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Hancock County, Indiana severe weather history spans 315 recorded events between 1951 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 58.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,696 nationally and #44 in Indiana.
315
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
55
Direct injuries
$62.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Hancock County, Indiana severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Hancock County, Indiana severe weather history averages 4.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 91 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 54 events fall before 1990 and 261 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Hancock County, Indiana record is tornado, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $58.1M 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 Hancock County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 183 | 0 | $922K | 75 | 1957–2025 |
| Hail | 83 | 0 | $5K | 3.4 | 1965–2026 |
| Tornado | 23 | 2 | $58.1M | F4 | 1951–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 10 | 0 | $315K | 0 | 2002–2025 |
| Lightning | 8 | 0 | $357K | 0 | 1996–2015 |
| Flood | 8 | 0 | $3.0M | 0 | 1998–2019 |
Decade by decade
Hancock County, Indiana severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
27 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 18 touched down inside it and 9 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998-06-11 | EF4 | 0 | 4 | 13.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-03 | EF4 | 0 | 17 | 18.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-05-14 | EF4 | 0 | 20 | 30.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1974-04-03 | EF3 | 1 | 25 | 20.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2002-09-20 | EF3 | 0 | 127 | 112.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1965-11-26 | EF3 | 0 | 3 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-03-10 | EF2 | 1 | 1 | 17.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2008-05-30 | EF2 | 0 | 18 | 7.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2004-05-30 | EF2 | 0 | 26 | 20.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1998-06-11 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 16.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Hancock County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | Tornado | 1 | 23 | $25.0M | |
| Mar 10, 1986 | Tornado | 1 | 1 | $2.5M | |
| Apr 3, 1974 | Tornado | 0 | 11 | $25.0M | |
| Sep 9, 1989 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 7 | $0 | |
| Jun 2, 1980 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $0 | |
| Nov 27, 1965 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $250K | |
| Oct 26, 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | WARRINGTON | 0 | 2 | $75K |
| Mar 30, 1951 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The tornado began in Marion County at 2127 near 42nd Street and Post Road and tracked southeastward for 3.1 miles before exiting Marion County. The tornado exited Marion County at 2132 and entered Hancock County on North County Line Road, 500 meters south of East 38th Street. The tornado continued in Hancock County for 4.0 miles until lifting at 2136, 500 feet south of West 200 North on North 400 West. The tornado was rated EF-2 while in Marion County with a width of 150 yards and winds of 125 mph. The tornado was rated EF-1 while in Hancock County with a width of 100 yards and winds near 100 mph. Numerous structures were damaged in Marion County with the hardest hit area being an apartment complex near 38th Street and Mittthoefer Road. While in Hancock County, the tornado damaged barns, houses, billboards, trees, and powerlines. The tornado was associated with an embedded supercell that was overtaken by a line.
This first tornado touched down approximately 3 miles south-southeast of McCordsville, damaging the roof of a warehouse. The tornado remained on the ground approximately 3.34 miles striking a farm and destroying a farm outbuilding, damaging a large and functioning historic barn (sliding it slightly off its foundation) and snapping numerous trees. The tornado then continued to the northeast, possibly skipping for the last 1.9 miles of its path, crossing Indiana State Route 234 and North Fortville Pike where it blew over a semi truck before ending. This tornado was on the ground for approximately 6 minutes with estimated peak winds of 110 mph.
Downburst straight-line wind damage in the form of downed trees, limbs and power lines occurred on State Road 67 in Fortville at Motel Road, Industrial Drive and just north and west of the downtown area. Roofs were also blown off homes and a semi-truck was blown over as well. Two garages were reported to have collapsed also.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
84,037
Population (ACS)
$275K
Median home value
17
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 |
| Jun 8, 2008 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Mar 12, 2007 | Snowstorm | SNOW | EM |
| Sep 10, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Hancock County, Indiana?
315 events are on record between 1951 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $62.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Hancock County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 183 recorded events — 58.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Hancock County?
27 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 18 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Hancock County?
17 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Hancock County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Hancock County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Hancock County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 44 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Hancock 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
- Hamilton County 579
- Harrison County 403
- Greene County 303
- Hendricks County 562
- Grant County 350
- Henry County 279
Cite this page
“Hancock County, Indiana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/indiana/hancock-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.