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Madison County, Indiana severe weather history spans 530 recorded events between 1953 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 55.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #782 nationally and #12 in Indiana.
530
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
15
Direct injuries
$42.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Madison County, Indiana severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Madison County, Indiana severe weather history averages 7.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 164 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 86 events fall before 1990 and 444 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Madison County, Indiana record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $21.3M 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 Madison County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 293 | 1 | $2.2M | 76 | 1955–2026 |
| Hail | 148 | 0 | $15.0M | 2.75 | 1975–2026 |
| Tornado | 32 | 0 | $21.3M | F4 | 1953–2025 |
| Flood | 24 | 0 | $147K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 23 | 0 | $3.6M | 0 | 1998–2022 |
| Lightning | 9 | 0 | $196K | 0 | 1999–2009 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2009 |
Decade by decade
Madison County, Indiana severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
31 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 25 touched down inside it and 6 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972-05-14 | EF4 | 0 | 20 | 30.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1953-04-09 | EF3 | 3 | 22 | 156.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2002-09-20 | EF3 | 0 | 127 | 112.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2025-04-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 15.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-04-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-07-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2019-05-27 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 5.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-07-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-11-22 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1964-04-28 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Madison County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 4, 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | ANDERSON MUNI ARPT | 1 | 3 | $12K |
| May 19, 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | PENDLETON | 0 | 2 | $25K |
| Sep 20, 2002 | Tornado | PENDLETON | 0 | 2 | $8.0M |
| Mar 28, 1954 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $2.5M | |
| May 28, 2019 | Tornado | PENDLETON | 0 | 1 | $150K |
| Aug 18, 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | CHESTERFIELD | 0 | 1 | $10K |
| Jun 18, 1992 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 | |
| May 26, 1989 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A tree was downed on a vehicle in Mounds State Park, on the east side of Anderson, due to damaging thunderstorm wind gusts. Four people were in the vehicle with one fatality and three injuries. The deceased was 20-year-old Tiffany Marie Stewart who was killed when the tree fell onto a van she was riding in.
This ninth tornado to impact central Indiana was the fourth of five tornadoes spawned within Madison County and Delaware County. This longer tornado tracked from far east-central Madison County to north-central Delaware County. The circulation's track exhibited an overall curled path from northeasterly to east-northeasterly, which then turned back north-northeastward over the final segment. Spawned near the Moonville community, the tornado caused significant damage to a two-story house and completely destroyed three old and weakly-anchored outbuildings, additionally a large old barn was shifted off its foundation and the northern half of roof was thrown well to the north-northeast. This tornado continued northeast with sporadic damage to numerous structures all the way up to just west of Eaton. Greatest damage occurred at a farm with a large grain operation on North Walnut Street near County Road 800 North, where more than two million dollars of damage was inflicted on various and numerous structures. The tornado's peak wind gusts were 125 mph.
The tornado began in far eastern Hamilton County as an EF0 before skipping across Indiana Route 13 into Madison County and quickly landing in a field at a cemetery south of Perkinsville in Madison county, causing sporadic tree damage. The tornado crossed the White River, snapping and uprooting several trees at a residence south of County Road 300 North where it was rated an EF1. The tornado then moved into a corn field before lifting briefly prior to hitting the Frankton Lapel Administration Building where significant brick wall and roof damage occurred. The roof of a small gymnasium at this building was lifted and thrown approximately 150 yards to the north northeast while the western brick wall collapsed inward. Numerous concrete masonry blocks were thrown from the wall into the top of several school buses that also sustained damage. One bus had a small but long metal support driven through the frame. The tornado was rated EF2 here before it continued into a corn field to the northeast and dissipated.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
131,900
Population (ACS)
$161K
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 |
| Apr 22, 2014 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR |
| Jun 8, 2008 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND TORNADOES | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Anderson 103
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Madison County, Indiana?
530 events are on record between 1953 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $42.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Madison County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 293 recorded events — 55.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Madison County?
31 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 Madison County?
21 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Madison County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Madison County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Madison County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 77 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Madison 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
- Lawrence County 332
- Marion County 1,061
- LaPorte County 423
- Marshall County 313
- Lake County 659
- Martin County 174
Cite this page
“Madison County, Indiana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/indiana/madison-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.