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Gibson County, Indiana severe weather history spans 589 recorded events between 1958 and 2025. The dominant hazard is flood, accounting for 38.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #619 nationally and #5 in Indiana.
589
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
21
Direct injuries
$76.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Gibson County, Indiana severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Gibson County, Indiana severe weather history averages 8.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 246 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 47 events fall before 1990 and 542 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Gibson County, Indiana record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $60.4M in reported property damage. In total, 9 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Gibson County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flood | 229 | 0 | $1.5M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 173 | 1 | $8.9M | 96 | 1958–2025 |
| Hail | 96 | 0 | $4.5M | 4 | 1963–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 40 | 1 | $1.3M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 30 | 0 | $60.4M | F4 | 1961–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 14 | 0 | $10K | 0 | 2007–2015 |
| Funnel Cloud | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2001–2011 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $7K | 0 | 2008–2008 |
| Dust Devil | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2010 |
Decade by decade
Gibson County, Indiana severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
33 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 24 touched down inside it and 9 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990-06-02 | EF4 | 6 | 60 | 13.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-06-02 | EF4 | 1 | 12 | 106.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2017-02-28 | EF3 | 1 | 2 | 44.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1989-04-03 | EF3 | 0 | 8 | 3.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-01-29 | EF2 | 2 | 0 | 7.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2025-03-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 57.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-07-09 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 8.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 2011-05-25 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 12.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2011-02-28 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 22.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-05-14 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.4 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Gibson County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 30, 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | BUCKSKIN | 1 | 1 | $2K |
| Jun 6, 1996 | Flash Flood | OAKLAND CITY | 1 | 0 | $5K |
| Apr 3, 1989 | Tornado | 0 | 8 | $25.0M | |
| Jul 31, 2012 | Hail | OAKLAND CITY | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| Jun 13, 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | PRINCETON | 0 | 2 | $500K |
| Jul 7, 1964 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $25K | |
| Jun 8, 2021 | Tornado | PATOKA | 0 | 1 | $20K |
| Mar 1, 2017 | Tornado | CRAWLEYVILLE | 0 | 1 | $3.2M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A small child was killed when a tree limb landed on her. The incident occurred at an outdoor family reunion. The tree limb fell about 50 feet, striking a father and his daughter. The father was hospitalized with a broken neck and other injuries. The young girl died in the hospital a couple of days later. There were a couple of other downed tree limbs in the immediate area.
A very destructive macroburst with winds estimated up to 110 mph snapped or uprooted thousands of trees. Hundreds of structures were damaged. A total of 78 structures received major damage such as loss of roof decking or porches, and 249 sustained minor damage such as loss of shingles or minor siding loss. Dozens of barns and sheds were heavily damaged or destroyed. The macroburst damage was concentrated in Oakland City. The damage area extended south to the Warrick County line. In Oakland City, a tree was down on a trailer with residents still inside. The damage path was 3.5 miles wide and 12 miles long. One person was injured due to wind, and three people were injured by hail. All of the injuries occurred in Oakland City, and all were treated at hospitals. Roads were blocked by debris, including State Route 57. Two miles south of Oakland City, part of a roof was on a roadway.
This long-track tornado crossed from Posey County into Gibson County just northwest of Poseyville. The tornado crossed U.S. Highway 41 just north of Fort Branch and just south of the Toyota manufacturing plant. The path later crossed Interstate 69 before ending just south of Oakland City. The tornado was rated EF-3 at a couple of points south and southwest of Owensville, where a couple of houses lost their roofs and most of their exterior walls. This was where the highest winds along the 44-mile path occurred, likely around 150 mph. One person was seriously injured, requiring hospitalization. Cars were tossed 15 yards, and two double-wide mobile homes were destroyed, with their frames blown 50 to 75 yards. Further east, from the Fort Branch area to south of Oakland City, roofs were blown off a few homes and barns were destroyed. Grain bins were destroyed, and trees were snapped. The total number of damaged or destroyed structures in Gibson County was about 106, including some homes.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
33,000
Population (ACS)
$180K
Median home value
22
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 |
| May 4, 2018 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jun 23, 2011 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND | DR |
| Mar 5, 2009 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Hazleton 298
- East Mt Carmel 222
- Giro 114
- Princeton 103
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Gibson County, Indiana?
589 events are on record between 1958 and 2025, causing 2 direct deaths and $76.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Gibson County?
Flood, with 229 recorded events — 38.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Gibson County?
33 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 24 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Gibson County?
22 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Gibson County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Gibson County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Gibson County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 48 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Gibson 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
- Fulton County 237
- Grant County 350
- Franklin County 244
- Greene County 303
- Fountain County 240
- Hamilton County 579
Cite this page
“Gibson County, Indiana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/indiana/gibson-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.