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Elkhart County, Indiana severe weather history spans 555 recorded events between 1954 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 65.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #703 nationally and #8 in Indiana.
555
Recorded events
63
Direct deaths
514
Direct injuries
$23.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Elkhart County, Indiana severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Elkhart County, Indiana severe weather history averages 7.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 148 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 82 events fall before 1990 and 473 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Elkhart County, Indiana record is tornado, responsible for 62 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $17.7M 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 Elkhart County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 365 | 1 | $2.5M | 85 | 1960–2026 |
| Hail | 127 | 0 | $31K | 2.75 | 1955–2025 |
| Tornado | 35 | 62 | $17.7M | F4 | 1954–2024 |
| Flood | 13 | 0 | $1.5M | 0 | 2008–2025 |
| Lightning | 7 | 0 | $235K | 0 | 2001–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 6 | 0 | $1.5M | 3.5 | 1996–2019 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2005–2023 |
Decade by decade
Elkhart County, Indiana severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
36 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 25 touched down inside it and 11 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965-04-11 | EF4 | 36 | 321 | 37.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1965-04-11 | EF4 | 31 | 252 | 21.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1974-04-03 | EF4 | 18 | 285 | 108.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1965-04-11 | EF4 | 5 | 41 | 21.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-04-11 | EF3 | 10 | 82 | 35.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2007-10-18 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 20.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1962-04-30 | EF3 | 0 | 49 | 36.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2001-10-24 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 4.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1998-08-25 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 26.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1988-10-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Elkhart County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 12, 1965 | Tornado | 31 | 252 | $0 | |
| Apr 11, 1965 | Tornado | 31 | 252 | $0 | |
| Jun 5, 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | COUNTYWIDE | 1 | 0 | $30K |
| Oct 24, 2001 | Tornado | ELKHART | 0 | 3 | $936K |
| Apr 28, 1964 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Jun 13, 2017 | Lightning | ELKHART | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Aug 22, 2001 | Lightning | ELKHART | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Nov 10, 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | NAPPANEE | 0 | 1 | $5K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The tornado continued northeast out of Kosciusko County into the southeast side of Nappanee where the most extensive damage occurred. The width of the tornado decreased to one quarter mile and intensified just south of US-6 and County Road 7 as wind speeds increased to around 165 mph, in the upper range of the EF3 rating. The tornado went through an area populated by homes, restaurants, convenience stores and 3 RV plants, all of which sustained varying degrees of damage. Local officials reported that 459 buildings were damaged. Of these, 352 were homes with 52 of those being destroyed or uninhabitable. 81 businesses were damaged and 26 destroyed. A few minor injuries were also reported, mainly from people trapped in some of the houses and a few businesses. The tornado continued into the Blackstone subdivision where numerous homes were damaged or destroyed. The tornado continued to west of New Paris near the intersection of County Roads 46 and 17 where it lifted. Numerous vehicles of all varieties sustained severe damage. Damage is estimated around $11 million.
Extensive flooding occurred across the county as all area waterways exceeded their limited, reaching record levels in some spots. Residents had to be evacuated along many of the rivers with numerous homes and businesses suffering varying degrees of damage. In addition, numerous roads were closed due to high water for several days including portions of US 6, State Routes 19 and 106. Damage estimates totaled at least 1.2 million dollars.
Tornado touched down southeast of Mishawaka and traveled northeast through the west side of Osceola before moving into Elkhart county northeast of Osceola. F2 damage occurred between Mishawaka and Osceola. The tornado then skipped as it went into Elkhart county causing F0 damage in the Cobus Green mobile home park before lifting.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
207,132
Population (ACS)
$210K
Median home value
13
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 |
| May 4, 2018 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jan 30, 2008 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Mar 12, 2007 | Snowstorm | SNOW | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Elkhart 110
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Elkhart County, Indiana?
555 events are on record between 1954 and 2026, causing 63 direct deaths and $23.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Elkhart County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 365 recorded events — 65.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Elkhart County?
36 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 25 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Elkhart County?
13 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Elkhart County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Elkhart County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Elkhart County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 84 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Elkhart 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
- Dubois County 487
- Fayette County 213
- Delaware County 446
- Floyd County 282
- DeKalb County 199
- Fountain County 240
Cite this page
“Elkhart County, Indiana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/indiana/elkhart-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.