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Bartholomew County, Indiana severe weather history spans 316 recorded events between 1957 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 59.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,689 nationally and #42 in Indiana.
316
Recorded events
4
Direct deaths
8
Direct injuries
$284.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Bartholomew County, Indiana severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Bartholomew County, Indiana severe weather history averages 4.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 79 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 65 events fall before 1990 and 251 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Bartholomew County, Indiana record is flash flood, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is flood, with $150.2M 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 Bartholomew County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 188 | 0 | $1.7M | 74 | 1957–2026 |
| Hail | 66 | 0 | $500 | 2 | 1963–2026 |
| Tornado | 19 | 0 | $30.8M | F4 | 1957–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 19 | 2 | $100.8M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 17 | 2 | $150.2M | 0 | 1998–2026 |
| Lightning | 6 | 0 | $570K | 0 | 1996–2020 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 1.3 | 2006–2006 |
Decade by decade
Bartholomew 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: 15 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974-04-03 | EF4 | 4 | 17 | 35.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1974-04-03 | EF3 | 1 | 26 | 35.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2005-11-15 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1968-04-14 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 3.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-03-19 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 13.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-05-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 35.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 2008-06-03 | EF2 | 0 | 4 | 10.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1992-11-22 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-05-24 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1969-05-10 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.4 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Bartholomew County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 6, 2025 | Flood | GARDEN CITY | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 5, 2018 | Flood | RIVERVIEW ACRES | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 7, 2008 | Flash Flood | NORTONSBURG | 1 | 0 | $10K |
| Jun 7, 2008 | Flash Flood | OLD ST LOUIS | 1 | 0 | $10K |
| Jul 1, 1978 | Tornado | 0 | 6 | $25K | |
| Jul 2, 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | TAYLORSVILLE | 0 | 1 | $100K |
| Aug 23, 1996 | Lightning | COLUMBUS | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A man was driving home from work on Saturday June 7th on County Road 550 North near County Road 475 East when the flooded Haw Creek pushed his vehicle about 300 yards off the road. He was advised to stay in his vehicle, however he tried to walk away. He drowned around 1230 EST on June 7th after he tried to walk back to dry land. The flood waters swept the man downstream. His body was found on Monday June 9th at around 1615 EST in a creek bank near County Road 450 North.
Fox 59 reported that a missing kayaker was found dead Friday, April 6th not far from where his kayak was found earlier in the day. The DNR said his body was found about 100 yards away from his kayak, located between Tannehill Bridge and Lowell Bridge on the Driftwood River.||It is believed the 26-year-old man drowned while kayaking on suspected flood waters of the Driftwood River near Columbus on the morning of April 5th. Moderate flooding was occurring on the East Fork White River at Columbus which is slightly downstream from the incident. The time and location of the report is estimated.
State Road 46 and State Road 11 are closed due to flash flooding from heavy rainfall. The hospital in Columbus was evacuated and water entered the building due to the flooding of Haw Creek. Houses were flooded with residents stranded. Several bridges collapsed and were washed away.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
83,536
Population (ACS)
$233K
Median home value
12
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 8, 2008 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Sep 10, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Bartholomew County, Indiana?
316 events are on record between 1957 and 2026, causing 4 direct deaths and $284.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Bartholomew County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 188 recorded events — 59.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Bartholomew County?
19 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 15 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Bartholomew County?
12 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Bartholomew County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Bartholomew County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Bartholomew County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 71 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Bartholomew 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
- Allen County 770
- Benton County 217
- Adams County 224
- Blackford County 124
- Boone County 406
- Brown County 189
Cite this page
“Bartholomew County, Indiana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/indiana/bartholomew-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.