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Orange County, Indiana severe weather history spans 249 recorded events between 1954 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 48.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,112 nationally and #64 in Indiana.
249
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$4.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Orange County, Indiana severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Orange County, Indiana severe weather history averages 3.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 91 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 16 events fall before 1990 and 233 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $3.4M 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 Orange County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 121 | 0 | $647K | 87 | 1969–2026 |
| Hail | 63 | 0 | $0 | 3 | 1987–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 35 | 0 | $250K | 0 | 1996–2026 |
| Tornado | 23 | 0 | $3.4M | F4 | 1954–2025 |
| Flood | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2006–2017 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $125K | 0 | 2001–2010 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2016–2016 |
Decade by decade
Orange County, Indiana severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
25 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 21 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990-06-02 | EF4 | 1 | 12 | 106.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1963-04-19 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 85.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 2017-03-01 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 0.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2011-04-19 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-05-25 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1954-08-01 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-03-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 11.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-08-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-08-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-08-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 8.7 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Orange County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 1, 2017 | Tornado | LEIPSIC | 0 | 1 | $75K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
There was extensive flooding of a residential area in the northern part of Paoli. The worst flooding was on Charles Street and Autumn Drive. Two homes were swept off their foundations by flowing waters. Several residents in the area had to be evacuated by boat.
This tornado touched down along Highway 37 south of Orleans, uprooting and snapping several trees. It expanded to its maximum width and strength one mile into its path, where it heavily damaged two brick homes and one wooden frame home, as well downing power lines and poles. In this area it also did extensive damage to several outbuildings, completely destroying one barn and overturning a tractor within. The tornado continued to the northeast, damaging another outbuilding a mile to the northeast and uprooting and snapping numerous trees before finally lifting in an open field 3/4 mile southwest of the community of Leipsic.
A tornado first touched down on the north side of the Paoli school complex three quarters of a mile west of the downtown square. It destroyed a 100 year old barn and heavily damaged the roofs of two other outbuildings. It then removed a large section of roofing from the Paoli police department on West Main Street before snapping several trees along Lick Creek. Based on a damage survey, this tornado was classified as an EF-1 with peak winds from 95 to 100 mph between its initial touchdown and the Paoli town square. While moving across the town square, this tornado ripped the metal roofs off of two businesses. Three chimneys on the Orange County Courthouse collapsed. Moving east of the town square, the tornado traveled another mile and a quarter, weakening to EF-0 status while uprooting many trees and damaging the roofs of several homes. Before lifting next to North Marshall Road, the tornado damaged a metal outbuilding.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
19,767
Population (ACS)
$159K
Median home value
18
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 |
| 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 Orange County, Indiana?
249 events are on record between 1954 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $4.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Orange County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 121 recorded events — 48.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Orange County?
25 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 21 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Orange County?
18 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Orange County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Orange County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Orange County as very low risk, placing it in the 40 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Orange 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
- Ohio County 103
- Owen County 262
- Noble County 304
- Parke County 266
- Newton County 218
- Perry County 229
Cite this page
“Orange County, Indiana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/indiana/orange-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.