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Johnson County, Indiana severe weather history spans 423 recorded events between 1954 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 48.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,161 nationally and #24 in Indiana.
423
Recorded events
5
Direct deaths
39
Direct injuries
$162.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Johnson County, Indiana severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Johnson County, Indiana severe weather history averages 5.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 143 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 49 events fall before 1990 and 374 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Johnson County, Indiana record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 3 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $90.3M 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 Johnson County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 204 | 3 | $2.0M | 78 | 1957–2026 |
| Hail | 125 | 0 | $0 | 2.75 | 1973–2026 |
| Lightning | 27 | 0 | $2.0M | 0 | 1996–2020 |
| Tornado | 23 | 2 | $68.3M | F3 | 1954–2023 |
| Flood | 21 | 0 | $76K | 0 | 1998–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 18 | 0 | $90.3M | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2008–2010 |
Decade by decade
Johnson 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: 19 touched down inside it and 5 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954-10-11 | EF3 | 2 | 0 | 4.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-03-31 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 5.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2002-09-20 | EF3 | 0 | 127 | 112.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1992-07-30 | EF3 | 0 | 25 | 7.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-03-10 | EF3 | 0 | 22 | 35.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2023-06-25 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-06-03 | EF2 | 0 | 4 | 10.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2006-03-31 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 17.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-05-27 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 34.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1969-05-10 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 33.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Johnson County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 26, 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | GREENWOOD | 3 | 2 | $10K |
| Oct 11, 1954 | Tornado | 2 | 0 | $250K | |
| Jul 31, 1992 | Tornado | 0 | 25 | $2.5M | |
| Jun 4, 2008 | Tornado | PRINCES LAKES | 0 | 3 | $23.0M |
| Mar 10, 1986 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $2.5M | |
| Oct 23, 2020 | Lightning | KINDER | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| May 18, 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | EDINBURG | 0 | 1 | $10K |
| Aug 23, 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | FRANKLIN | 0 | 1 | $20K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Thunderstorm winds contributed to the collapse of a wall and scaffolding at a construction site in the Precedent South Business Center south of Main Street near I-65. The incident killed 3 and injured 2. All were male workers.
Flash flooding occurred at the hospital and at least two bridges failed on county roads due to flash flooding caused by heavy rainfall and a breach in a dam. Large agricultural areas underwater. About 500 homes were flooded in Whiteland with all roads closed into the town. Multiple people were rescued from cars and homes. In Edinburgh, flooding left an estimated 40 to 50 homes uninhabitable. Bluff Creek flooded. The Prince's Lake area flooded as a man made dam eroded in sections and left a gash in the dam. In Franklin, apartments, shops, and homes were flooded. More than 400 water rescues took place in the county. Seventeen police cars were swept away.
A tornado touched down just west of Interstate 65 and Main Street in Greenwood on the evening of 31 March 2006. This tornado was on the ground for 25 minutes, covered an area 17 miles long, and caused significant damage to several homes and businesses along its path, which continued into neighboring Shelby County. At its peak, near the small town of London in Shelby County, the tornado was a strong F2, with a width of four tenths of a mile. The tornado lifted near US 52 and State Road 9 in north central Shelby County. According to the American Red Cross of Greater Indianapolis, more than 140 homes were damaged, some of them severely. Fortunately, no fatalities or life-threatening injuries were reported, although at least one driver, Megan Mahoney of Chesterfield, MO, sustained a concussion when her car was rolled or tossed off of Interstate 74 in Shelby County and into the yard of a home over 150 feet away. This was the third significant tornado in just over three and a half years to affect the southern suburbs of the Indianapolis metropolitan area.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
166,315
Population (ACS)
$285K
Median home value
16
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 |
| Apr 22, 2014 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR |
| Jun 8, 2008 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND TORNADOES | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Franklin 102
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Johnson County, Indiana?
423 events are on record between 1954 and 2026, causing 5 direct deaths and $162.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Johnson County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 204 recorded events — 48.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Johnson County?
24 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 19 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Johnson County?
16 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Johnson County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Johnson County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Johnson County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 75 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Johnson 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
- Jennings County 176
- Knox County 554
- Jefferson County 249
- Kosciusko County 519
- Jay County 176
- LaGrange County 203
Cite this page
“Johnson County, Indiana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/indiana/johnson-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.