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Clay County, Indiana severe weather history spans 203 recorded events between 1956 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 56.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,430 nationally and #78 in Indiana.
203
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
2
Direct injuries
$47.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Clay County, Indiana severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Clay County, Indiana severe weather history averages 2.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 94 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 26 events fall before 1990 and 177 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flood, with $45.0M 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 Clay County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 114 | 0 | $1.2M | 65 | 1956–2026 |
| Hail | 44 | 0 | $50K | 2.75 | 1960–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 20 | 0 | $535K | 0 | 2000–2025 |
| Flood | 14 | 0 | $45.0M | 0 | 1998–2023 |
| Tornado | 8 | 0 | $359K | F1 | 1973–2012 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $50K | 0 | 1996–2006 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2008–2008 |
Decade by decade
Clay County, Indiana severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
12 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 11 touched down inside it and 1 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973-05-27 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 77.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1956-04-03 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1996-05-08 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-06-04 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1988-09-19 | EF1 | 0 | 2 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-06-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1967-10-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2012-05-01 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-06-04 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-04-11 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Clay County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 19, 1988 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $3K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Strong thunderstorm wind gusts knocked over corn crop and snapped large old growth trees over plus several large limbs of others landing on power lines with enough force to snap the cables. 1 tree landed across a lane of in sr 246.
Homes, vehicles, and bridges have been destroyed due to heavy rain that caused flash flooding. There was a 100 foot section of the road missing on County Road 200 South. Sixty percent of the roads in the county have sustained some form of damage with thirty percent suffering severe damage, meaning being totally washed out. The streets in Brazil also have experienced some damage.
An EF0 tornado touched down near the town of Ashboro in Clay County at approximately 630 PM EDT on the evening of June 4, 2007. The tornado tracked towards the southeast, and produced several areas of minor to moderate tree damage. Some of the damage to structures included three homes sustaining minor damage, a carport lifted off of the ground and damaged, a mini barn moved off of its blocks, and trees blown down onto a trampoline and a truck.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
26,409
Population (ACS)
$153K
Median home value
20
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 |
| 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 Clay County, Indiana?
203 events are on record between 1956 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $47.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Clay County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 114 recorded events — 56.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Clay County?
12 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 11 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Clay County?
20 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Clay County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Clay County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Clay County as very low risk, placing it in the 27 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Clay 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
- Clark County 470
- Clinton County 284
- Cass County 350
- Crawford County 347
- Carroll County 244
- Daviess County 316
Cite this page
“Clay County, Indiana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/indiana/clay-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.