NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Washington, 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
2 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Washington, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 94 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 2
- Tornadoes
- 94
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
8 deaths in all
What the records show for Washington
None of the 2 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Washington; the strongest was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm with 45 mph winds when its centre passed 49 miles away. The record near Washington begins with an unnamed storm in 1915; the most recent system was Helene in 2024. Of the 356 Indiana cities on this site, 88% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Washington. The highest rating among the 94 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on June 2, 1990, came within 7 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on June 2, 1990, killed 6 people. Of the 94, 9 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 42 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 20. The most recent tornado was on March 15, 2025. Of the 356 Indiana cities, 66% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Washington. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 43 times since 1967, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 356 Indiana cities, 77% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Washington.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Washington
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 28 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Washington: 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 Washington
By decade
- 2020s10
- 2010s23
- 2000s9(1 EF3+)
- 1990s17(3 EF3+)
- 1980s7(1 EF3+)
- 1970s8
- 1960s7(1 EF3+)
- 1950s13(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2, 1990 | F4 | 13 mi | 13 mi | 6 / 60 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F4 | 7 mi | 106 mi | 1 / 12 |
| Jan 7, 1989 | F4 | 14 mi | 19 mi | 0 / 55 |
| Nov 15, 2005 | F3 | 3 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 31 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F3 | 7 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 24, 1967 | F3 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Feb 10, 1959 | F3 | 14 mi | 3.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 25, 2023 | EF2 | 17 mi | 9.12 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Mar 15, 2025 | EF2 | 9 mi | 57.49 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 26, 2024 | EF2 | 9 mi | 12.14 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 19, 2022 | EF2 | 13 mi | 26.85 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 1, 2017 | EF2 | 5 mi | 1.52 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 94, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Washington
The Storm Prediction Center has 43 hail reports within 10 miles of Washington since 1967, made on 33 separate days. Of these, 30 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on May 28, 1996. The most recent report is from April 30, 2025. May has the most reports, 14.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Washington
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Washington 1 W, IN, 1 mile southwest of Washington at 482 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 40°F and 24°F. May is the wettest at 5.5 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.9 inches; the year adds up to 48.0 inches over 73 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 32 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 90 nights a year. Snowfall averages 9.2 inches a year, most of it in December. That 48.0 inches is more than at 90 of the 115 Indiana stations used on this site (78%). Bicknell, 11 miles northwest, has its own station (Freelandville, IN): 45.4 inches a year, 2.6 less than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 40 | 24 | 3.6 | 6 | 2.9 |
| Feb | 46 | 28 | 2.9 | 5 | 2.0 |
| Mar | 57 | 36 | 4.0 | 6 | 1.0 |
| Apr | 69 | 45 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 77 | 56 | 5.5 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 85 | 64 | 5.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 87 | 67 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 86 | 65 | 3.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 81 | 58 | 3.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 47 | 3.6 | 5 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 56 | 36 | 3.9 | 5 | 0.1 |
| Dec | 45 | 28 | 3.7 | 5 | 3.1 |
| Year | 67 | 46 | 48.0 | 73 | 9.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Washington 1 W, IN (482 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 Washington
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 140 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Washington: 93 thunderstorm wind reports, 27 floods and 20 flash floods. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $19.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on June 22, 2009. September has had the most flash floods, 5 of 20. Of the 337 Indiana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 257 have had fewer than Washington.
April 16, 1998: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Washington — 1 injured, $5,000 damage.
June 5, 2008: flood 7 miles from the centre of Washington — $18.0 million damage.
April 4, 2025: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Washington — $250,000 damage.
NWS: “Numerous roads closed due to flash flooding. US 231 had water flowing over it.”
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
Daviess County, which includes Washington, has been named in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1968, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 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 Daviess County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Low for hail, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $15.1 million a year, the 40th highest of 92 Indiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $7.2 million (48%), 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 Washington
- Montgomery, IN7 mi
- Bicknell, IN11 mi
- Petersburg, IN14 mi
- Loogootee, IN15 mi
- Odon, IN16 mi
- Vincennes, IN18 mi
- Winslow, IN19 mi
- Jasper, IN21 mi
- Shoals, IN22 mi
- Carlisle, IN23 mi
- Oakland City, IN25 mi
- Dubois, IN25 mi
All Indiana cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Washington with another place →