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Climate Fact Sheet

General Weather

Indiana Climate Normals
(1971 – 2000)
Month
Mean
Temperature
Max.
Temperature
Min.
Temperature
Precipitation
Jan
26.0
34.4
17.7
2.48
Feb
30.5
39.8
21.2
2.27
Mar
40.7
50.8
30.5
3.36
Apr
51.0
62.3
39.8
3.89
May
61.4
72.8
50.0
4.46
Jun
70.5
81.5
59.4
4.19
Jul
74.3
85.1
63.4
4.22
Aug
72.2
83.2
61.3
3.91
Sep
65.2
76.9
53.4
3.12
Oct
53.6
65.3
41.9
3.02
Nov
42.3
51.4
33.2
3.44
Dec
31.2
39.2
23.1
3.13

 

Four distinct seasons

  • Average annual rainfall: 40 inches
  • Average summer temperature: 70 to 80F.
  • Average winter temperature: 25 to 35F
  • Average First Freeze Date: October 16
  • Average Last Freeze Date: April 22
  • Average Date of First Measurable Snowfall: November 19
  • Average Date of Last Measurable Snowfall: March 30
  • Average wind direction and speed: 9.6 from the Southwest
  • On average Indiana ‘s drought conditions can range between moderate to non-existent. Currently Indiana has not seen any severe drought conditions. One of the worst droughts recorded was in the 1930’s across almost the entire United States .
  • Indiana ‘s climate is affected by 6 air masses at different times of the year.
  • About 20% of Indiana ‘s annual precipitation comes from regional sources. The main regional source is Lake Michigan .
  • Excessive late-winter rainfall is the cause for the most widespread floods in Indiana
  • There are two main causes for drought in Indiana
    • The Bermuda High
    • Northwesterly flow aloft for a long period of time can keep moisture from entering Indiana

 

Extreme Days

  • Maximum temperature ever recorded: 116F at Collegeville in 1936.
  • Minimum temperature ever recorded: -36F at New Whiteland in Lafayette -33F).
  • Most days ever recorded when temperature was over 90F: 105 times in 1953 at Evansville.
  • Most days ever recorded when temperature was over 100F: 33 times in 1955 at Evansville.
  • Maximum snow fall ever recorded: Jan 26, 1978 , Up to 20 inches of snow fell in the central and south with 40 inches up in the north. A federal state of emergency was declared because of the worst blizzard on record to hit Indiana .
  • Maximum ice accumulation ever recorded: 2 inches in 1988.
  • Maximum flooding ever recorded: 27 feet above flood stage in 1913
    • At least 90 lives lost
    • Damage $15 million
  • Maximum precipitation in 24 hours: 10.5 inches recorded in 1905 at Princeton
  • Maximum snow in 24 hours: 30 inches recorded in December 2004 at southern and east central Indiana .
  • Highest wind gust on record of 111 MPH in Indianapolis occurred on June 29, 1929.

Maximum and Minimum Temperatures in Indiana

Month Max Temp (F) Year Place
Jan 80 1943 Madison
Feb 83 1938 Shoals
Mar 91 1929 Madison
Apr 100 1930 Winona Lake
May 103 1934 Collegeville
Jun 111 1936 Seymour
Jul 116 1936 Collegeville
Aug 111 1936 Seymour
Sep 108 1953 Madison
Oct 100 1939 Madison
Nov 91 1933 Shoals
Dec 78 1982 Evansville
Month Min Temp (F) Year Place
Jan -36 1994 New Whiteland
Feb -35 1951 Greensburg
Mar -19 1943 Goshen
Apr 1 1982 Goshen College
May 18 1978 Frankfort
Jun 30 1918 LaPorte
Jul 37 1892 Marion
Aug 33 1946 Frankfort
Sep 21 1899 Prairie Creek
Oct 8 1906 LaPorte
Nov -10 1950 Wheatfield
Dec -30 1924 Rochester
  • Largest Hail
Location Date Time (EST) Diameter (in)
Cayuga 5/18/2000 10:45am 4.50
Hartford City 4/9/2001 7:20pm 4.50
  • There have been 8 hail events with hail greater than 4 inches

 

Extreme Seasons

  • Wettest year was recorded in 1876 at Indianapolis : 57.65 inches of measured rain.
  • Driest year was recorded in 1934 at Indianapolis : 24.97 inches of measured rain.
  • Most snow fall recorded in 1979 in Rockford : 74.5 inches in one season.
  • Maximum monthly precipitation: over 16 inches in July 2003 and 2004 at Kokomo .
  • Driest month: zero precipitation in September 1979 and September 2004.

 

Tornadoes

F5 F4 F3 F2 F1 F0
8 20 122 291 406 331

 

  • March and April are considered tornado season.
  • There have been 1024 tornado touchdowns from 1950 – 2001.
  • The average is 20 touchdowns per year.
  • More than 6 touchdowns in a 24-hour period is considered an outbreak.
  • The biggest tornado recorded was in 1925 crossing three states ( Missouri , Illinois , and Indiana ) at 70 mph and was 1.5 miles wide.
  • In 1974, during the “Super Outbreak,” over 21 tornados broke out in the state of Indiana hitting 39 counties.
  • The “Tri-state” tornado of March 18, 1925 killed 695 people as it raced along at 60-73 mph in a 219 mile long track across parts of Missouri , Illinois and Indiana , producing F5 damage.

 

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