | 9 mi | 156.7 mi | 3 / 22 |
| Jun 2, 1980 | F3 | 18 mi | 18.1 mi | 1 / 16 |
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF3 | 19 mi | 37.91 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 22, 1992 | F3 | 20 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 25, 1978 | F3 | 5 mi | 27.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 26, 1965 | F3 | 18 mi | 14.7 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Mar 11, 1962 | F3 | 7 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 13, 1995 | F2 | 11 mi | 14 mi | 3 / 10 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F2 | 21 mi | 3.5 mi | 1 / 6 |
The strongest 12 of 137, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Thorntown
The Storm Prediction Center has 89 hail reports within 10 miles of Thorntown since 1955, made on 59 separate days. Of these, 56 were 1 inch across or larger, and 6 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on June 25, 2023. The most recent report is from March 19, 2025. May has the most reports, 25.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Thorntown
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Frankfort Disposal, IN, 13 miles northeast of Thorntown at 824 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 34°F and 19°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 43.4 inches over 81 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 13 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 119 nights a year. Snowfall averages 24.1 inches a year, most of it in January. That 43.4 inches is more than at 58 of the 115 Indiana stations used on this site (50%). Lebanon, 9 miles southeast, has its own station (Whitestown, IN): 41.5 inches a year, 1.9 less than here, and a July average high of 83°F against 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 34 | 19 | 3.0 | 7 | 9.0 |
| Feb | 38 | 22 | 2.5 | 6 | 6.2 |
| Mar | 50 | 31 | 3.1 | 7 | 2.7 |
| Apr | 62 | 41 | 4.1 | 8 | 0.6 |
| May | 73 | 52 | 4.4 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 81 | 61 | 5.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 84 | 64 | 4.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 62 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 77 | 54 | 3.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 65 | 44 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 50 | 33 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.9 |
| Dec | 39 | 24 | 2.9 | 7 | 4.7 |
| Year | 61 | 42 | 43.4 | 81 | 24.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Frankfort Disposal, IN (824 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 Thorntown
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 137 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Thorntown: 109 thunderstorm wind reports, 18 floods, 9 flash floods and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 1 person and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $1.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on June 6, 2008. June has had the most flash floods, 4 of 9. Of the 337 Indiana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 139 have had fewer than Thorntown.
May 25, 2022: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Thorntown — 1 killed, $50,000 damage.
July 19, 1998: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Thorntown — 1 injured, $10,000 damage.
April 19, 2011: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Thorntown — $300,000 damage.
NWS: “Multiple cars and trucks were blown off of Interstate 65, between mile markers 147 and 152, due to damaging thunderstorm wind gusts. A barn was also destroyed near this location.”
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
Boone County, which includes Thorntown, has been named in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 severe storms, 3 floods, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 3, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Boone County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hail and strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $25.5 million a year, the 22nd highest of 92 Indiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $15.2 million (60%), 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.