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DeKalb County, Indiana severe weather history spans 199 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 60.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,447 nationally and #80 in Indiana.
199
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
10
Direct injuries
$28.4M
Property damage
The record
What the DeKalb County, Indiana severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, DeKalb County, Indiana severe weather history averages 2.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 57 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 34 events fall before 1990 and 165 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the DeKalb County, Indiana record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $26.6M in reported property damage. In total, 6 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in DeKalb County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 120 | 2 | $1.3M | 75 | 1955–2025 |
| Hail | 58 | 0 | $285K | 3.5 | 1975–2024 |
| Tornado | 13 | 0 | $26.6M | F2 | 1968–2001 |
| Flash Flood | 4 | 1 | $105K | 0 | 1996–2010 |
| Flood | 3 | 0 | $151K | 0 | 2008–2025 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $15K | 0 | 2025–2025 |
Decade by decade
DeKalb County, Indiana severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
13 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 11 touched down inside it and 2 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001-10-24 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 12.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2000-06-14 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-07-14 | EF2 | 0 | 28 | 8.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2000-06-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2000-07-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-06-03 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1968-04-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2001-05-26 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2000-07-09 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-05-31 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in DeKalb County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 9, 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | AUBURN | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 17, 1996 | Flash Flood | N DEKALB COUNTY | 1 | 0 | $30K |
| Mar 28, 1991 | Thunderstorm Wind | 1 | 0 | $0 | |
| Jul 21, 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | SPENCERVILLE | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| Sep 4, 1984 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 3 | $0 | |
| Jul 16, 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | AUBURN JCT | 0 | 1 | $75K |
| May 27, 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | WATERLOO | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| May 27, 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | WATERLOO | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Law enforcement officials reported multiple trees down along 7th Street. One of these trees in the 400 block of 7th Street, fell onto a westbound United Parcel Service truck, striking the driver compartment. The 46 year old male driver was killed instantly.
4 houses suffered extensive damage in the city of Auburn. Numerous trees, tree limbs, power lines and poles were also blown down. A shed and other building suffered varying degrees of damage. A truck was blown over onto its side. A local resident reported a 2 by 6 stud was driven into the ground. An officer on his way to work reported a large piece of metal being wrapped around a tree on county road 427. Surveys from local emergency and NWS officials found evidence of the formation of gustnadoes where concentrated areas of damage were observed.
Once the previous tornado lifted up into the clouds, the thunderstorm cell moved northeast when this second tornado touched down and followed a skipping path near CR 60. The tornado reached the ground about 3 times. The tornado touched down first in a forested area and knocked down many trees. It then lifted and dropped down again in a residential area about a quarter mile away. There was much damage to houses and barns. A window was broken and a downspout torn off of a house. A satellite dish was twisted and bent while a television antenna was knocked off of a roof. Several trees were snapped and knocked onto power lines before the tornado lifted. It touched down a third time less than a quarter mile away. Trees were knocked down; two of them fell on automobiles. Damage was also seen in fields with corn plants being bent or uprooted. The tornado then lifted back up into the clouds.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
43,807
Population (ACS)
$194K
Median home value
15
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Apr 3, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Apr 22, 2009 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jan 30, 2008 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Mar 12, 2007 | Snowstorm | SNOW | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in DeKalb County, Indiana?
199 events are on record between 1955 and 2025, causing 3 direct deaths and $28.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in DeKalb County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 120 recorded events — 60.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed DeKalb County?
13 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 11 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover DeKalb County?
15 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include DeKalb County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is DeKalb County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates DeKalb County as very low risk, placing it in the 41 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the DeKalb 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
- Decatur County 260
- Delaware County 446
- Dearborn County 301
- Dubois County 487
- Daviess County 316
- Elkhart County 555
Cite this page
“DeKalb County, Indiana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/indiana/dekalb-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.