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Ripley County, Indiana severe weather history spans 488 recorded events between 1956 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 49.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #917 nationally and #14 in Indiana.
488
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
12
Direct injuries
$5.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Ripley County, Indiana severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Ripley County, Indiana severe weather history averages 7.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 161 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 28 events fall before 1990 and 460 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Ripley County, Indiana record is tornado, responsible for 3 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $3.9M 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 Ripley County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 239 | 0 | $1.5M | 61 | 1960–2026 |
| Hail | 77 | 0 | $93K | 4 | 1970–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 77 | 0 | $299K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 65 | 0 | $39K | 0 | 2008–2026 |
| Tornado | 25 | 3 | $3.9M | F4 | 1956–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2013–2016 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $50K | 0 | 2016–2016 |
Decade by decade
Ripley County, Indiana severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
27 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 24 touched down inside it and 3 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 | 11 | 190 | 35.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2012-03-02 | EF3 | 3 | 5 | 8.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-04-09 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 15.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2004-07-30 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-06-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 18.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1990-06-02 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 23.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1956-07-13 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-03-30 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-05-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-06-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Ripley County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 2, 2012 | Tornado | HOLTON | 3 | 5 | $275K |
| Jun 3, 1990 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $250K | |
| Jul 31, 2004 | Tornado | HOLTON | 0 | 2 | $465K |
| Apr 9, 1999 | Tornado | REXVILLE | 0 | 2 | $1.4M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A tornado moved into Jefferson Proving Grounds from Jennings county and moved northeast across the county. Four mobile homes were destroyed and 4 were damaged. One house was destroyed while 8 had heavy damage and 20 minor damage. Twenty-one barns were destroyed, 6 had heavy damage, and 14 received minor damage. Seventeen outbuildings were destroyed while 4 had heavy damage and 11 minor damage. Four vehicles received major damage and 3 had minor damage. Five pieces of farm equipment were destroyed while 4 incurred major damage. Seven livestock were lost with 2 being killed and 2 injured. Trees were also downed in the path.
A tornado moved along a two mile path from southwest of Holton into town. One house, one mobile home and two small planes were destroyed. Thirty-six other structures sustained major damage. Numerous trees were uprooted along the path of the tornado.
The first signs of concentrated damage were found along State Road 48 between North County Road 100 East and North County Road 200 East, where several trees and outbuildings were damaged on the southern side of State Road 48. The tornado then crossed State Route 48, damaging additional trees and continued east, where it destroyed an outbuilding.||Uprooted trees and minor home damage were then observed along North County Road 200 East. A barn was destroyed and multiple trees were snapped in this area. The tornado then continued eastward, causing additional tree and outbuilding damage near North County Road 500, 550, and 600 East. The tornado likely dissipated south of State Road 48 and east of North County Road 600 East.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
29,095
Population (ACS)
$223K
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 |
| Mar 9, 2012 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | 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
- Napoleon 108
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Ripley County, Indiana?
488 events are on record between 1956 and 2026, causing 3 direct deaths and $5.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Ripley County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 239 recorded events — 49.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Ripley County?
27 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 Ripley County?
16 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Ripley County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Ripley County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Ripley County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 47 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Ripley 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
- Rush County 273
- Randolph County 265
- St. Joseph County 707
- Putnam County 349
- Scott County 153
- Pulaski County 152
Cite this page
“Ripley County, Indiana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/indiana/ripley-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.