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St. Joseph County, Indiana severe weather history spans 707 recorded events between 1950 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 64.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #394 nationally and #3 in Indiana.
707
Recorded events
6
Direct deaths
138
Direct injuries
$48.1M
Property damage
The record
What the St. Joseph County, Indiana severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, St. Joseph County, Indiana severe weather history averages 9.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 187 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 135 events fall before 1990 and 572 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the St. Joseph County, Indiana record is tornado, responsible for 4 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $35.7M 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 St. Joseph County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 453 | 1 | $2.0M | 81 | 1957–2026 |
| Hail | 182 | 0 | $1.1M | 3.5 | 1961–2024 |
| Tornado | 34 | 4 | $35.7M | F4 | 1950–2026 |
| Lightning | 12 | 0 | $2.5M | 0 | 2000–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 12 | 0 | $5.1M | 0 | 1996–2023 |
| Flood | 10 | 1 | $1.6M | 0 | 2008–2021 |
| Heavy Rain | 4 | 0 | $100K | 0 | 2006–2023 |
Decade by decade
St. Joseph County, Indiana severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
36 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 34 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965-04-11 | EF4 | 36 | 321 | 37.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-04-11 | EF4 | 31 | 252 | 21.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-04-11 | EF3 | 10 | 82 | 35.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2001-10-24 | EF3 | 1 | 2 | 47.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-11-26 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1962-04-30 | EF3 | 0 | 49 | 36.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2001-10-24 | EF2 | 1 | 0 | 35.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2001-10-24 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 4.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1980-06-28 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1958-06-24 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 7.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in St. Joseph County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 11, 1965 | Tornado | 3 | 27 | $25.0M | |
| Oct 24, 2001 | Tornado | CRUMSTOWN | 1 | 2 | $3.0M |
| Aug 28, 1990 | Thunderstorm Wind | 1 | 1 | $0 | |
| Sep 10, 2016 | Flood | SOUTH BEND | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 30, 1962 | Tornado | 0 | 49 | $250K | |
| Apr 12, 1965 | Tornado | 0 | 27 | $0 | |
| Jul 2, 1991 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 15 | $0 | |
| Sep 2, 1984 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 4 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This tornado touched down just southwest of Crumstown in St Joseph county Indiana and moved northeast into Berrien county Michigan (see Storm Data for Michigan, Extreme Southwest for more information on the end portion of this tornado). In St Joseph county Indiana the most significant damage was across Crumstown, where F3 damage with a path width up to 3/4 mile occurred. The tornado then moved to near the Michiana Regional Airport and across the Indiana Turnpike causing F0-F1 damage. Two men were injured northwest of South Bend. One man later died from his injuries. The tornado moved into Berrien county Michigan 6 miles NNW of South Bend.
Street and some basement flooding reported in South Bend. A 53 year old female was electrocuted by flood waters that had entered her basement. She stepped into water of unknown depth and was electrocuted by a box fan that was plugged in and sitting in the water. First responders could not reach her immediately until the scene was safe. They were able to revive her, but she died a few days later with cause of death being electrocution.
Extensive flooding occurred across the county as all area waterways exceeded their limited, reaching record levels in some spots. Residents had to be evacuated along many of the rivers with numerous homes and businesses suffering varying degrees of damage. In addition, numerous roads were closed due to high water for several days including portions of US 331, 20 and 6 as well as several state routes. Washouts were reported in some areas. Damage estimates totaled at least 1.1 million dollars.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
273,040
Population (ACS)
$193K
Median home value
16
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 |
| Apr 22, 2009 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Sep 23, 2008 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- South Bend 150
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in St. Joseph County, Indiana?
707 events are on record between 1950 and 2026, causing 6 direct deaths and $48.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in St. Joseph County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 453 recorded events — 64.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed St. Joseph County?
36 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 34 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover St. Joseph County?
16 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include St. Joseph County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is St. Joseph County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates St. Joseph County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 86 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the St. Joseph 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
- Rush County 273
- Scott County 153
- Shelby County 357
- Ripley County 488
- Spencer County 334
- Randolph County 265
Cite this page
“St. Joseph County, Indiana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/indiana/st-joseph-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.