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LaGrange County, Indiana severe weather history spans 203 recorded events between 1956 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 72.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,430 nationally and #78 in Indiana.
203
Recorded events
11
Direct deaths
118
Direct injuries
$12.1M
Property damage
The record
What the LaGrange County, Indiana severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, LaGrange County, Indiana severe weather history averages 2.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 60 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 29 events fall before 1990 and 174 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the LaGrange County, Indiana record is tornado, responsible for 10 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $8.6M in reported property damage. In total, 5 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in LaGrange County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 148 | 1 | $2.9M | 72 | 1957–2025 |
| Hail | 37 | 0 | $5K | 4.25 | 1975–2025 |
| Tornado | 14 | 10 | $8.6M | F4 | 1956–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 2 | 0 | $401K | 0 | 1997–2006 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $154K | 0 | 2008–2018 |
Decade by decade
LaGrange County, Indiana severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
14 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 10 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965-04-11 | EF4 | 36 | 321 | 37.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1974-04-03 | EF4 | 18 | 285 | 108.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1965-04-11 | EF4 | 5 | 41 | 21.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1974-04-03 | EF3 | 5 | 53 | 36.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1961-05-06 | EF3 | 0 | 5 | 33.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1976-03-12 | EF2 | 0 | 9 | 9.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1976-03-12 | EF2 | 0 | 8 | 13.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1956-04-03 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-09-24 | EF1 | 0 | 2 | 1.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2014-06-30 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.9 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in LaGrange County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 12, 1965 | Tornado | 5 | 42 | $0 | |
| Apr 11, 1965 | Tornado | 5 | 41 | $2.5M | |
| Jul 1, 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | STROH | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Mar 12, 1976 | Tornado | 0 | 9 | $250K | |
| Mar 12, 1976 | Tornado | 0 | 8 | $25K | |
| Apr 3, 1974 | Tornado | 0 | 5 | $25K | |
| May 7, 1961 | Tornado | 0 | 5 | $2.5M | |
| May 15, 1988 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 3 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The roof was partially blown off a barn, 20 mobile homes were damaged, and one mobile home was destroyed. Trees and limbs were downed, and 31 vehicles were damaged by falling branches. Damage was estimated between $50,000 and $75,000.
The roof was partially blown off a barn, 20 mobile homes were damaged, and one mobile home was destroyed. Trees and limbs were downed, and 31 vehicles were damaged by falling branches. Damage was estimated between $50,000 and $75,000.
The same storms that affected southern Elkhart county moved across parts of southern Lagrange county, from Topeka to Oliver Lake. Topaka was the hardest hit area with at least 22 homes reporting some sort of damage from the flash flood. Numerous roads were flooded and closed in and around Topeka. 9 inches of rain was recorded in the Oliver Lake area before tapering off after 3 am EDT. Numerous streams that feed into the lake and rainfall over the lake itself resulted in the lake level rising 0.70 inches over the normal stage at the DNR dam. Water covered many of the piers with some boats floating on shore or into other craft. Also several roads around the lake had water flowing over them. One structure sustained water damage on the lake. Damage is estimated at $400,000.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
40,805
Population (ACS)
$256K
Median home value
12
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, 2014 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | 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 LaGrange County, Indiana?
203 events are on record between 1956 and 2025, causing 11 direct deaths and $12.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in LaGrange County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 148 recorded events — 72.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed LaGrange County?
14 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 10 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover LaGrange County?
12 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include LaGrange County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is LaGrange County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates LaGrange County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 62 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the LaGrange 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
- Kosciusko County 519
- Lake County 659
- Knox County 554
- LaPorte County 423
- Johnson County 423
- Lawrence County 332
Cite this page
“LaGrange County, Indiana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/indiana/lagrange-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.