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Tippecanoe County, Indiana severe weather history spans 555 recorded events between 1953 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 53.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #703 nationally and #8 in Indiana.
555
Recorded events
4
Direct deaths
94
Direct injuries
$20.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Tippecanoe County, Indiana severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Tippecanoe County, Indiana severe weather history averages 7.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 197 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 91 events fall before 1990 and 464 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Tippecanoe County, Indiana record is tornado, responsible for 3 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $11.2M 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 Tippecanoe County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 296 | 1 | $2.3M | 90 | 1959–2026 |
| Hail | 129 | 0 | $5.1M | 4 | 1962–2024 |
| Tornado | 55 | 3 | $11.2M | F4 | 1953–2025 |
| Flood | 46 | 0 | $1.6M | 0 | 1997–2019 |
| Flash Flood | 23 | 0 | $590K | 0 | 1996–2019 |
| Lightning | 4 | 0 | $11K | 0 | 1996–2008 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2011 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2010 |
Decade by decade
Tippecanoe County, Indiana severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
58 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 55 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974-04-03 | EF4 | 18 | 285 | 108.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1994-04-26 | EF4 | 3 | 70 | 14.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1976-03-20 | EF4 | 0 | 8 | 16.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-04-11 | EF4 | 0 | 44 | 21.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1953-04-09 | EF3 | 3 | 22 | 156.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2013-11-17 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 37.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1978-06-25 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 27.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2013-11-17 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2013-11-17 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 12.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2004-05-30 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.8 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Tippecanoe County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 1994 | Tornado | Lafayette | 3 | 70 | $5.0M |
| Jun 21, 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | WELBORN ARPT | 1 | 1 | $10K |
| Apr 12, 1965 | Tornado | 0 | 10 | $0 | |
| Mar 20, 1976 | Tornado | 0 | 6 | $2.5M | |
| May 26, 1989 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 3 | $0 | |
| Mar 8, 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | DAYTON | 0 | 1 | $12K |
| Oct 3, 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | LAFAYETTE | 0 | 1 | $10K |
| Jul 8, 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | LAFAYETTE | 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 gusts downed a 12 to 18 diameter tree fell on a vehicle traveling southbound on State Route 43, just north of West Lafayette. Two individuals were in the vehicle, with one fatality and one injury. Winds were estimated at 45 to 50 mph.
A tornado touched down near Dayton. The tornado caused significant tree damage and blew parts of roofs off two buildings in Dayton. The tornado continued moving northeast with sporadic damage until reaching large homes approximately 1.5 miles northeast of Dayton. Two homes were nearly destroyed on Halifax Lane. Wind speeds were estimated around 150 mph.
At 1454EST, this EF-3 tornado touched down 5 miles south-southeast of Lafayette. This EF-3 tornado impacted the Subaru and Voest Alpine plants southeast of Lafayette. Both sustained significant damage consistent with a low end EF-3 rating. Property and tree damage then continued northeast to the north of Dayton. The tornado crossed through the far northwest corner of Clinton County causing mainly tree damage. Then, the tornado moved into southwest Carroll county. A hog farm sustained damage to several outbuildings in extreme southwest Carroll County. Additional damage was found in Cutler. Much of the damage across Carroll County ranged between EF-0 and EF-1. This tornado crossed into Cass County near State Route 18 at 1517EST, continuing for nearly an additional 10 miles. The total path length including Cass County is 39 miles. The tornado lifted 4 miles southwest of Grissom Air Reserve Base at 1527EST.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
189,071
Population (ACS)
$239K
Median home value
14
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 |
| Jun 8, 2008 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Jan 30, 2008 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Mar 12, 2007 | Snowstorm | SNOW | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Lafayette 120
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Tippecanoe County, Indiana?
555 events are on record between 1953 and 2026, causing 4 direct deaths and $20.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Tippecanoe County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 296 recorded events — 53.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Tippecanoe County?
58 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 55 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Tippecanoe County?
14 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Tippecanoe County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Tippecanoe County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Tippecanoe County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 82 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Tippecanoe 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
- Switzerland County 182
- Tipton County 151
- Sullivan County 242
- Union County 146
- Steuben County 280
- Vanderburgh County 551
Cite this page
“Tippecanoe County, Indiana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/indiana/tippecanoe-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.