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Allen County, Indiana severe weather history spans 770 recorded events between 1950 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 57.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #320 nationally and #2 in Indiana.
770
Recorded events
5
Direct deaths
44
Direct injuries
$19.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Allen County, Indiana severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Allen County, Indiana severe weather history averages 10.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 195 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 130 events fall before 1990 and 640 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Allen County, Indiana record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 3 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $7.5M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Allen County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 441 | 3 | $6.5M | 87 | 1955–2026 |
| Hail | 249 | 0 | $59K | 3 | 1957–2026 |
| Tornado | 31 | 1 | $7.5M | F3 | 1950–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 27 | 0 | $5.4M | 0 | 1996–2022 |
| Flood | 10 | 0 | $16K | 0 | 1999–2025 |
| Lightning | 9 | 1 | $295K | 0 | 2007–2022 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2015 |
Decade by decade
Allen County, Indiana severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
34 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 30 touched down inside it and 4 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968-05-16 | EF3 | 1 | 15 | 50.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 2016-08-24 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 5.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-03-31 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 7.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2001-05-26 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-10-08 | EF2 | 0 | 9 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1963-04-17 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 11.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1953-03-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1950-07-19 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1976-03-12 | EF1 | 1 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-10-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 7.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Allen County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 21, 1988 | Thunderstorm Wind | 1 | 7 | $0 | |
| Aug 10, 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | BROOKSIDE ESTATES | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 14, 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | ARCOLA | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 1, 2010 | Lightning | MEADOWBROOK | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Mar 12, 1976 | Tornado | 1 | 0 | $25K | |
| Oct 8, 1992 | Tornado | 0 | 9 | $250K | |
| May 9, 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | FT WAYNE | 0 | 7 | $1.0M |
| Mar 28, 1985 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 7 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A mobile home rolled due to a failure of 1 or more properly secured straps from strong winds. A 74 year old woman was critically injured and later died at a nearby hospital. The woman was holding a 4 year old boy that only suffered minor injuries. The home rolled into an adjacent double wide mobile home. The initial mobile home was destroyed but all debris remained near the site. The adjacent mobile home suffered damage to the side and roof due to the home striking it. Other damage in the area was limited to some skirting of the mobile homes.
Local television stations reported a 18 year old male was found dead under a tree around 8 am May 1st. Indications were that lightning struck a tree the young man was standing under and traveled into his back. Autopsy revealed he was killed instantly.
Tornado touched down as as F1 at the Northcrest shopping mall on the northwest sideof Fort Wayne. Damaged to mall and surrounding businesses. Cars flipped over in parking lot withone person injured. Tornado then briefly lifted and touched down one half mile to the northeastas an F2. Extensive damage to the Papermill subdivision with F2 damage to two homes, anoffice complex, a retirement home, and a steeple torn off a church. One injury at the retirement home and one in the subdivision. Tornado proceeded northeast with F0-F1 damage to the Concordia Seminary and adjacent structures before the tornado lifted on the northeast side of the Seminary grounds.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
392,378
Population (ACS)
$215K
Median home value
17
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Apr 15, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Apr 3, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Apr 22, 2014 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR |
| Apr 22, 2009 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Ft Wayne 176
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Allen County, Indiana?
770 events are on record between 1950 and 2026, causing 5 direct deaths and $19.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Allen County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 441 recorded events — 57.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Allen County?
34 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 30 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Allen County?
17 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Allen County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Allen County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Allen County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 91 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Allen County, Indiana severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Adams County 224
- Bartholomew County 316
- Benton County 217
- Blackford County 124
- Boone County 406
- Brown County 189
Cite this page
“Allen County, Indiana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/indiana/allen-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.