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Vigo County, Indiana severe weather history spans 468 recorded events between 1953 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 52.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #987 nationally and #17 in Indiana.
468
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
6
Direct injuries
$60.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Vigo County, Indiana severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Vigo County, Indiana severe weather history averages 6.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 180 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 83 events fall before 1990 and 385 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flood, with $50.4M 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 Vigo County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 247 | 0 | $5.4M | 73 | 1957–2026 |
| Hail | 111 | 0 | $3K | 2 | 1955–2025 |
| Flood | 45 | 0 | $50.4M | 0 | 1998–2021 |
| Flash Flood | 36 | 0 | $815K | 0 | 2000–2025 |
| Tornado | 19 | 0 | $3.3M | F3 | 1953–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 6 | 0 | $500 | 0 | 2006–2010 |
| Lightning | 4 | 0 | $104K | 0 | 2002–2009 |
Decade by decade
Vigo County, Indiana severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
19 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 16 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960-06-22 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-04-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 48.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1988-10-17 | EF2 | 0 | 4 | 3.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-05-27 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 77.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1967-10-24 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1967-10-24 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1958-05-03 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 7.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2011-05-25 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2006-02-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-11-22 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Vigo County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 10, 1975 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $250K | |
| Oct 18, 1988 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Oct 24, 1967 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $3K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Widespread significant tree damage due to thunderstorm wind gusts across the southern half of Terre Haute into the Ivy Tech campus area. Numerous homes and cars were damaged by falling trees. Several large billboards were collapsed by the strong winds which further caused property damage.
A tornado touched down just north of Interstate 70, and west of the Margaret Avenue and Fruitridge Avenue intersection, and traveled northeastward. Along its path, the tornado severely damaged Union Christian Church at State Road 46 and Hulman Drive, and at least 18 buildings and 6 planes at the Terre Haute International Airport, including the Ivy Tech State College building on the airport campus, where three people were trapped as emergency crews waited for power to be shut off before removing them from the building.A preliminary search indicated that this was the first tornado in Vigo county in just over thirteen years, and the first February tornado in Indiana in fourteen years and one day.
This first tornado to impact central Indiana began in Illinois where it reached EF2 intensity and tracked nearly 45 miles before entering Vigo County, Indiana for the final portion of its track. The circulation tracked east-northeast to New Goshen Avenue, then curled right to an easterly direction taking it into the center of the New Goshen community where the greatest damage occurred. Damage along the east-northeasterly track consistent with EF0 intensity, to the northwest of the West New Goshen community, included downed trees, minor structure and/or roof damage and an collapsed old barn. Damage in New Goshen consistent with high end EF1 intensity included major damage to a large garage with full walls picked up and thrown over other structures, and near-total roof loss to many other structures in the community. The tornado weakened to EF0 intensity as it crossed US Highway 150 and lifted shortly after. The peak wind gusts during this final Indiana segment were 110 mph.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
106,109
Population (ACS)
$149K
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 |
| Apr 22, 2014 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR |
| Jun 8, 2008 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Sep 10, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Terre Haute 185
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Vigo County, Indiana?
468 events are on record between 1953 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $60.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Vigo County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 247 recorded events — 52.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Vigo County?
19 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 16 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Vigo County?
16 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Vigo County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Vigo County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Vigo County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 83 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Vigo 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
- Vermillion County 256
- Wabash County 255
- Vanderburgh County 551
- Warren County 196
- Union County 146
- Warrick County 393
Cite this page
“Vigo County, Indiana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/indiana/vigo-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.