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Noble County, Indiana severe weather history spans 304 recorded events between 1954 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 65.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,761 nationally and #47 in Indiana.
304
Recorded events
4
Direct deaths
103
Direct injuries
$58.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Noble County, Indiana severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Noble County, Indiana severe weather history averages 4.3 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 252 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Noble County, Indiana record is tornado, responsible for 4 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $52.7M in reported property damage. In total, 6 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Noble County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 198 | 0 | $5.0M | 70 | 1956–2025 |
| Hail | 85 | 0 | $307K | 3 | 1967–2024 |
| Tornado | 15 | 4 | $52.7M | F4 | 1954–2025 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $36K | 0 | 2001–2013 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $325K | 0 | 2008–2009 |
| Flash Flood | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2017–2017 |
Decade by decade
Noble County, Indiana severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
16 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 14 touched down inside it and 2 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 | 18 | 285 | 108.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1974-04-03 | EF3 | 5 | 53 | 36.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2001-10-24 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 12.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-07-14 | EF2 | 0 | 28 | 8.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-06-02 | EF2 | 0 | 9 | 3.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-03-30 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-09-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 7.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2016-03-31 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2001-10-24 | EF1 | 0 | 14 | 39.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1992-06-17 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Noble County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | Tornado | 3 | 38 | $25.0M | |
| Apr 3, 1974 | Tornado | 1 | 24 | $0 | |
| Jul 14, 1992 | Tornado | 0 | 28 | $25.0M | |
| Jun 3, 1990 | Tornado | 0 | 9 | $250K | |
| Jul 16, 1988 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 2 | $0 | |
| Mar 30, 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | ALBION | 0 | 1 | $15K |
| Aug 8, 1979 | 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
Eyewitness reports and an NWS Storm Survey confirmed a tornado started just east of Engle Lake, knocking down trees in a residential area. As it continued north, some of the strongest damage was sustained to a house, which had some of its roofing ripped off and a wall pushed in. Other houses and farm buildings sustained roof damage and more trees were knocked down or snapped as it continued on crossing highway 6. One large chicken building had its entire outer shell removed. It came to an end just before the Noble/Lagrange county line. Maximum sustained winds were estimated at around 105 mph.
Tornado touched down in extreme southeast Marshall county and moved northeast across Kosciusko county and into Noble county where the tornado dissipated near Rome City. Most significant F1 damage was north of Warsaw Indiana where 14 people were hurt at a factory when a wall collapsed. Most of the damage was F0-F1 along the 33 mile path. Average path width was 150 yards.
Two to three inches of rain fell over a 24 hour period, resulting in several creeks and rivers exceeding their banks. Flood waters affected portions of Kendallville, as well as much of the eastern two thirds of the county. A section of County Road 200 North near the Noble-DeKalb county line was washed away from the flood water. In addition, Deibele Creek which flows through portions of Kendallville undermined a portion of South State Street, resulting in a 10 foot deep hole forming. Several lakes had higher than normal water levels, with Bixler and Smalley Lakes going outside their banks and causing some flooding to residences and adjacent roads.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
47,495
Population (ACS)
$197K
Median home value
16
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 |
| Apr 22, 2014 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR |
| Apr 22, 2009 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jan 30, 2008 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Noble County, Indiana?
304 events are on record between 1954 and 2025, causing 4 direct deaths and $58.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Noble County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 198 recorded events — 65.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Noble County?
16 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 14 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Noble County?
16 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Noble County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Noble County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Noble County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 44 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Noble 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
- Newton County 218
- Ohio County 103
- Morgan County 424
- Orange County 249
- Montgomery County 322
- Owen County 262
Cite this page
“Noble County, Indiana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/indiana/noble-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.