Marshall County, Indiana

County storm and disaster record · FIPS 18099 · population 46,062 · 444 sq mi

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 439 records for Marshall County, Indiana from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 312 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (217 records). The deadliest single record is the April 11, 1965 tornado: 3 deaths and 28 injuries. FEMA has issued 17 declarations naming the county since 1965, 15 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding” on August 15, 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
439on 312 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
Deaths recorded
654 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$246Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
Tornadoes
33strongest F4
FEMA declarations
17latest 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 Marshall County most?

The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 217 since 1956. 56% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1956 fell in June and July. 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.

Marshall County: records by hazard, 1950 to June 30, 2026
HazardRecordsDaysFirst, lastKilledInjuredDamageRank in state
Severe thunderstorm wind 217 142 1956-2026 0 1 $2.0M 42 of 91
Winter storms 100 99 1997-2026 2 0 $36K 29 of 91
Hail 52 37 1972-2023 0 0 $12K 82 of 91
Tornadoes 33 28 1954-2026 3 48 $242M 12 of 91
High wind and dust storms 13 11 1996-2021 0 1 – 55 of 91
Floods 12 12 1996-2026 0 0 $2.1M 82 of 91
Extreme cold 6 6 1996-2024 0 0 – 50 of 91
Lightning 5 5 2003-2025 1 4 $124K 23 of 91
Fog, smoke and funnel clouds 1 1 2005-2005 0 0 – 66 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 Marshall County had?

NOAA records 33 tornadoes in Marshall County from 1954 to 2026, the strongest rated F4, with 3 deaths and 48 injuries recorded in the county. That is 12th of 91 Indiana counties and 271st of 3,080 U.S. 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 32 tornadoes whose track touched Marshall County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 33: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 10 people, 3 of them in Marshall County.

The deadliest and strongest tornadoes that touched Marshall County, whole tracks
DateTornadoRatingPathKilled
1965-04-11 16:45, as SPC files itLa PazF335.6 mi10
2007-10-18 20:05, as SPC files itNappaneeEF320.33 mi0
1956-08-12 23:30, as SPC files itArgos to MentoneF323.4 mi0

Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Indiana.

Every tornado record filed for Marshall County (33)
Every tornado recorded in Marshall County, newest first
DatePlaceCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-06-11 Bourbon, Marshall County EF1 1.24 mi x 300 yd 0 0 –
2026-06-11 Argos, Marshall County EF1 2.87 mi x 125 yd 0 0 –
2026-06-11 Plymouth Municipal Airport, Marshall County EF1 0.73 mi x 125 yd 0 0 –
2025-04-02 Rutland, Marshall County EF1 16.24 mi x 175 yd 0 0 $600K
2025-03-30 Donaldson, Marshall County EF1 2.45 mi x 750 yd 0 1 $100K
2024-07-15 Tippecanoe, Marshall County EF0 0.71 mi x 75 yd 0 0 $19K
2018-07-20 Lake Of The Woods, Marshall County EF0 0.5 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
2014-06-30 Plymouth Municipal Airport, Marshall County EF1 0.16 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
2014-06-30 Donaldson, Marshall County EF1 6.85 mi x 150 yd 0 0 –
2014-06-30 Tyner, Marshall County EF1 1.42 mi x 400 yd 0 0 –
2007-10-18 Inwood, Marshall County EF2 8.35 mi x 440 yd 0 4 $854K
2007-08-15 Argos, Marshall County EF1 2.94 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $712K
2001-10-24 Tippecanoe, Marshall County F0 3 mi x 150 yd 0 0 $8K
1996-04-19 Plymouth, Marshall County F1 0.5 mi x 20 yd 0 0 –
1996-04-19 Burr Oak, Marshall County F1 1 mi x 20 yd 0 0 –
1995-06-07 Bourbon To, Marshall County F1 4 mi x 30 yd 0 3 $194K
1994-08-13 Marshall County F0 0.1 mi x 10 yd 0 0 –
1981-10-17 Marshall County F0 2 mi x 150 yd 0 0 $30 step
1976-03-20 Marshall County F2 11.6 mi x 77 yd 0 10 $250K step
1976-03-12 Marshall County F1 4.1 mi x 30 yd 0 0 $25K step
1974-04-03 Marshall County F4 1.9 mi x 33 yd 0 0 –
1973-12-04 Marshall County F1 0.5 mi x 3 yd 0 1 $25K step
1973-05-28 Marshall County F1 0.1 mi x 20 yd 0 0 $3K step
1969-06-30 Marshall County F1 0 0 $25K step
1966-04-20 Marshall County F1 0 0 $3K step
1965-04-11 Marshall County F3 10.7 mi x 250 yd 3 28 $25M step
1961-06-13 Marshall County F2 0 0 $3K step
1960-06-30 Marshall County 0 0 –
1959-09-28 Marshall County 0 0 $3K step
1959-08-17 Marshall County 0 0 $25K step
1959-05-30 Marshall County F1 0 0 $3K step
1956-08-12 Marshall County F3 11.1 mi x 800 yd 0 1 $250K step
1954-06-01 Marshall County F2 0 0 $3K 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 Marshall County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the June 10, 2026 thunderstorm wind ($10,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).

The 12 most recent records kept for Marshall County
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-06-11 TornadoBourbon, Marshall County EF1 1.24 mi x 300 yd 0 0 –
2026-06-11 TornadoArgos, Marshall County EF1 2.87 mi x 125 yd 0 0 –
2026-06-11 TornadoPlymouth Municipal Airport, Marshall County EF1 0.73 mi x 125 yd 0 0 –
2026-06-10 Thunderstorm WindBourbon, Marshall County 50 kt wind 0 0 $10K
2026-06-10 Thunderstorm WindPlymouth, Marshall County 52 kt wind 0 0 $5K
2026-04-17 Thunderstorm WindTwin Lakes, Marshall County 61 kt wind 0 0 $5K
2026-04-17 Thunderstorm WindTwin Lakes, Marshall County 61 kt wind 0 0 $2K
2026-04-17 Thunderstorm WindBurr Oak, Marshall County 61 kt wind 0 0 $30K
2026-04-15 FloodPlymouth, Marshall County 0 0 –
2026-04-02 Thunderstorm WindInwood, Marshall County 52 kt wind 0 0 $1K
2026-03-11 FloodAyr, Marshall County 0 0 $5K
2026-02-22 Winter WeatherMarshall County · forecast zone Marshall 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

Records with deaths or injuries in Marshall County, most deaths first
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
1965-04-11 TornadoMarshall County F3 10.7 mi x 250 yd 3 28 $25M step
2019-07-20 LightningLake Of The Woods, Marshall County A 65 year old male and a friend were heading for shore getting away from a thunderstorms when lightning struck the 65 year old. CPR was started but they were unable to save him. The other passenger was not harmed. 1 0 –
2013-02-02 Winter WeatherMarshall County · forecast zone Marshall Snow covered roads led to a few accidents and slide-offs across the region on February 2nd as light to moderate snow fell for much of the day. Total snow accumulations ranged between 2 and 4 inches. 1 0 –
2012-01-01 Lake-Effect SnowMarshall County and St. Joseph County · forecast zone Marshall Lake effect snow, heavy at times, developed behind a strong cold front as arctic air filtered in over relatively warm lake waters. Total snow accumulations generally ranged between 2 and 5 inches across the county, with higher amounts across far northern Marshall County. There was a report of 8 inches of total snow ... 1 0 –
1976-03-20 TornadoMarshall County F2 11.6 mi x 77 yd 0 10 $250K step
2007-10-18 TornadoInwood, Marshall County The tornado touched down near the intersection of 12B and Gumwood Roads, just west of Bourbon. Initial damage comprised of damage to shingles on a few roofs as well as some tree damage. As the tornado moved northeast and intensified it blew down a 3/8 mile long stretch of power poles. A total of 16 homes suffered ... EF2 8.35 mi x 440 yd 0 4 $854K
1995-06-07 TornadoBourbon To, Marshall County A tornado toppled five 138,000 volt power line towers at Bourbon. At Etna Green, winds flipped over three mobile homes injuring three people. F1 4 mi x 30 yd 0 3 $194K
2006-06-28 LightningBremen, Marshall County 12 year old girl and 15 year old boy in a paddle boat struck by lightning. Occurred on Lake of the Woods. Children suffered severe burns. Officials reported no signs of lightning damage to paddle boat. 0 2 –

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.

The costliest records in Marshall County since 1993, damage in 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2007-10-18 TornadoInwood, Marshall County EF2 8.35 mi x 440 yd 0 4 $854K
2007-08-15 TornadoArgos, Marshall County EF1 2.94 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $712K
2007-08-15 Thunderstorm WindCulver, Marshall County 60 kt wind 0 0 $356K
2000-09-11 Thunderstorm WindCountywide, Marshall County 0 0 $257K
1995-06-07 TornadoBourbon To, Marshall County F1 4 mi x 30 yd 0 3 $194K
2025-03-15 Thunderstorm WindBourbon, Marshall County 61 kt wind 0 0 $75K
2026-04-17 Thunderstorm WindBurr Oak, Marshall County 61 kt wind 0 0 $30K
2024-07-15 TornadoTippecanoe, Marshall County EF0 0.71 mi x 75 yd 0 0 $19K

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 $25M, in the dollars of the day) holds: April 11, 1965 (tornado, Marshall County, 3 killed).

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 Marshall 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).

Marshall County: records per decade (the 2020s to June 30, 2026)
Hazard1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020-26
Severe thunderstorm wind214937475661
Winter storms––––3205621
Hail00257141212
Tornadoes55514346
High wind and dust storms––––1732
Floods––––1443

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).

What time of year?

56% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1956 fell in June and July. The two busiest months are in violet.

The values, month by month

Jan 48 · Feb 36 · Mar 37 · Apr 34 · May 30 · Jun 101 · Jul 67 · Aug 33 · Sep 13 · Oct 6 · Nov 11 · Dec 23 (records).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.

Federal disaster declarations for Marshall County

FEMA's register lists 17 declarations that include Marshall County: 10 major disasters, 7 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for flood (5) and severe storm (3).

Declarations including Marshall County, newest first
DeclaredNumberTypeTitle
2026-08-15EM-3651FloodSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding
2026-01-24EM-3641Winter StormSevere Winter Storm
2025-07-22DR-4882FloodSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding
2020-04-03DR-4515BiologicalCovid-19 Pandemic
2020-03-13EM-3456BiologicalCovid-19
2018-05-04DR-4363FloodSevere Storms and Flooding
2009-04-22DR-1832Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding
2008-01-30DR-1740Severe StormSevere Storms and Flooding
2007-03-12EM-3274SnowstormSnow
2005-09-10EM-3238HurricaneHurricane Katrina Evacuation
2005-01-21DR-1573Severe StormSevere Winter Storms and Flooding
2001-01-24EM-3162SnowstormSnow
1999-01-15EM-3135SnowstormIn-Winter Storm 12/23/98
1991-01-05DR-891FloodSevere Storms & Flooding
1982-03-20DR-652FloodSevere Storms & Flooding
1974-04-04DR-423TornadoTornadoes
1965-04-14DR-189TornadoTornadoes & Severe Storms

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 Marshall County had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 12 flood or flash flood records for Marshall County from 1996 to 2026, on 12 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Marshall County ranks 967th of 2,942 U.S. counties.

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $1.6 million on 190 claims filed in Marshall County; the most in one year was 40 in 1985. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.

The values, year by year

1978: 18 · 1979: 11 · 1981: 3 · 1982: 37 · 1984: 1 · 1985: 40 · 1990: 13 · 1991: 4 · 1993: 5 · 1995: 1 · 1996: 1 · 2001: 1 · 2005: 4 · 2008: 20 · 2009: 7 · 2011: 2 · 2013: 1 · 2018: 18 · 2020: 1 · 2026: 2; 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 Marshall County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Marshall County Very Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $14.9 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.

National Risk Index ratings for Marshall County (December 2025 release), by FEMA's rating, then score
HazardRisk ratingExpected annual lossModeled frequency
LightningRelatively Moderate$700K42 a year (modeled)
Cold WaveRelatively Moderate$3.0M3.9 a year (modeled)
TornadoRelatively Moderate$2.5Monce in about 4 years (modeled)
HailRelatively Low$538K3.2 a year (modeled)
DroughtRelatively Low$215K1.3 modeled event-days a year
Strong WindRelatively Low$573K5 a year (modeled)
Riverine FloodingRelatively Low$6.5Monce in about 3 years (modeled)
Heat WaveRelatively Low$318K4.6 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 Marshall County

  1. St. Joseph County 946
  2. Elkhart County 706
  3. Kosciusko County 662
  4. Marshall County 439
  5. Fulton County 388
  6. Starke County 325
  7. Pulaski County 267

Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.

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