Indiana winter storms
Every recorded winter storm record since 1996 · 92 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 5,852 winter storm records in Indiana from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 197 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the January 8, 2022 winter weather in Clay County: 4 deaths, 1 injury and $76,000 in damage in 2025 dollars across 2 records. Indiana ranks 25th of 51 states and territories by count and 20th of 50 per square mile.
Winter storms in Indiana, 1996 to 2026
Winter storm records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.
- 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
- Records
- 5,8521996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 197average
- Deaths
- 87257 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $62Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 2014357 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 winter storm records common in Indiana?
Indiana averages about 197 winter storm records a year since 2000, 25th of 51 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2014 (357). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Indiana records 1633 winter storm records since 1996, 20th of 50 states and territories by that measure.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, 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 winter storm records?
Per square mile, Vanderburgh County leads Indiana: 126 days with a winter storm record since 1996, 539.8 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, St. Joseph County has the most winter storm records (196 since 1996); 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 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.
When is winter storm season in Indiana?
62% of its winter storm records since 1996 fell in January and February. The busiest month is January (1,909 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 1,909 · Feb 1,714 · Mar 639 · Apr 25 · May 0 · Jun 0 · Jul 0 · Aug 0 · Sep 0 · Oct 5 · Nov 285 · Dec 1,275 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.
What were the deadliest winter storm records in Indiana?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | – | |
| 2012-01-12 | Winter WeatherAllen County · forecast zone Allen One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. Snow and blowing snow impacted much of northern Indiana late January 12th into January 13th as a low pressure system deepened northward towards Lake Huron. System snow transitioned to heavy lake effect snow on January 13th with total snow accumulations generally ranging between 4 and 10 inches. | 3 | 0 | – | |
| 2011-02-01 | BlizzardNewton County · forecast zone Newton One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. A powerful and enormous winter storm moved across northwest Indiana with blizzard conditions across much of the area which paralayzed the region. Heavy snow began falling during the early afternoon. This snow quickly reduced visibilities to less than a mile and grew heavier by the evening rush hour, when several ... | 3 | 0 | – | |
| 2019-02-11 | Winter WeatherNoble County · forecast zone Noble Police say 50-year-old JJ Reyes was driving the car with his two daughters, 15-year-old Zulia Reyes and 13-year-old Valeria Reyes. He approached a curve on the snowy road and lost control of the vehicle. Police say it appears his speed was too fast for the conditions. The car slid off the road and went into a ditch ... | 3 | 0 | – | |
| 2017-03-17 | Winter WeatherLaPorte County · forecast zone La Porte A wintry mix of snow, sleet, and freezing rain accompanied a warm front during the morning hours of March 17th. Ice and snow amounts were light, though enough to create slick spots on area roads. Several accidents and school delays were reported across the county. One accident around 8:00 am EDT, about 1 mile west of ... | 3 | 0 | – | |
| 2016-12-16 | Winter WeatherMarion County · forecast zone Marion Freezing rain and ice made for a dangerous weekend on Indianapolis roadways, leaving three dead and more than 30 others injured. Indiana State Police officers answered 1,091 emergency calls in the Indianapolis district between 8 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. Sunday, according to a news release. That district covers Marion, ... | 3 | 0 | – | |
| 2019-12-15 | Heavy SnowHancock County · forecast zone Hancock One storm episode: 4 records in 4 places; the totals are the episode's. A low pressure system brought two periods of heavy snow to central Indiana beginning Sunday afternoon and continuing through Monday night with a break during the day Monday. Snowfall amounts were generally highest around Marion county and the surrounding counties with amounts ranging from 6 to 8 inches. Lower amounts ... | 2 | 45 | $508K | |
| 2010-01-07 | Winter StormCarroll County · forecast zone Carroll One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. Strong upper level low pressure continued to strengthen as it moved toward and into Indiana from the west on the morning of January 7th. Anywhere from three to six inches of snow fell across central Indiana, with the higher amounts of around six inches in the warned counties over west central portions of the state. ... | 2 | 12 | $81K | |
| 2009-02-03 | Winter WeatherHamilton County · forecast zone Hamilton One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. A brief, intense snowstorm struck the Indianapolis area on the 3rd. The rapidly intensifying storm dumped approximately 2 to 4 inches of snow in about an hour during the morning. Snowfall of 2 inches from 0700 to 0800 EST and a storm total of 3.8 inches by 1100 at the Indianapolis National Weather Service office had ... | 2 | 8 | – |
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 winter storm records in Indiana
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-01-26 | Winter StormVanderburgh County · forecast zone Vanderburgh One storm episode: 5 records in 5 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $43M | |
| 2004-12-22 | Heavy SnowMonroe County · forecast zone Monroe One storm episode: 6 records in 6 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 3 | $4.2M | |
| 2025-01-05 | Winter StormVanderburgh County · forecast zone Vanderburgh One storm episode: 6 records in 6 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $1.1M | |
| 1996-01-06 | Winter StormFranklin County · forecast zone Franklin One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $1.1M | |
| 2016-02-14 | Winter WeatherBoone County · forecast zone Boone One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 41 | $947K | |
| 2004-12-22 | Heavy SnowDubois County · forecast zone Dubois One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $812K | |
| 2021-02-15 | Heavy SnowMarion County · forecast zone Marion One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 4 | $708K | |
| 2024-12-02 | Winter WeatherMarion County · forecast zone Marion | 0 | 0 | $659K |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are winter storm records 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-99 | 575 | 32,893 | 1.7% |
| 2000s | 1,488 | 88,805 | 1.7% |
| 2010s | 2,506 | 103,626 | 2.4% |
| 2020-26 | 1,283 | 62,015 | 2.1% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent winter storm records in Indiana
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-16 | Winter WeatherSt. Joseph County · forecast zone Western St. Joseph County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-16 | Winter WeatherSt. Joseph County · forecast zone Eastern St. Joseph County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-16 | Winter WeatherBenton County · forecast zone Benton | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-16 | Winter WeatherJasper County · forecast zone Jasper | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-16 | Winter WeatherNewton County · forecast zone Newton | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-16 | Winter WeatherPorter County · forecast zone Porter | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-16 | Winter WeatherLake County · forecast zone Lake | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-22 | Winter StormSt. Joseph County · forecast zone Western St. Joseph County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-22 | Winter StormSt. Joseph County · forecast zone Eastern St. Joseph County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-22 | Winter StormLaPorte County · forecast zone Northern La Porte County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-22 | Winter WeatherMarshall County · forecast zone Marshall | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-22 | Winter WeatherStarke County · forecast zone Starke | 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 winter storm records in Indiana
FEMA has declared 13 disasters in Indiana for winter storm, counting its incident type and declarations that name snow or winter storm or ice storm or blizzard in the title (FEMA files most storm disasters under Severe Storm); 6 were major disasters, the latest on January 24, 2026.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-01-24 | EM-3641 | Severe Winter Storm | 92 |
| 2014-04-22 | DR-4173 | Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm | 30 |
| 2009-03-05 | DR-1828 | Severe Winter Storm | 21 |
| 2007-03-12 | EM-3274 | Snow | 49 |
| 2005-01-21 | DR-1573 | Severe Winter Storms and Flooding | 87 |
| 2005-01-11 | EM-3197 | Snow | 50 |
| 2001-01-24 | EM-3162 | Snow | 29 |
| 1999-01-15 | EM-3135 | In-Winter Storm 12/23/98 | 57 |
| 1998-05-08 | DR-1217 | Severe Winter Storm | 9 |
| 1996-04-02 | DR-1109 | Blizzard of 96 | 56 |
| 1991-03-29 | DR-899 | Severe Ice Storm | 26 |
| 1978-01-27 | EM-3056 | Blizzards & Snowstorms | 1 |
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 winter storm records per square mile
- Winter storms across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
- Every natural hazard in IndianaTornadoes, floods, storms, heat and the federal declarations
- Severe thunderstorm wind in Indiana16,768 records
- Hail in Indiana7,627 records
- Floods in Indiana6,083 records