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Harrison County, Indiana severe weather history spans 403 recorded events between 1971 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 52.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,244 nationally and #27 in Indiana.
403
Recorded events
4
Direct deaths
41
Direct injuries
$2.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Harrison County, Indiana severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Harrison County, Indiana severe weather history averages 7.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 150 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 26 events fall before 1990 and 377 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Harrison County, Indiana record is tornado, responsible for 4 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $1.2M 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 Harrison County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 213 | 0 | $651K | 90 | 1971–2026 |
| Hail | 100 | 0 | $56K | 2.75 | 1982–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 39 | 0 | $680K | 0 | 1996–2023 |
| Tornado | 25 | 4 | $1.2M | F5 | 1971–2025 |
| Flood | 20 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2006–2023 |
| Heavy Rain | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2004–2019 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2009 |
Decade by decade
Harrison County, Indiana severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
24 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 19 touched down inside it and 5 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974-04-03 | EF5 | 31 | 270 | 32.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1974-04-03 | EF5 | 6 | 86 | 68.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1996-05-28 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1990-06-02 | EF2 | 0 | 9 | 11.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1985-04-05 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1977-10-01 | EF1 | 1 | 1 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-05-06 | EF1 | 1 | 2 | 8.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-04-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-07-20 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-12-31 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Harrison County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | Tornado | 2 | 34 | $0 | |
| May 6, 1971 | Tornado | 1 | 2 | $25K | |
| Oct 1, 1977 | Tornado | 1 | 1 | $25K | |
| Jun 6, 1990 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $25K | |
| Apr 28, 1971 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Numerous roads in the county were flooded, including portions of Indiana Highway 11. Big Indian Creek near Corydon was flooding, with trailers and vehicles under water. Flood waters from Big Indian Creek were close to Indiana Highway 335.
A weak EF-0 tornado developed 3.2 miles east of Elizabeth, Indiana. It stayed on the ground for nearly 3 miles while crossing the Ohio River and entering southwestern Louisville, Kentucky. While in Indiana, this tornado covered around seven tenths of a mile. In Indiana, four homes and two barns were damaged along Highway 111. The porch of one home was lifted and thrown 30 feet. The walls of one of the barns collapsed in multiple directions. Several trees were downed along the banks of the Ohio River.
A weak tornado hit the south side of a farm on Gettlefinger Road collapsing a milk barn and tearing several panels off of a large metal outbuilding in addition to snapping trees in wooded areas on either side of the farm.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
39,859
Population (ACS)
$230K
Median home value
21
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Jul 22, 2025 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Apr 3, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| May 4, 2018 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jun 23, 2011 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Corydon 114
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Harrison County, Indiana?
403 events are on record between 1971 and 2026, causing 4 direct deaths and $2.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Harrison County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 213 recorded events — 52.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Harrison County?
24 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 19 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Harrison County?
21 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Harrison County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Harrison County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Harrison County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 51 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Harrison 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
- Hancock County 315
- Hendricks County 562
- Hamilton County 579
- Henry County 279
- Greene County 303
- Howard County 310
Cite this page
“Harrison County, Indiana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/indiana/harrison-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.