Hail history in Evansville, IN

In the Storm Prediction Center's 1980 to 2006 climatology for the Paducah radar region, which takes in Evansville, the primary severe season runs March 29 to August 2, with hail peaking in April and May.¹ NWS Paducah calls April and May typically its most active time of year for severe thunderstorms, and since 1995 May has averaged the most Severe Thunderstorm Warnings of any month in its area, about 60.^2,3

Notable storms

1. July 30, 2024On July 30, 2024, a trained spotter measured 70 mph gusts near Bedford Avenue as a line of storms crossed Evansville. An EF-1 tornado then formed just east of Evansville Regional Airport near Melody Hill and tracked about 11 miles east-southeast into Warrick County with peak winds of 110 mph, mostly downing trees and large limbs, some onto homes.^4,5,6
2. April 2, 2024On April 2, 2024, a derecho's macroburst with peak winds of 95 mph cut an 11-mile path from Parkers Settlement in Posey County into Evansville, uprooting or snapping thousands of trees and damaging an airplane at Evansville Regional Airport. NOAA's storm records list $850,000 in property damage in Vanderburgh County.⁷
3. May 10, 2018On May 10, 2018, a swath of large hail crossed most of Evansville, with 2-inch hail near downtown. Several windshields were shattered or damaged.⁸
4. May 9, 2014On May 9, 2014, a macroburst about 3 miles wide crossed the north half of Evansville from the west side through Melody Hill into Warrick County, with peak winds near 120 mph. About 100 structures were damaged and dozens destroyed, and NOAA's storm records list about $60 million in property damage in the area.^9,10
5. March 2, 2012On March 2, 2012, storms dropped 1.75-inch (golf ball size) hail just south of Evansville Regional Airport. An EF-0 tornado touched down about 1 mile southeast of Darmstadt and ran about 2 miles to Browning Road.^11,12
6. November 6, 2005Around 2 a.m. on November 6, 2005, an F3 tornado moved east-northeast at close to 60 mph, staying a mile or less south of I-164 and Evansville's southern city limit. Twenty people died at a mobile home park south of the interstate, where 100 of about 350 mobile homes were destroyed. Along its 41-mile path the tornado killed 25 people.^13,14

Warnings and alerts

Forecasts and warnings for Evansville come from the National Weather Service office in Paducah, Kentucky.¹⁵ Central Dispatch sounds the 40 outdoor warning sirens in Evansville and Vanderburgh County when the National Weather Service issues a Severe Thunderstorm Warning or a Tornado Warning.¹⁶