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Howard County, Indiana severe weather history spans 310 recorded events between 1951 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 57.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,723 nationally and #46 in Indiana.
310
Recorded events
18
Direct deaths
615
Direct injuries
$297.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Howard County, Indiana severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Howard County, Indiana severe weather history averages 4.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 91 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 52 events fall before 1990 and 258 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Howard County, Indiana record is tornado, responsible for 18 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $276.4M 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 Howard County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 179 | 0 | $2.7M | 72 | 1958–2026 |
| Hail | 77 | 0 | $51K | 2.85 | 1966–2026 |
| Tornado | 27 | 18 | $276.4M | F4 | 1951–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 16 | 0 | $18.5M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 7 | 0 | $7K | 0 | 1997–2019 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $51K | 0 | 2005–2008 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2008–2008 |
Decade by decade
Howard County, Indiana severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
26 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 18 touched down inside it and 8 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965-04-11 | EF4 | 25 | 835 | 48.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1961-03-06 | EF3 | 1 | 3 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2016-08-24 | EF3 | 0 | 20 | 8.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2013-11-17 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 37.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1998-06-11 | EF3 | 0 | 8 | 18.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1977-07-07 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 11.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1961-03-06 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2013-11-17 | EF2 | 0 | 5 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2013-11-17 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 25.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1974-04-03 | EF2 | 0 | 12 | 19.2 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Howard County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 12, 1965 | Tornado | 17 | 560 | $250.0M | |
| Mar 6, 1961 | Tornado | 1 | 3 | $250K | |
| Aug 24, 2016 | Tornado | KOKOMO RUZICKA ARPT | 0 | 20 | $10.0M |
| Jun 12, 1998 | Tornado | GREENTOWN | 0 | 8 | $5.0M |
| Jul 17, 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | KOKOMO | 0 | 6 | $60K |
| Jun 1, 1989 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 6 | $0 | |
| Nov 17, 2013 | Tornado | KOKOMO | 0 | 5 | $75K |
| May 28, 1955 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $2.5M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This EF-3 tornado, with maximum wind speeds of 152 mph, caused significant structural damage to homes and businesses across the south side of Kokomo. A Starbucks building was destroyed near Markland Mall. According to WTHR13, at least 80 homes were destroyed. Out of the 1,000 total homes damaged, about 170 of them sustained major damage. Much of the Park Place Apartments were damaged or destroyed. Numerous trees were downed as well.
A third in a string of tornadoes associated with an isolated low-topped supercell touched down in Kokomo. The tornado was rated an F1 and severely damaged a skating rink and trucking company. There was also damage to 3 other homes and 1 minor injury reported.
This was the third tornado (and only EF1) to impact Howard County. The tornado began in a rural field south of a homestead with two barns, home, and mobile home. One small barn was completely destroyed along with the mobile home which caused a serious injury. The home and larger barn had lesser damage. This tornado continued to the northeast, damaging the trees, homes and barns of several homesteads, with maximum winds of 110 mph. The tornado continued into a larger neighborhood near US Highway 35 where it caused mainly roof and tree damage to tree rows.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
83,752
Population (ACS)
$165K
Median home value
15
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 |
| Mar 12, 2007 | Snowstorm | SNOW | EM |
| Sep 10, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Kokomo 129
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Howard County, Indiana?
310 events are on record between 1951 and 2026, causing 18 direct deaths and $297.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Howard County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 179 recorded events — 57.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Howard County?
26 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 18 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Howard County?
15 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Howard County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Howard County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Howard County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 64 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Howard 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
- Henry County 279
- Huntington County 437
- Hendricks County 562
- Jackson County 330
- Harrison County 403
- Jasper County 263
Cite this page
“Howard County, Indiana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/indiana/howard-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.