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Benton County, Indiana severe weather history spans 217 recorded events between 1954 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 50.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,338 nationally and #75 in Indiana.
217
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
3
Direct injuries
$251.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Benton County, Indiana severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Benton County, Indiana severe weather history averages 3.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 82 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 39 events fall before 1990 and 178 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $250.6M 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 Benton County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 110 | 0 | $258K | 87 | 1960–2026 |
| Hail | 59 | 0 | $501K | 4.25 | 1975–2026 |
| Tornado | 22 | 0 | $250.6M | F4 | 1954–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 14 | 0 | $255K | 0 | 2001–2017 |
| Flood | 7 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2006–2023 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2020–2026 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2016–2021 |
Decade by decade
Benton County, Indiana severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
24 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 22 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974-04-03 | EF4 | 18 | 285 | 108.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-03 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 25.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2023-03-31 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 11.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-03-31 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 15.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2013-11-17 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 12.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-08-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1956-03-06 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1954-06-01 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-03-31 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 10.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1988-09-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Benton County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 7, 1956 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Hail as large as softballs produced catastrophic damage to crops from near Boswell east and southeast to the Warren County line south of Templeton. An estimated 5,000 acres of corn crop was destroyed. The hail also caused significant roof damage to many houses.
Severe winds of 60 mph to 75 mph developed just north of Boswell and continued east and southeast to the Warren County line south of Oxford. There were two areas of more intense wind damage found along Highway 352 between Boswell and Oxford. The first area of intense damage was near Chase where a large hardwood tree was snapped at the base with other trees and large tree limbs blown down in a few mile wide area around Chase. The most intense damage in this area was consistent with winds of 90 to 100 mph. The second area of intense damage was located farther east on Highway 352 just west of Oxford. A well built barn was partially destroyed in this location with debris from the barn spread several hundred yards down stream. Several trees were blown down in the area with some minor roof damage to a nearby home. The most intense damage was consistent with winds of 90 to 100 mph.
The tornado heavily damaged an outbuilding with several wood projectiles from the building stuck into a nearby garage roof. Debris from the outbuilding was lofted at least three miles downstream. Another outbuilding was heavily damaged and multiple trees were blown down or snapped. Maximum winds were estimated to be 95 mph. The tornado continued into White County (NWS Northern Indiana).
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
8,735
Population (ACS)
$151K
Median home value
21
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 |
| May 4, 2018 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | 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 Benton County, Indiana?
217 events are on record between 1954 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $251.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Benton County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 110 recorded events — 50.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Benton County?
24 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 22 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Benton County?
21 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Benton County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Benton County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Benton County as very low risk, placing it in the 5 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Benton 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
- Bartholomew County 316
- Blackford County 124
- Allen County 770
- Boone County 406
- Adams County 224
- Brown County 189
Cite this page
“Benton County, Indiana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/indiana/benton-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.