Daviess County, Indiana
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 18027 · population 33,361 · 430 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 461 records for Daviess County, Indiana from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 317 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (155 records). The most damaging was the June 5, 2008 flood ($68.5 million in 2025 dollars). FEMA has issued 18 declarations naming the county since 1968, 16 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Severe Winter Storm” on January 24, 2026.
The record, 1950 to 2026
Storm records filed for the county each year (2026 to June 30, 2026). Before 1996 NOAA recorded only tornadoes (from 1950), thunderstorm wind and hail (from 1955).
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $100,000
- $100,000 or more
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more, or a death
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- 1955: wind and hail recorded from 1955
- 1996: all 48 event types from 1996
- Storm records
- 461on 317 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 039 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $119Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 27strongest F4
- FEMA declarations
- 18latest 2026
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026 (file revision 20260918); damage converted to 2025 dollars with the BLS CPI-U. Search the record at NCEI. BLS consumer price index.
What hazards hit Daviess County most?
The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 155 since 1957. 43% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1957 fell in May and June. The rank column places the county among Indiana's counties by days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land over each hazard's complete period.
| Hazard | Records | Days | First, last | Killed | Injured | Damage | Rank in state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 155 | 115 | 1957-2026 | 0 | 2 | $1.6M | 63 of 91 |
| Floods | 131 | 111 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 0 | $86M | 11 of 91 |
| Hail | 60 | 41 | 1967-2026 | 0 | 0 | $461K | 72 of 91 |
| Winter storms | 49 | 30 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 0 | $294 | 86 of 91 |
| Tornadoes | 27 | 24 | 1956-2025 | 0 | 37 | $31M | 27 of 91 |
| Drought | 17 | 10 | 2010-2024 | 0 | 0 | – | 31 of 91 |
| High wind and dust storms | 9 | 5 | 1997-2024 | 0 | 0 | $14 | 83 of 91 |
| Heat | 5 | 4 | 1997-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 25 of 91 |
| Extreme cold | 4 | 3 | 1996-2024 | 0 | 0 | – | 85 of 91 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 4 | 3 | 1996-2010 | 0 | 0 | – | 17 of 91 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (county and forecast-zone records attributed to the county; a zone record shows its own totals on each county it covers). Days: dates with at least one record of the hazard in the county. Ranks: days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer), since 1950 for tornadoes, 1955 for hail and thunderstorm wind, 1996 for the rest.
How many tornadoes has Daviess County had?
NOAA records 27 tornadoes in Daviess County from 1956 to 2025, the strongest rated F4, with 0 deaths and 37 injuries recorded in the county. That is 27th of 91 Indiana counties by days with tornadoes per 1,000 square miles since 1950. A tornado that crossed a county line is counted in each county it touched, with the length of its path inside the county.
Counted as whole tornadoes rather than county records, the Storm Prediction Center's database holds 26 tornadoes whose track touched Daviess County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 27: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 1 person, 0 of them in Daviess County.
| Date | Tornado | Rating | Path | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990-06-02 17:20, as SPC files it | ShoalsCrossed IL, IN | F4 | 106 mi | 1 |
| 2005-11-15 14:40, as SPC files it | Washington | F3 | 12 mi | 0 |
| 1990-06-02 17:19, as SPC files it | Montgomery to Loogootee | F3 | 7 mi | 0 |
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Indiana.
Every tornado record filed for Daviess County (27)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-03-15 | Hudsonville, Daviess County | EF1 24.43 mi x 400 yd | 0 | 0 | $800K |
| 2023-06-25 | Odon, Daviess County | EF1 2.96 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $291K |
| 2017-04-05 | Cannelburg, Daviess County | EF1 1.2 mi x 90 yd | 0 | 0 | $78K |
| 2017-03-01 | Cannelburg, Daviess County | EF1 0.04 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | $42K |
| 2017-03-01 | Black Oak, Daviess County | EF2 1.52 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | $78K |
| 2017-03-01 | South Washington, Daviess County | EF2 0.15 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | $48K |
| 2013-11-17 | Maysville, Daviess County | EF2 2.8 mi x 125 yd | 0 | 0 | $127K |
| 2008-05-27 | Graham, Daviess County | EF0 0.1 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2005-11-15 | Washington, Daviess County | F3 10 mi x 440 yd | 0 | 31 | $18M |
| 2003-08-31 | Odon, Daviess County | F0 0.1 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2003-07-21 | Cannelburg, Daviess County | F0 0.5 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $16K |
| 2002-09-20 | Washington, Daviess County | F2 1.1 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 0 | $57K |
| 1998-06-29 | Plainville, Daviess County | F0 0.5 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 0 | $9K |
| 1992-07-02 | Daviess County | F0 0.1 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1990-06-02 | Daviess County | F4 13.5 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 6 | $2.5M step |
| 1990-06-02 | Daviess County | F3 6.5 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1986-05-15 | Daviess County | F2 0.2 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1976-01-13 | Daviess County | F1 2 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1973-06-20 | Daviess County | F1 0.1 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1971-05-06 | Daviess County | F2 29.7 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1970-04-23 | Daviess County | F1 0.2 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1969-08-09 | Daviess County | F2 | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1967-12-11 | Daviess County | F1 | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1967-10-24 | Daviess County | F1 | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1959-09-01 | Daviess County | F0 0.1 mi x 17 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1959-04-01 | Daviess County | F1 | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1956-02-25 | Daviess County | F2 13.8 mi x 900 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
A damage figure marked "step" is a record from before 1993: NOAA then filed damage by category, and the figure is the category as entered, in the dollars of that year, not an estimate of the loss.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, tornado records by county (path length in the county, maximum width); ratings as published: F scale before February 1, 2007, EF scale after. Whole-track figures: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database (1950-2025). SPC severe weather database.
When was the last damaging storm in Daviess County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the June 21, 2026 flash flood ($200,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-29 | Excessive HeatDaviess County · forecast zone Daviess | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-21 | Flash FloodFarlen, Daviess County | 0 | 0 | $200K | |
| 2026-06-21 | Thunderstorm WindPlainville, Daviess County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1K |
| 2026-06-18 | Thunderstorm WindWashington, Daviess County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $20K |
| 2026-04-27 | Thunderstorm WindFarlen, Daviess County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-27 | HailElnora, Daviess County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-27 | HailWashington, Daviess County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-22 | HailBlack Oak, Daviess County | 1.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-22 | HailPlainville, Daviess County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-04 | HailElnora, Daviess County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-01-24 | Heavy SnowDaviess County · forecast zone Daviess | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-12-11 | Heavy SnowDaviess County · forecast zone Daviess | 0 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database; every record of 2025-2026 is listed, earlier ones when they caused deaths, injuries or $250,000 of damage (2025 dollars), and every tornado.
The deadliest and costliest records
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005-11-15 | TornadoWashington, Daviess County An F3 tornado touched down near Washington, Indiana on the afternoon of 15 November 2005, and proceeded northeast for 12 miles, lifting at Crane Naval Base in Martin County. The tornado was up to 1/4 mile wide at times. The worst damage occurred 4 miles northeast of Montgomery. K&K Industries sits at that site. Abe ... | F3 10 mi x 440 yd | 0 | 31 | $18M |
| 1990-06-02 | TornadoDaviess County | F4 13.5 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 6 | $2.5M step |
| 2006-04-02 | Thunderstorm WindCountywide, Daviess County Widespread straight line wind damage occurred throughout Daviess County. One of the damaged strcutures was a home that was still being rebuilt from the 15 November 2005 tornado in the area. Near West Boggs Lake, three campers were rolled by the high winds. One person inside one of the campers was rushed to the ... | 60 kt wind | 0 | 1 | $439K |
| 1998-04-16 | Thunderstorm WindWashington, Daviess County Thunderstorms brought down trees and power lines in Glendale Wildlife Area. Tree fell on camper causing slight injury. | 0 | 1 | $9K |
A damage figure marked "step" is a record from before 1993: NOAA then filed damage by category, and the figure is the category as entered, in the dollars of that year, not an estimate of the loss.
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-06-05 | FloodPlainville, Daviess County | 0 | 0 | $69M | |
| 2005-11-15 | TornadoWashington, Daviess County | F3 10 mi x 440 yd | 0 | 31 | $18M |
| 2003-07-10 | FloodDaviess County · forecast zone Daviess | 0 | 0 | $8.0M | |
| 1999-01-21 | FloodDaviess County · forecast zone Daviess | 0 | 0 | $3.5M | |
| 1999-01-27 | FloodDaviess County and Martin County · forecast zone Martin | 0 | 0 | $2.2M | |
| 2005-01-04 | FloodDaviess County · forecast zone Daviess | 0 | 0 | $907K | |
| 2025-03-15 | TornadoHudsonville, Daviess County | EF1 24.43 mi x 400 yd | 0 | 0 | $800K |
| 2008-06-09 | Flash FloodElnora, Daviess County | 0 | 0 | $548K |
Before 1993 NOAA filed damage by category, not amount, so the list above starts in 1993. The highest category filed here before then (entered as $2.5M, in the dollars of the day) holds: June 2, 1990 (tornado, Daviess County).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths and injuries direct and indirect; damage is property plus crops as estimated by the National Weather Service, converted to 2025 dollars.
Is it getting more frequent?
Records per decade for Daviess County's most frequent hazards. Counts rose everywhere after 1996, when NOAA began recording every event type, so compare decades within a hazard's complete period only (the shaded cells come before it).
| Hazard | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 1 | 3 | 5 | 11 | 31 | 40 | 43 | 21 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 29 | 77 | 18 | 7 |
| Hail | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 19 | 15 | 13 |
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 14 | 13 | 14 | 8 |
| Tornadoes | 3 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 2 |
| Drought | – | – | – | – | 0 | 0 | 15 | 2 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
43% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1957 fell in May and June. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 43 · Feb 31 · Mar 39 · Apr 58 · May 75 · Jun 73 · Jul 46 · Aug 21 · Sep 22 · Oct 13 · Nov 11 · Dec 29 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Daviess County
FEMA's register lists 18 declarations that include Daviess County: 14 major disasters, 4 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for severe storm (9) and flood (4).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-01-24 | EM-3641 | Winter Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 2020-04-03 | DR-4515 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3456 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2011-06-23 | DR-1997 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and |
| 2009-04-22 | DR-1832 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding |
| 2008-09-23 | DR-1795 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2008-06-08 | DR-1766 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes |
| 2005-09-10 | EM-3238 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation |
| 2005-01-21 | DR-1573 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storms and Flooding |
| 2005-01-11 | EM-3197 | Snowstorm | Snow |
| 2004-09-01 | DR-1542 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding |
| 2002-09-25 | DR-1433 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Tornadoes |
| 1996-07-03 | DR-1125 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 1996-04-02 | DR-1109 | Flood | Blizzard of 96 |
| 1991-01-05 | DR-891 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding |
| 1990-06-04 | DR-869 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding |
| 1979-07-31 | DR-596 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding |
| 1968-07-30 | DR-247 | Flood | Flooding |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), declarations through October 2, 2026; one declaration is counted once however many areas it names. OpenFEMA dataset page.
How many floods has Daviess County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 131 flood or flash flood records for Daviess County from 1996 to 2026, on 111 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Daviess County ranks 2321st of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $213,000 on 11 claims filed in Daviess County; the most in one year was 4 in 2008. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1978: 1 · 1990: 2 · 1991: 1 · 2005: 1 · 2008: 4 · 2022: 1 · 2024: 1; the other years: 0.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims, as of September 8, 2026; claims by year of loss, payments in the dollars of the year paid. OpenFEMA dataset page.
FEMA's modeled risk for Daviess County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Daviess County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $15.1 million. These are FEMA's model estimates of future loss from 18 hazards, not a count of what happened; they can differ from the record above.
| Hazard | Risk rating | Expected annual loss | Modeled frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Weather | Relatively Moderate | $129K | 7.2 a year (modeled) |
| Drought | Relatively Moderate | $519K | 3.2 modeled event-days a year |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | $2.0M | once in about 4 years (modeled) |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | $642K | 4.3 a year (modeled) |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Moderate | $101K | once in about 3 years (modeled) |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | $3.2M | once in about 232 years (modeled) |
| Landslide | Relatively Low | $5K | once in about 5 years (modeled) |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | $573K | 6.1 modeled event-days a year |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Daviess County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.
Next
- Tornadoes in IndianaEvery Indiana tornado since 1950 and the counties with the most per square mile
- Severe thunderstorm wind in IndianaThe state's severe thunderstorm wind events, by county, year and month
- The Indiana recordEvery hazard in the state, its deadliest events and its federal declarations
- FEMA's risk rating for each hazard in Daviess CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Daviess County's FEMA declarations (CSV)18 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis