Tippecanoe County, Indiana

County storm and disaster record · FIPS 18157 · population 186,025 · 499 sq mi

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 754 records for Tippecanoe County, Indiana from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 452 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (301 records). The deadliest single record is the April 26, 1994 tornado: 3 deaths, 70 injuries and $10.0 million in damage in 2025 dollars. FEMA has issued 14 declarations naming the county since 1974, 12 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
754on 452 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
Deaths recorded
498 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$85Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
Tornadoes
55strongest F4
FEMA declarations
14latest 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 Tippecanoe County most?

The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 301 since 1959. 48% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1959 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.

Tippecanoe County: records by hazard, 1950 to June 30, 2026
HazardRecordsDaysFirst, lastKilledInjuredDamageRank in state
Severe thunderstorm wind 301 196 1959-2026 1 11 $3.1M 20 of 91
Floods 145 117 1996-2019 0 0 $40M 17 of 91
Hail 132 83 1962-2026 0 0 $8.8M 24 of 91
Winter storms 65 46 1996-2026 0 0 $204K 68 of 91
Tornadoes 55 42 1953-2025 3 87 $32M 3 of 91
High wind and dust storms 20 13 1996-2026 0 0 $30K 50 of 91
Drought 17 12 2010-2026 0 0 – 28 of 91
Extreme cold 8 7 1996-2026 0 0 – 45 of 91
Lightning 4 4 1996-2008 0 0 $15K 34 of 91
Heat 3 2 1997-2023 0 0 – 55 of 91
Fog, smoke and funnel clouds 3 2 1996-2011 0 0 – 29 of 91
Heavy rain 1 1 2010-2010 0 0 – 57 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 Tippecanoe County had?

NOAA records 55 tornadoes in Tippecanoe County from 1953 to 2025, the strongest rated F4, with 3 deaths and 87 injuries recorded in the county. That is 3rd of 91 Indiana counties and 91st 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 58 tornadoes whose track touched Tippecanoe County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 55: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 24 people, 3 of them in Tippecanoe County.

The deadliest and strongest tornadoes that touched Tippecanoe County, whole tracks
DateTornadoRatingPathKilled
1974-04-03 15:45, as SPC files itMonticello to RochesterF4108.7 mi18
1994-04-26 22:58, as SPC files itWest LafayetteF414 mi3
1953-04-09 17:15, as SPC files itFrankfort to EatonCrossed IL, INF3156.7 mi3
1976-03-20 15:20, as SPC files itMontmorenci to PittsburgF416.7 mi0
1965-04-11 18:07, as SPC files itMulberryF421.8 mi0
2013-11-17 13:54, as SPC files itLafayetteEF337.91 mi0
1978-06-25 17:00, as SPC files itLafayetteF327.4 mi0

Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Indiana.

Every tornado record filed for Tippecanoe County (55)
Every tornado recorded in Tippecanoe County, newest first
DatePlaceCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2025-06-18 Klondyke, Tippecanoe County EF0 0.34 mi x 20 yd 0 0 $30K
2025-06-18 West Pt, Tippecanoe County EF0 0.56 mi x 30 yd 0 0 $20K
2021-06-25 Pettit, Tippecanoe County EF1 0.77 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $20K
2018-04-03 Lafayette Aretz Airport, Tippecanoe County EF0 0.64 mi x 40 yd 0 0 $29K
2017-11-18 Dayton, Tippecanoe County EF0 0.32 mi x 110 yd 0 0 $10K
2016-08-15 Cairo, Tippecanoe County EF0 0.51 mi x 40 yd 0 0 $7K
2016-03-31 Meadowbrook, Tippecanoe County EF1 0.14 mi x 30 yd 0 0 $61K
2015-07-17 Monroe, Tippecanoe County EF1 0.38 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $37K
2015-07-17 Stockwell, Tippecanoe County EF1 0.21 mi x 75 yd 0 0 $44K
2013-11-17 Montmorencie, Tippecanoe County EF1 3.89 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $23K
2013-11-17 North Crane, Tippecanoe County EF3 8.69 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $950K
2013-11-17 Odell, Tippecanoe County EF2 1.83 mi x 75 yd 0 0 $13K
2013-11-17 South Raub, Tippecanoe County EF0 0.25 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $27K
2013-11-17 South Raub, Tippecanoe County EF2 3.1 mi x 75 yd 0 0 $158K
2013-11-17 Concord, Tippecanoe County EF1 2.87 mi x 35 yd 0 0 $13K
2011-04-19 Buck Creek, Tippecanoe County EF0 2.64 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $20K
2011-04-19 Taylors, Tippecanoe County EF1 0.71 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $105K
2006-06-25 Odell, Tippecanoe County F0 0.2 mi x 75 yd 0 0 $7K
2006-04-14 Americus, Tippecanoe County F1 2.2 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $44K
2006-04-14 Cairo, Tippecanoe County F0 3.2 mi x 75 yd 0 0 –
2006-04-02 Romney, Tippecanoe County F1 0.5 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $73K
2005-07-26 Dayton, Tippecanoe County F0 0.1 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $15K
2004-05-30 Dayton, Tippecanoe County F2 1.8 mi x 75 yd 0 0 $1.6M
2004-05-30 Romney, Tippecanoe County F0 0.1 mi x 20 yd 0 0 –
2003-07-21 Lafayette, Tippecanoe County F0 0.5 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
2003-06-11 West Lafayette, Tippecanoe County F0 0.5 mi x 30 yd 0 0 –
2003-06-11 Lafayette, Tippecanoe County F0 0.1 mi x 30 yd 0 0 –
1999-09-28 Battle Ground, Tippecanoe County F1 3.8 mi x 900 yd 0 1 $531K
1998-07-04 West Lafayette, Tippecanoe County F1 8 mi x 120 yd 0 0 $362K
1996-01-18 Lafayette, Tippecanoe County F0 3.5 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
1994-04-26 Lafayette, Tippecanoe County F4 13 mi x 100 yd 3 70 $10.0M
1991-03-27 Tippecanoe County F0 0.2 mi x 10 yd 0 0 –
1981-06-24 Tippecanoe County F1 1 mi x 27 yd 0 0 $250K step
1980-06-07 Tippecanoe County F2 0 0 –
1978-07-02 Tippecanoe County F1 8.3 mi x 170 yd 0 0 $25K step
1978-06-25 Tippecanoe County F3 18 mi x 33 yd 0 0 –
1978-06-25 Tippecanoe County F0 0 0 –
1978-04-23 Tippecanoe County F1 0.5 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $250K step
1978-04-10 Tippecanoe County F2 8 mi x 77 yd 0 0 $25K step
1976-03-20 Tippecanoe County F4 13.1 mi x 300 yd 0 6 $2.5M step
1976-03-12 Tippecanoe County F1 5.2 mi x 100 yd 0 0 –
1974-04-01 Tippecanoe County F2 1.5 mi x 77 yd 0 0 $25K step
1973-06-12 Tippecanoe County F1 0.1 mi x 20 yd 0 0 $30 step
1973-06-12 Tippecanoe County F1 0.1 mi x 20 yd 0 0 $25K step
1973-05-29 Tippecanoe County F0 17.5 mi x 20 yd 0 0 $30 step
1971-03-19 Tippecanoe County F2 0.5 mi x 20 yd 0 0 $25K step
1968-05-15 Tippecanoe County F2 0 0 $3K step
1967-06-24 Tippecanoe County F2 0 0 $3K step
1965-09-14 Tippecanoe County F2 1.3 mi x 400 yd 0 0 $250K step
1965-04-11 Tippecanoe County F4 6.9 mi x 500 yd 0 10 –
1963-06-10 Tippecanoe County F1 0 0 $3K step
1963-04-22 Tippecanoe County F2 1 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $3K step
1961-03-06 Tippecanoe County F1 0 0 $250 step
1956-04-03 Tippecanoe County F2 0 0 $25K step
1953-06-13 Tippecanoe County F1 0 0 $250 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 Tippecanoe County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the June 11, 2026 thunderstorm wind ($2,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).

The 12 most recent records kept for Tippecanoe County
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-06-16 HailMontmorencie, Tippecanoe County 1.00 in hail 0 0 –
2026-06-11 Thunderstorm WindLafayette, Tippecanoe County 50 kt wind 0 0 $2K
2026-06-11 Thunderstorm WindCairo, Tippecanoe County 55 kt wind 0 4 $100K
2026-06-10 HailElston, Tippecanoe County 1.00 in hail 0 0 –
2026-06-09 Thunderstorm WindMonitor, Tippecanoe County 50 kt wind 0 0 $2K
2026-06-09 Thunderstorm WindPurdue Univ Laf, Tippecanoe County 53 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-06-06 Thunderstorm WindLafayette, Tippecanoe County 50 kt wind 0 0 $1K
2026-04-27 Thunderstorm WindPurdue Univ Laf, Tippecanoe County 52 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-04-27 Thunderstorm WindPurdue Univ Laf, Tippecanoe County 52 kt wind 0 0 $30K
2026-04-01 DroughtTippecanoe County · forecast zone Tippecanoe 0 0 –
2026-03-13 High WindTippecanoe County · forecast zone Tippecanoe 50 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-03-01 DroughtTippecanoe County · forecast zone Tippecanoe 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 Tippecanoe County, most deaths first
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
1994-04-26 TornadoLafayette, Tippecanoe County The path of the tornado was intermittent. The tornado touched down northwest of Lafayette just before midnight, and then moved northeast at a forward speed of about 60 mph. The tornado crossed into Carroll County at 1212 EST and then lifted. Eleven single family homes were destroyed, and 17 homes sustained major ... F4 13 mi x 100 yd 3 70 $10.0M
2011-06-21 Thunderstorm WindWelborn Airport, Tippecanoe County Thunderstorm wind gusts downed a 12 to 18 diameter tree fell on a vehicle traveling southbound on State Route 43, just north of West Lafayette. Two individuals were in the vehicle, with one fatality and one injury. Winds were estimated at 45 to 50 mph. 43 kt wind 1 1 $13K
1965-04-11 TornadoTippecanoe County F4 6.9 mi x 500 yd 0 10 –
1976-03-20 TornadoTippecanoe County F4 13.1 mi x 300 yd 0 6 $2.5M step
2026-06-11 Thunderstorm WindCairo, Tippecanoe County Two semis blown over by thunderstorm wind gusts on I-65. 55 kt wind 0 4 $100K
1989-05-25 Thunderstorm WindTippecanoe County 0 3 –
2009-03-08 Thunderstorm WindDayton, Tippecanoe County A semi-trailer was blown off Interstate 65 by thunderstorm winds. The driver was traveling north on I-65 about 10 miles north of Frankfort when the wind forced his empty vehicle off the road, tearing the roof open. The driver sustained minor injuries. 52 kt wind 0 1 $17K
2006-10-03 Thunderstorm WindLafayette, Tippecanoe County Thunderstorm winds blew a tree down on top of a mobile home, destroying the dwelling and injuring the occupant. Power outages were caused by wind in the area as well. 50 kt wind 0 1 $15K

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 Tippecanoe County since 1993, damage in 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2003-07-05 FloodTippecanoe County and White County · forecast zone Tippecanoe 0 0 $16M
2003-07-05 FloodTippecanoe County and White County · forecast zone Tippecanoe 0 0 $13M
1994-04-26 TornadoLafayette, Tippecanoe County F4 13 mi x 100 yd 3 70 $10.0M
2004-05-30 TornadoDayton, Tippecanoe County F2 1.8 mi x 75 yd 0 0 $1.6M
2013-11-17 TornadoNorth Crane, Tippecanoe County EF3 8.69 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $950K
2005-01-03 FloodTippecanoe County and White County · forecast zone Tippecanoe 0 0 $907K
2004-06-12 Flash FloodCountywide, Tippecanoe County 0 0 $703K
2008-01-08 FloodWest Lafayette, Tippecanoe County 0 0 $685K

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: March 20, 1976 (tornado, Tippecanoe 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 Tippecanoe 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).

Tippecanoe County: records per decade (the 2020s to June 30, 2026)
Hazard1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020-26
Severe thunderstorm wind151426287611041
Floods––––33101110
Hail03712638615
Winter storms––––14281310
Tornadoes27122510143
High wind and dust storms––––3764

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

What time of year?

48% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1959 fell in June and July. The two busiest months are in violet.

The values, month by month

Jan 52 · Feb 41 · Mar 52 · Apr 86 · May 91 · Jun 168 · Jul 78 · Aug 78 · Sep 25 · Oct 18 · Nov 33 · Dec 32 (records).

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

Federal disaster declarations for Tippecanoe County

FEMA's register lists 14 declarations that include Tippecanoe County: 9 major disasters, 5 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for severe storm (5) and biological (2).

Declarations including Tippecanoe County, newest first
DeclaredNumberTypeTitle
2026-01-24EM-3641Winter StormSevere Winter Storm
2020-04-03DR-4515BiologicalCovid-19 Pandemic
2020-03-13EM-3456BiologicalCovid-19
2008-06-08DR-1766Severe StormSevere Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes
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
2004-06-03DR-1520Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding
2003-07-11DR-1476Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding
1999-01-15EM-3135SnowstormIn-Winter Storm 12/23/98
1991-03-29DR-899Severe Ice StormSevere Ice Storm
1991-01-05DR-891FloodSevere Storms & Flooding
1974-04-04DR-423TornadoTornadoes

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 Tippecanoe County had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 145 flood or flash flood records for Tippecanoe County from 1996 to 2019, on 117 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Tippecanoe County ranks 893rd of 2,942 U.S. counties.

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $3.2 million on 218 claims filed in Tippecanoe County; the most in one year was 41 in 2003. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.

The values, year by year

1979: 2 · 1980: 1 · 1981: 8 · 1982: 3 · 1983: 4 · 1985: 7 · 1989: 2 · 1990: 11 · 1991: 3 · 1993: 2 · 1994: 2 · 1996: 1 · 1998: 3 · 1999: 1 · 2003: 41 · 2004: 13 · 2005: 17 · 2007: 2 · 2008: 22 · 2009: 8 · 2010: 9 · 2011: 7 · 2013: 31 · 2014: 6 · 2015: 2 · 2017: 2 · 2018: 6 · 2024: 1 · 2026: 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 Tippecanoe County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Tippecanoe County Relatively Moderate overall, with an expected annual loss of $49.5 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 Tippecanoe County (December 2025 release), by FEMA's rating, then score
HazardRisk ratingExpected annual lossModeled frequency
Cold WaveRelatively High$14M3.7 a year (modeled)
Winter WeatherRelatively High$754K9.5 a year (modeled)
Strong WindRelatively High$1.7M4.7 a year (modeled)
HailRelatively Moderate$2.3M3.6 a year (modeled)
Heat WaveRelatively Moderate$2.3M4.6 modeled event-days a year
TornadoRelatively Moderate$5.1Monce in about 2 years (modeled)
Riverine FloodingRelatively Moderate$21M4.1 a year (modeled)
LightningRelatively Moderate$459K46 a year (modeled)

Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.

Counties that share a border with Tippecanoe County

  1. Tippecanoe County 754
  2. Montgomery County 468
  3. White County 444
  4. Clinton County 376
  5. Fountain County 357
  6. Carroll County 337
  7. Benton County 309
  8. Warren County 306

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

Next