Indiana natural disasters

The state's storm and disaster record · population 6,779,864 · 92 counties and county equivalents

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 43,258 storm events in Indiana since 1950, 37,450 of them since 1996 when every event type began to be recorded, and the Storm Prediction Center counts 1,763 tornadoes in the state since 1950. The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events (16,768). In NOAA's storm record since 1950, the deadliest tornado day in Indiana was April 11, 1965: tornadoes and the storms that came with them killed 137 people in the state; the deadliest of them in Indiana, the Elkhart tornado, killed 36 (SPC). FEMA has made 56 declarations for Indiana since 1954, 54 for natural hazards; 46 were major disasters.

The record, 1950 to 2026

Storm events recorded in Indiana 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 $1 million
$1 million or more
$10 million or more
$100 million or more, or 10 deaths
$1 billion or more, or 100 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 events recorded: 43,2581950 to June 30, 2026
Deaths recorded: 5795,226 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars: $19.2Bas filed (scale steps before 1993)
Tornadoes (SPC): 1,7631950 to 2025
FEMA declarations: 5646 major disasters

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026 (file revision 20260918); tornado count: NOAA Storm Prediction Center, 1950-2025; damage in 2025 dollars (BLS CPI-U). Search the record at NCEI.

What natural disasters happen in Indiana?

By NOAA's records, Indiana's most frequent hazards are severe thunderstorm wind events (16,768), hail reports (7,627), floods and flash floods (6,083); the deadliest are tornadoes (276 deaths). Each hazard is counted over the years NOAA has recorded it everywhere: tornadoes since 1950, hail and thunderstorm wind since 1955, everything else since 1996. Open a hazard for its years, months, counties and worst events.

Indiana: records by hazard to June 30, 2026
Hazard	Records	Last 10 years	Killed	Injured	Damage	Counties
Severe thunderstorm wind	16,768	4,570	53	377	$321M	92 of 92
Hail	7,627	1,432	0	3	$155M	92 of 92
Floods	6,083	1,264	83	23	$2.8B	92 of 92
Winter storms	5,852	1,906	87	257	$62M	92 of 92
Tornadoes	2,103	414	276	4,383	$15.7B	92 of 92
High wind and dust storms	1,436	613	13	30	$94M	92 of 92
Extreme cold	925	478	11	0	$14M	92 of 92
Fog, smoke and funnel clouds	615	195	8	9	$749K	74 of 92
Heat	607	302	5	20	–	66 of 92
Drought	546	176	0	0	$119M	54 of 92
Lightning	395	47	14	104	$40M	78 of 92
Heavy rain	264	37	0	0	$263K	59 of 92
Rip currents and high surf	29	18	29	20	–	3 of 92
Wildfires	8	6	0	0	$35K	5 of 92

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: every record counted once in the state; "last 10 years" is 2017-2026 (2026 to June 30, 2026).

What were the deadliest disasters in Indiana?

The storms with the most deaths since 1950, from the National Weather Service's own entries. NOAA files one storm as several records when it crosses forecast zones and counties or changes type, and groups them under one episode; each row here is an episode, with its totals and the narrative of its deadliest record. Before 1996 tornado records carry no episode and stand alone. The narrative says what happened: some deaths the National Weather Service files under a weather type had another cause beside the weather.

Indiana: the 10 storm episodes with the most deaths
Date	Record	Character	Killed	Injured	Damage
1965-04-11	Tornadoes of the day; the deadliest, Elkhart, killed 36 (SPC) · TornadoElkhart County Every tornado record filed in the state that day (24, in 18 places; before 1996 NOAA filed no storm episodes); the totals are the day's.	F4 21.2 mi x 33 yd	137	1,795	$7.3B
1974-04-03	Tornadoes of the day; the deadliest, Monticello to Rochester, killed 18 (SPC) · TornadoJefferson County Every tornado record filed in the state that day (54, in 43 places; before 1996 NOAA filed no storm episodes); the totals are the day's.	F4 25 mi x 1,200 yd	47	832	$5.7B
2005-11-06	Tornadoes of the day; the deadliest, Evansville, killed 24 (SPC) · TornadoEvansville, Vanderburgh County One storm episode: 4 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. This was the deadliest tornado in Indiana since April 3, 1974. This tornado tracked a total of 41 miles from Henderson County, KY into Spencer County, IN. A total of at least 500 homes and buildings were destroyed or severely damaged. Much of the damage was upper F-2 to lower F-3 intensity. Although the tornado was up ...	F3 5 mi x 400 yd	24	230	$121M
2012-03-02	Tornadoes of the day; the deadliest, New Pekin, killed 11 (SPC) · TornadoFreddricksburg, Washington County One named storm filed by several offices: 12 records in 2 episodes; the totals are the storm's. A surface Low over Missouri early in the afternoon of March 2nd strengthened to below 990mb as it moved north into Michigan by the evening hours. Around dawn, a warm front moved north of the Ohio River, accompanied by scattered elevated thunderstorms that produced small hail. During the early afternoon, temperatures ...	EF4 17.35 mi x 800 yd	14	5	$76M
1990-06-02	Tornadoes of the day; the deadliest, Petersburg, killed 6 (SPC) · TornadoPike County Every tornado record filed in the state that day (56, in 31 places; before 1996 NOAA filed no storm episodes); the totals are the day's.	F4 11 mi x 200 yd	8	218	$25M step
2011-08-13	Thunderstorm WindShooters Hill, Marion County One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. Thunderstorms developed ahead of a cold front during the afternoon and evening of August 13. As these storms moved across central Indiana, they brought damaging winds and large hail to the area. The storms also caused part of a stage to collapse at the Indiana State Fair, resulting in fatalities.	61 kt wind	7	43	$1.3M
2020-03-20	Flash FloodLaurel, Franklin County A bridge collapsed on Sanes Creek Road near Tee Hill Road due to flash flooding on Sanes Creek. Two vehicles were swept into the water, leading to six fatalities. M48VE, M47VE, F35VE, M13VE, F7VE, F4VE.		6	0	$114K
2023-03-31	Tornadoes of the day; the deadliest, Robinson, killed 3 in the state (6 on its whole track, SPC) · TornadoRiverton, Sullivan County One storm episode: 22 records in 10 places; the totals are the episode's. A strong, occluding storm system over the Upper Midwest produced a deep column of strong southwesterly winds over the Midwest on the afternoon and evening of the 31st. This pattern generated an inordinate amount of vertical wind shear. The overall southwesterly flow also brought rather mild and somewhat humid air into ...	EF3 13.25 mi x 660 yd	5	11	$38M
2022-01-08	Winter WeatherClay County · forecast zone Clay One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. A very thin layer of dry air in the lowest levels of the atmosphere led to surface temperatures dropping quickly during the early afternoon as light liquid precipitation began falling on western central Indiana. This scenario caused a brief period of freezing rain, which led to a thin coating of ice and several ...		4	1	$76K
2008-12-21	Winter WeatherSt. Joseph County · forecast zone St. Joseph Icy roads due to lake-effect snow showers and blowing snow led to a fatal car crash around 8:15 pm on December 21st. Four people were killed in the accident. The crash happened when a vehicle traveling eastbound on the Indiana Toll Road lost control of their car and slid into the median. The vehicle then proceeded ...		4	0	–

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: deaths direct and indirect, as filed in this state, summed over the records of each episode (EPISODE_ID); a forecast-zone record counts the zone's deaths once. A tornado's whole-track deaths (SPC), on the state's tornado page, can be higher when the track crossed a state line. Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.

The costliest records in Indiana

Indiana: the 8 records with the most damage since 1993, 2025 dollars
Date	Record	Damage
2008-06-05	FloodGarden, Bartholomew County	$411M
2008-06-07	Flash FloodPrinces Lakes, Johnson County	$247M
2008-06-04	FloodCenterton, Morgan County	$247M
2008-06-04	FloodSpencer, Owen County	$151M
2008-06-07	Flash FloodEast Columbus, Bartholomew County	$137M
2008-06-01	FloodTerre Haute, Vigo County	$137M
2008-06-04	FloodBowling Green, Clay County	$123M
2002-09-01	DroughtGibson County · forecast zone Gibson	$115M

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 $250M, in the dollars of the day) holds: April 11, 1965 (tornado, Howard County, 17 killed); April 11, 1965 (tornado, Grant County, 8 killed); April 3, 1974 (tornado, Perry County, 2 killed); April 3, 1974 (tornado, Clark County); April 3, 1974 (tornado, Benton County).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, converted to 2025 dollars with the BLS CPI-U. BLS consumer price index.

Which counties in Indiana have the most records?

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950 attributed to each county (forecast-zone records count on every county the zone covers).

Every county in Indiana

Billion-dollar disasters in Indiana

NOAA counted 100 weather or climate disasters from 1980-2024 that cost at least $1 billion (adjusted for inflation) and affected Indiana, led by severe storm (72). The most recent: Hurricane Helene (2024); Central and Eastern Tornado Outbreak and Severe Weather (2024); Hurricane Beryl (2024).

Indiana: billion-dollar disasters by type, 1980-2024
Type	Events	Total cost (NOAA's range)
Severe Storm	72	$10.0B-$20.0B
Winter Storm	9	$500M-$1.0B
Drought	8	$5.0B-$10.0B
Flooding	6	$5.0B-$10.0B
Tropical Cyclone	3	$1.0B-$2.0B
Freeze	2	$100M-$250M

Every one of the 100, newest first

Hurricane Helene2024
Central and Eastern Tornado Outbreak and Severe Weather2024
Hurricane Beryl2024
Central and Northeast Severe Weather2024
Central, Southern, Southeastern Tornado Outbreak2024
Southern and Eastern Severe Weather2024
Central Tornado Outbreak and Eastern Severe Weather2024
Central and Southern Severe Weather2024
North Central and Eastern Severe Weather2023
Central Severe Weather2023
Rockies Hail Storms and Central and Eastern Severe Weather2023
Central Severe Weather2023
Central and Eastern Severe Weather2023
Central Tornado Outbreak and Eastern Severe Weather2023
Southern and Eastern Severe Weather2023
Central and Eastern Winter Storm and Cold Wave2022
North Central and Eastern Severe Weather2022
Central Derecho2022
Southern Severe Weather2022
Southern Tornado Outbreak2022
Southeast, Central Tornado Outbreak2021
North Central Severe Weather2021
Central Severe Storms2021
Ohio Valley Hail Storms2021
Eastern Severe Weather2021
Central Severe Weather - Derecho2020
Central Severe Weather2020
South, Central and Eastern Severe Weather2020
North Central and Ohio Valley Hail Storms and Severe Weather2020
Midwest and Ohio Valley Severe Weather2020
Southeast Tornadoes and Northern Storms and Flooding2020
Rockies, Central and Northeast Tornadoes and Severe Weather2019
Central Severe Weather2019
Mississippi River, Midwest and Southern Flooding2019
Southeast, Ohio Valley and Northeast Severe Weather2019
Central and Eastern Tornadoes and Severe Weather2018
Central and Eastern Severe Weather2018
Central and Northeast Severe Weather2018
Missouri and Arkansas Flooding and Central Severe Weather2017
Central/Southeast Tornado Outbreak2017
West Virginia Flooding and Ohio Valley Tornadoes2016
South/Southeast Tornadoes2016
Midwest/Ohio Valley Severe Weather2015
Rockies/Midwest/Eastern Severe Weather2014
Center Severe Weather2014
Midwest/Southeast/Northeast Winter Storm2014
Ohio Valley Tornadoes2013
Midwest/Plains/Northeast Tornadoes2013
Illinois Flooding and Severe Weather2013
Midwest/Plains Severe Weather2013
Plains/East/Northeast Derecho2012
Midwest/Ohio Valley Severe Weather2012
Southeast/Ohio Valley Tornadoes2012
U.S. Drought/Heat Wave2012
Midwest/Southeast Tornadoes and Severe Weather2011
Midwest/Southeast Tornadoes2011
Ohio Valley Derecho and Southern Tornadoes2011
Southern Plains/Southwest Drought and Heat Wave2011
Groundhog Day Blizzard2011
Rockies/Central/East Severe Weather2010
Hurricane Ike2008
Midwest/Mid-Atlantic Severe Weather2008
Midwest Tornadoes and Severe Weather2008
Midwest Flooding2008
Southeast Tornadoes and Severe Weather2008
Western, Central and Northeast Severe Weather2008
U.S. Drought2008
Western/Eastern Drought/Heat Wave2007
Spring Freeze2007
Central Severe Weather2006
North Central Severe Weather and Tornadoes2006
Midwest Tornadoes2006
Midwest/Southeast Tornadoes2006
Severe Storms and Tornadoes2006
Severe Storms, Hail, Tornadoes2004
Southern Derecho and Eastern Severe Weather2003
Midwest/Plains Severe Weather2003
Severe Storms/Tornadoes2003
Severe Storms/Hail2003
Severe Storms and Tornadoes2002
U.S. Drought2002
Midwest/Ohio Valley Hail and Tornadoes2001
Oklahoma and Kansas Tornadoes1999
Central and Eastern Winter Storm1999
Central and Eastern Winter Storm1999
Central and Eastern Severe Storms and Flooding1998
Central, Southern and Northeast Drought/Heat Wave1995
Midwest/Plains Tornadoes1994
Winter Storm, Cold Wave1994
Midwest Flooding1993
Southeast Severe Weather1992
Severe Storms, Tornadoes1991
U.S. Drought1991
Winter Storm, Cold Wave1989
U.S. Drought/Heat Wave1988
Winter Storm, Cold Wave1985
Freeze/Cold Wave1983
Severe Storms1982
Midwest/Plains/Southeast Tornadoes1982
Midwest/Southeast/Northeast Winter Storm, Cold Wave1982

Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters, state summary for Indiana, 1980-2024 (NCEI's last update; the product is archived). A disaster that affected several states counts in each. NCEI billion-dollar disasters.

Federal disaster declarations in Indiana

FEMA has made 56 declarations for Indiana since 1954: 46 major disasters, 10 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. The most common incident types are severe storm (25), flood (16), snowstorm (6).

1950s 2
1960s 4
1970s 5
1980s 2
1990s 13
2000s 19
2010s 4
2020s 7

The 15 most recent declarations in Indiana
Declared	Number	Type	Title	Areas named
2026-08-25	DR-4933	Flood	Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding	30
2026-08-15	EM-3651	Flood	Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding	53
2026-01-24	EM-3641	Winter Storm	Severe Winter Storm	92
2025-07-22	DR-4882	Flood	Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding	25
2023-04-15	DR-4704	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes	13
2020-04-03	DR-4515	Biological	Covid-19 Pandemic	93
2020-03-13	EM-3456	Biological	Covid-19	92
2018-05-04	DR-4363	Flood	Severe Storms and Flooding	31
2014-04-22	DR-4173	Severe Storm	Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm	30
2012-03-09	DR-4058	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes	6
2011-06-23	DR-1997	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and	36
2009-04-22	DR-1832	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding	16
2009-03-05	DR-1828	Severe Storm	Severe Winter Storm	21
2008-09-23	DR-1795	Severe Storm	Severe Storms and Flooding	38
2008-06-08	DR-1766	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes	50

Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.

Flood insurance claims in Indiana

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $309 million on 19,554 claims in 91 Indiana counties. Claims count insured losses only.

Source: FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims, as of September 8, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.

FEMA's modeled risk across Indiana's counties

How FEMA's National Risk Index rates Indiana's counties overall: a model of expected future loss from 18 hazards, not a count of events.

Relatively High 2
Relatively Moderate 9
Relatively Low 35
Very Low 46

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