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Decatur County, Indiana severe weather history spans 260 recorded events between 1958 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 53.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,045 nationally and #61 in Indiana.
260
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
17
Direct injuries
$5.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Decatur County, Indiana severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Decatur County, Indiana severe weather history averages 3.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 90 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 44 events fall before 1990 and 216 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Decatur County, Indiana record is tornado, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $3.4M 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 Decatur County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 138 | 0 | $1.4M | 87 | 1958–2025 |
| Hail | 63 | 0 | $205K | 4 | 1966–2025 |
| Tornado | 25 | 2 | $3.4M | F4 | 1965–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 14 | 0 | $208K | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Flood | 11 | 0 | $39K | 0 | 1998–2018 |
| Lightning | 8 | 1 | $209K | 0 | 1996–2016 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2010 |
Decade by decade
Decatur 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: 20 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 |
| 1992-11-22 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1973-06-19 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1969-05-10 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 2017-04-20 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2015-12-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-05-25 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-05-25 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-06-03 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2006-04-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Decatur County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | Tornado | 2 | 7 | $0 | |
| May 28, 1996 | Lightning | GREENSBURG | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 17, 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | HARRIS CITY | 0 | 2 | $8K |
| Jun 18, 1992 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Jul 6, 1991 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 2 | $0 | |
| Feb 22, 1971 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $25K | |
| Jul 26, 2016 | Lightning | WAYNESBURG | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Sep 26, 1976 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A microburst caused damage to numerous structures in Decatur County including a church steeple and roof, two mobile homes, three pick up trucks, trees, power lines, a school bus, two semi trailers, a barn, two businesses, a fence, and a few houses.
Tornado damage was discovered in the Rolling Meadows neighborhood about one half mile south of the Interstate 74 and US 421 interchange and just north of County Road 100 North. This was determined to be from a second tornado, rated EF-1 with maximum winds at 90 mph. Approximately 15-20 homes throughout the neighborhood sustained roof or siding damage, with garage doors buckling and blowing inwards on several of these homes. Much of the debris was strewn into an adjacent farm field. Just across US 421 off to the northeast, a small piece of plywood was found impaled into the stucco on a bank building. The path length was 0.5 miles with a maximum width 400 yards.
A tornado touched down at 2050 EST approximately three miles to the southwest of Clarksburg and traveled to the northeast for 4.09 miles before lifting about a mile east of Clarksburg. The tornado was rated an EF-1. Based on damage indicators, wind speeds with this tornado were around 100 miles per hour. Near Clarksburg one home had the roof ripped off, another residence had extensive damage, a van had broken windows, telephone poles were damaged, and farm buildings were also damaged.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
26,422
Population (ACS)
$199K
Median home value
14
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 |
| Sep 23, 2008 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jun 8, 2008 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND TORNADOES | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Decatur County, Indiana?
260 events are on record between 1958 and 2026, causing 3 direct deaths and $5.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Decatur County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 138 recorded events — 53.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Decatur County?
24 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 20 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Decatur County?
14 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Decatur County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Decatur County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Decatur County as very low risk, placing it in the 23 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Decatur 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
- Dearborn County 301
- DeKalb County 199
- Daviess County 316
- Delaware County 446
- Crawford County 347
- Dubois County 487
Cite this page
“Decatur County, Indiana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/indiana/decatur-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.