NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Winchester, 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 Winchester, Indiana since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 95 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 95
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
5 deaths in all
What the records show for Winchester
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Winchester; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 74 miles away. The record near Winchester begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; 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 Winchester. The strongest of the 95 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 3, 1974; its path came within 8 miles, and it killed 1 person. The deadliest, an F3 on April 9, 1953, killed 3 people. Of the 95, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 41 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 26. The most recent tornado was on May 14, 2025. Of the 356 Indiana cities, 64% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Winchester. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 36 times since 1980, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 356 Indiana cities, 88% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Winchester.
Compare Winchester's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Winchester
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 21 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 29 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Winchester: 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 Winchester
By decade
- 2020s18(1 EF3+)
- 2010s12
- 2000s11
- 1990s12
- 1980s7(1 EF3+)
- 1970s10(1 EF3+)
- 1960s15(3 EF3+)
- 1950s10(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 8 mi | 18 mi | 1 / 12 |
| Apr 9, 1953 | F3 | 17 mi | 156.7 mi | 3 / 22 |
| Mar 14, 2024 | EF3 | in town | 41.34 mi | 1 / 39 |
| Mar 10, 1986 | F3 | 8 mi | 7.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 26, 1965 | F3 | 22 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 24, 1961 | F3 | in town | 38.6 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jul 28, 1961 | F3 | 8 mi | 20.2 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Nov 15, 1955 | F3 | 12 mi | 21 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | EF2 | 23 mi | 15.15 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 7, 2024 | EF2 | 22 mi | 8.14 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 14, 2024 | EF2 | 14 mi | 4.47 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 18, 2021 | EF2 | 20 mi | 5.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 95, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Winchester
The Storm Prediction Center has 36 hail reports within 10 miles of Winchester since 1980, made on 26 separate days. Of these, 24 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 7 days, most recently May 11, 2005. The most recent report is from July 17, 2023. May has the most reports, 11.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Winchester
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Winchester Airport 3 E, IN, 3 miles east of Winchester at 1,110 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 33°F and 18°F. June is the wettest at 4.8 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.1 inches; the year adds up to 39.9 inches over 78 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 9 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 124 nights a year. That 39.9 inches is more than at 20 of the 115 Indiana stations used on this site (17%). Farmland, 8 miles west, has its own station (Farmland 5 NNW, IN): 41.2 inches a year, 1.3 more than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 33 | 18 | 2.7 | 6 |
| Feb | 37 | 20 | 2.1 | 5 |
| Mar | 48 | 29 | 2.9 | 6 |
| Apr | 61 | 40 | 4.0 | 9 |
| May | 71 | 52 | 4.4 | 9 |
| Jun | 79 | 61 | 4.8 | 8 |
| Jul | 83 | 64 | 3.9 | 6 |
| Aug | 81 | 61 | 3.5 | 6 |
| Sep | 76 | 54 | 3.0 | 5 |
| Oct | 64 | 43 | 3.1 | 5 |
| Nov | 50 | 32 | 3.2 | 7 |
| Dec | 38 | 24 | 2.3 | 6 |
| Year | 60 | 41 | 39.9 | 78 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Winchester Airport 3 E, IN (1,110 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 Winchester
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 105 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Winchester: 87 thunderstorm wind reports, 11 flash floods, 6 floods and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $909,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on July 20, 2011. Of the 337 Indiana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 166 have had fewer than Winchester.
March 11, 2026: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Winchester — $150,000 damage.
March 11, 2026: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Winchester — $120,000 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
Randolph County, which includes Winchester, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 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 Randolph County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Low for hail, inland flooding and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $9.2 million a year, the 70th highest of 92 Indiana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $5.4 million (59%), 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.