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Sullivan County, Indiana severe weather history spans 242 recorded events between 1956 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 48.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,160 nationally and #69 in Indiana.
242
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
9
Direct injuries
$35.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Sullivan County, Indiana severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Sullivan County, Indiana severe weather history averages 3.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 102 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 35 events fall before 1990 and 207 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Sullivan County, Indiana record is tornado, responsible for 3 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $19.1M 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 Sullivan County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 117 | 0 | $401K | 87 | 1956–2026 |
| Hail | 46 | 0 | $48K | 4 | 1982–2026 |
| Flood | 37 | 0 | $15.2M | 0 | 1998–2016 |
| Flash Flood | 26 | 0 | $408K | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Tornado | 14 | 3 | $19.1M | F3 | 1957–2026 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–1996 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2008–2008 |
Decade by decade
Sullivan County, Indiana severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
13 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 10 touched down inside it and 3 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 | 6 | 16 | 40.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1963-04-29 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 23.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-05-27 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 77.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1969-09-05 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-06-11 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-05-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 10.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2019-08-12 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-03-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-27 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-06-17 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Sullivan County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 1, 2023 | Tornado | RIVERTON | 3 | 8 | $18.2M |
| May 17, 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | FAIRBANKS | 0 | 1 | $20K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Thunderstorm wind damage consistent with straight line winds during a brief downburst. The line of thunderstorms produced a very brief bowing segment around 1208 am EST from just south of Merom to just north of County Road 625 South. Assessment of damage shows property and debris thrown in a generally eastward direction with little or no lofting of debris noted.||Thunderstorm winds blew over a recreational vehicle into a pick-up truck at 5151 West County Road 400 South. This impact rolled the truck upside down. Walls of a pole barn were compromised and blown out. HVAC compressor next to the adjacent house was blown off its platform although essentially no damage occurred to house. The yard showed no signs of swirls. Local resident also reported on social media that trees and power lines were also down. Debris from other damage was also reported in the road 1.75 mile to the WSW at Indiana Route 58 and County Road 450 South.
An EF0 tornado briefly occurred near 621 E. Silver Street in Sullivan, Indiana. Damage was done to a home at this location. There was damage to a roof, one bathroom window was blown out, and a trampoline was blown over. Roof debris was spread out over the owner's lawn, with some shingles blown into a nearby tree and one large piece of ply wood from the roof was blown over the neighbor's house, up into a tree approximately 40 feet high.
The episode's fourth tornado, which had started in Crawford County, Illinois before reaching EF1 intensity in Clark County, IL, crossed the Wabash River into far northwestern Sullivan County while continuing to weaken through EF0 intensity. The tornado uprooted and downed several trees near its end point south-southwest of the Riverview community, about 600 feet northeast of the intersection of County Roads 1100 West and 600 North. Peak wind gusts were 80 mph.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
20,780
Population (ACS)
$131K
Median home value
19
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 |
| Apr 22, 2014 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR |
| Jun 23, 2011 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Sullivan County, Indiana?
242 events are on record between 1956 and 2026, causing 3 direct deaths and $35.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Sullivan County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 117 recorded events — 48.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Sullivan County?
13 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 10 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Sullivan County?
19 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Sullivan County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Sullivan County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Sullivan County as very low risk, placing it in the 21 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Sullivan 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
- Steuben County 280
- Switzerland County 182
- Starke County 217
- Tippecanoe County 555
- Spencer County 334
- Tipton County 151
Cite this page
“Sullivan County, Indiana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/indiana/sullivan-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.