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Monroe County, Indiana severe weather history spans 370 recorded events between 1958 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 50.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,388 nationally and #29 in Indiana.
370
Recorded events
6
Direct deaths
16
Direct injuries
$71.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Monroe County, Indiana severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Monroe County, Indiana severe weather history averages 5.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 112 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 49 events fall before 1990 and 321 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Monroe County, Indiana record is flood, responsible for 3 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $35.5M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Monroe County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 186 | 1 | $6.8M | 70 | 1959–2026 |
| Hail | 115 | 0 | $4K | 2.75 | 1978–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 25 | 2 | $28.6M | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Tornado | 23 | 0 | $35.5M | F3 | 1958–2026 |
| Flood | 14 | 3 | $108K | 0 | 1998–2017 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0.9 | 2005–2008 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2008 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2012 |
Decade by decade
Monroe County, Indiana severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
22 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 20 touched down inside it and 2 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-03-31 | EF3 | 2 | 2 | 5.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2002-09-20 | EF3 | 0 | 127 | 112.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-11-22 | EF3 | 0 | 3 | 5.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-05-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 35.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-06-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-04-18 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 3.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1973-05-27 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 34.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-06-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 12.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-05-27 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 30.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1970-04-19 | EF2 | 0 | 6 | 5.6 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Monroe County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 5, 2014 | Flood | MT TABOR | 2 | 0 | $8K |
| Jun 19, 2021 | Flash Flood | ARLINGTON | 1 | 1 | $25.0M |
| Jun 1, 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | PAYNE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jan 28, 2007 | Flood | UNIONVILLE | 1 | 0 | $10K |
| Oct 5, 2000 | Flash Flood | BLOOMINGTON | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 20, 1970 | Tornado | 0 | 6 | $250K | |
| Jun 4, 2008 | Lightning | BLOOMINGTON | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| Nov 22, 1992 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A 31 year old male was swept away in a vehicle in floodwaters from clear creek near the intersection of College Avenue and Dodds Street. Another person of unknown age and sex was also in the vehicle at the time but was able to escape with only minor injuries. Numerous videos and pictures showed standing water along portions of the downtown including Walnut Street. Many businesses in the area remained shut down for a week to clean up issues related to the flood waters. Water rushed into a nursing home which required the building to evacuate.
WTHR-13 reported that Indiana Conservation officers found the body of 26-year-old man around 7:30pm Sunday the 3rd while searching Monroe Lake with side scan sonar equipment. He was in about 15 feet of water near the area where he had been swimming from his boat.||An Indiana Department of Natural Resources spokesperson said the man was swimming off a pontoon he rented with three friends when he disappeared Friday evening as a thunderstorm with strong winds passed overhead.||Friends say the man was a good swimmer, which might have been why he went into the water without a life jacket. When a storm suddenly kicked up out on the lake though, it was too much for him.
State Road 37 was flooded across the northern part of Monroe County due to heavy rain that caused flash flooding. Many roads were closed and some homes were being evacuated at Stinesville and Ellettsville. Flash flooding along Bryant's Creek caused people to be stuck in their houses. Indiana University's campus sustained damage to the football field and Psychology building.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
140,965
Population (ACS)
$285K
Median home value
16
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Apr 15, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Apr 3, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jun 23, 2011 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND | DR |
| Jun 8, 2008 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND TORNADOES | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Bloomington 131
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Monroe County, Indiana?
370 events are on record between 1958 and 2026, causing 6 direct deaths and $71.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Monroe County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 186 recorded events — 50.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Monroe County?
22 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 20 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Monroe County?
16 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Monroe County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Monroe County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Monroe County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 76 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Monroe 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
- Miami County 342
- Montgomery County 322
- Martin County 174
- Morgan County 424
- Marshall County 313
- Newton County 218
Cite this page
“Monroe County, Indiana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/indiana/monroe-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.