Indiana severe thunderstorm wind
Every recorded severe thunderstorm wind event since 1955 · 92 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 16,768 severe thunderstorm wind events in Indiana from 1955 through June 30, 2026, about 447 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the August 13, 2011 thunderstorm wind in Marion County: 7 deaths, 43 injuries and $1.3 million in damage in 2025 dollars across 2 records. Indiana ranks 17th of 52 states and territories by count and 12th of 51 per square mile.
Severe thunderstorm wind in Indiana, 1955 to 2026
Thunderstorm wind records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996.
- 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
- 1996: all 48 event types recorded from 1996
- Records
- 16,7681955 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 447average
- Deaths
- 53377 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $321Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 2025714 records
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
Are severe thunderstorm wind events common in Indiana?
Indiana averages about 447 severe thunderstorm wind events a year since 2000, 17th of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2025 (714). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Indiana records 4681 severe thunderstorm wind events since 1955, 12th of 51 states and territories by that measure.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1955, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.
Which counties in Indiana have the most severe thunderstorm wind events?
Per square mile, Vanderburgh County leads Indiana: 191 days with a severe thunderstorm wind event since 1955, 818.3 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Marion County has the most thunderstorm wind records (517 since 1955); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1955 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.
When is the severe thunderstorm season in Indiana?
45% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1955 fell in June and July. The busiest month is June (4,118 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 249 · Feb 229 · Mar 963 · Apr 1,436 · May 2,632 · Jun 4,118 · Jul 3,478 · Aug 1,886 · Sep 601 · Oct 441 · Nov 526 · Dec 209 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1955.
What were the deadliest severe thunderstorm wind events in Indiana?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 2008-06-26 | Thunderstorm WindGreenwood, Johnson County One storm episode: 14 records in 8 places; the totals are the episode's. Severe thunderstorms produced hail and wind damage across central Indiana from mid-afternoon through early evening. | 52 kt wind | 3 | 2 | $69K |
| 2026-06-11 | Thunderstorm WindPortage, Porter County One storm episode: 12 records in 5 places; the totals are the episode's. Severe thunderstorms moved across northwest Indiana during the afternoon and evening of June 11th producing wind damage, localized flooding and several tornadoes. | 70 kt wind | 2 | 6 | – |
| 1998-07-19 | Thunderstorm WindLiberty, Union County Numerous trees downed across the county, one of which fell across a tent, injuring six campers. Also, two people were killed when a boat overturned in the storm on Brookville Lake. | 2 | 6 | $45K | |
| 1990-06-03 | Thunderstorm WindClinton County Every thunderstorm wind record filed in the state that day (2, in 2 places; before 1996 NOAA filed no storm episodes); the totals are the day's. | 2 | 4 | – | |
| 2014-07-01 | Thunderstorm WindStroh, LaGrange County One storm episode: 10 records in 6 places; the totals are the episode's. A line of severe thunderstorms developed in eastern Iowa during the afternoon hours of June 30th. Plenty of instability and moisture was available for the line to mature into a severe bow-echo with the bulk of this racing northwest of the area into Wisconsin and Central Lower Michigan. The southern flank of this line ... | 65 kt wind | 2 | 1 | – |
| 1996-04-20 | Thunderstorm WindSeymour, Jackson County Downburst winds killed two campers in the Hoosier National Forest in northwest Jackson County around midnight. The downburst winds blew down hundreds of pine trees, many of which fell on the campers in their tent. Massive chest injuries led to their death. Due to the remoteness of their campsite, these individuals ... | 2 | 0 | $94K | |
| 2018-07-10 | Thunderstorm WindGeneva, Adams County Local media and law enforcement reported a large rotten tree, roughly 20 years old, was blown over by non severe thunderstorm winds . The tree landed onto a moving truck that was occupied by a man and woman. Both occupants were pronounced deceased at the scene. The base of the tree was rotten in over half way and up 5 ... | 45 kt wind | 2 | 0 | – |
| 1990-05-16 | Thunderstorm WindWarrick County Every thunderstorm wind record filed in the state that day (2, in 2 places; before 1996 NOAA filed no storm episodes); the totals are the day's. | 1 | 8 | – | |
| 1988-06-20 | Thunderstorm WindAllen County | 1 | 7 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.
The costliest severe thunderstorm wind events in Indiana
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-05-09 | Thunderstorm WindHowell, Vanderburgh County One storm episode: 5 records in 4 places; the totals are the episode's. | 104 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $75M |
| 1994-04-27 | Thunderstorm WindBrownsburg, Hendricks County Every thunderstorm wind record filed in the state that day (3, in 3 places; before 1996 NOAA filed no storm episodes); the totals are the day's. | 0 | 0 | $12M | |
| 2012-07-31 | Thunderstorm WindOakland City, Gibson County One storm episode: 2 records; the totals are the episode's. | 96 kt wind | 0 | 1 | $7.7M |
| 1997-05-18 | Thunderstorm WindNear Ligonier, Noble County | 0 | 0 | $7.4M | |
| 2023-06-29 | Thunderstorm WindWoodruff Place, Marion County One storm episode: 10 records in 9 places; the totals are the episode's. | 55 kt wind | 0 | 1 | $7.1M |
| 2009-05-14 | Thunderstorm WindMentone, Kosciusko County | 55 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $6.9M |
| 2024-06-25 | Thunderstorm WindBloomington, Monroe County One storm episode: 4 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. | 61 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $6.6M |
| 2000-05-09 | Thunderstorm WindHuntertown, Allen County | 0 | 2 | $5.1M |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are severe thunderstorm wind events becoming more frequent in Indiana?
Indiana's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.
| Decade | Indiana | United States | Indiana's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955-59 | 149 | 3,482 | 4.3% |
| 1960s | 231 | 10,124 | 2.3% |
| 1970s | 565 | 18,714 | 3.0% |
| 1980s | 1,518 | 39,604 | 3.8% |
| 1990s | 2,266 | 85,554 | 2.6% |
| 2000s | 4,237 | 129,990 | 3.3% |
| 2010s | 4,402 | 161,286 | 2.7% |
| 2020-26 | 3,400 | 126,815 | 2.7% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent severe thunderstorm wind events in Indiana
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-27 | Thunderstorm WindBirdseye, Dubois County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-27 | Thunderstorm WindSt Anthony, Dubois County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-26 | Thunderstorm WindKyana, Dubois County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-24 | Thunderstorm WindBlack Oak, Lake County | 60 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-24 | Thunderstorm WindHighland, Lake County | 60 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-24 | Thunderstorm WindGriffith, Lake County | 70 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-24 | Thunderstorm WindEast Chicago, Lake County | 60 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-24 | Thunderstorm WindCalumet City, Lake County | 60 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-24 | Thunderstorm WindHammond, Lake County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-21 | Thunderstorm WindCuzco, Dubois County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-21 | Thunderstorm WindSouth Boston, Washington County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-21 | Thunderstorm WindSalem Municipal Airport, Washington County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.
Federal disaster declarations for severe thunderstorm wind events in Indiana
FEMA files hail and wind disasters under the incident type Severe Storm: 25 declarations in Indiana, 25 of them major disasters; the latest on April 15, 2023.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-04-15 | DR-4704 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes | 13 |
| 2014-04-22 | DR-4173 | Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm | 30 |
| 2012-03-09 | DR-4058 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes | 6 |
| 2011-06-23 | DR-1997 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and | 36 |
| 2009-04-22 | DR-1832 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding | 16 |
| 2009-03-05 | DR-1828 | Severe Winter Storm | 21 |
| 2008-09-23 | DR-1795 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 38 |
| 2008-06-08 | DR-1766 | Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes | 50 |
| 2008-01-30 | DR-1740 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 21 |
| 2007-11-30 | DR-1732 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 1 |
| 2006-10-06 | DR-1662 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 3 |
| 2005-01-21 | DR-1573 | Severe Winter Storms and Flooding | 87 |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.
Next
- Vanderburgh County: the county's whole recordThe Indiana county with the most severe thunderstorm wind events per square mile
- Severe thunderstorm wind across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
- Every natural hazard in IndianaTornadoes, floods, storms, heat and the federal declarations
- Hail in Indiana7,627 records
- Floods in Indiana6,083 records
- Winter storms in Indiana5,852 records