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Ohio County, Indiana severe weather history spans 103 recorded events between 1957 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 64.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,872 nationally and #92 in Indiana.
103
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
64
Direct injuries
$1.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Ohio County, Indiana severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Ohio County, Indiana severe weather history averages 1.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 29 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 8 events fall before 1990 and 95 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $871K 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 Ohio County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 66 | 0 | $871K | 70 | 1957–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 17 | 0 | $192K | 0 | 1996–2022 |
| Hail | 11 | 0 | $0 | 3 | 1961–2025 |
| Tornado | 6 | 0 | $140K | F5 | 1974–2024 |
| Flood | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2018–2022 |
Decade by decade
Ohio County, Indiana severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
6 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 5 touched down inside it and 1 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 | 3 | 210 | 20.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-03 | EF4 | 0 | 104 | 27.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-04-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-04-08 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-04-08 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 5.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-04-08 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 5.7 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Ohio County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | Tornado | 0 | 64 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The tornado first touched down along Milton Bear Branch Road in western Ohio County. The tornado traveled east southeast until it lifted near the 6000 block of Palmer Road. There were numerous occurrences of damage to roofs, siding, barns and trees. Damage of this nature was consistent with an EF0 tornado, with winds topping out at about 70 to 75 mph.
A farm residence on Hartford Pike Road was damaged, where a house had the top of its roof removed, and several large trees on the nearby hillside were toppled. Tree damage was observed along Laughery Creek and adjacent portions of Hartford Pike Road along the Dearborn/Ohio County border. Structural damage was also observed at several locations along Salem Ridge Road and Belleview Lane, with minor roof damage to homes, and significant damage or destruction of a few barns and garages. This was near the end of a swath of about 13 miles of damage that extended back into Dearborn County. The damage was consistent with winds in the 70 to 80 mph range.
The tornado developed near the Ohio and Switzerland County line, just north of Aberdeen Road. A garage was destroyed on the north side of Aberdeen Road and a well constructed barn on Aberdeen Road was completely destroyed. Much of the debris from this barn was lofted high into the trees behind the barn. Winds at this location were estimated to be around 100 mph. The tornado then continued east through wooded and inaccessible areas, eventually crossing Bear Branch Creek and Texas Gas Road before it dissipated near Milton Bear Branch Road. Along this path, numerous trees were uprooted.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
5,999
Population (ACS)
$213K
Median home value
19
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 |
| May 4, 2018 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jun 23, 2011 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND | DR |
| Mar 5, 2009 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Ohio County, Indiana?
103 events are on record between 1957 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $1.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Ohio County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 66 recorded events — 64.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Ohio County?
6 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 5 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Ohio County?
19 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Ohio County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Ohio County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Ohio County as very low risk, placing it in the 3 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Ohio 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
- Noble County 304
- Orange County 249
- Newton County 218
- Owen County 262
- Morgan County 424
- Parke County 266
Cite this page
“Ohio County, Indiana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/indiana/ohio-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.