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Shelby County, Indiana severe weather history spans 357 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 61.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,443 nationally and #30 in Indiana.
357
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
13
Direct injuries
$55.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Shelby County, Indiana severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Shelby County, Indiana severe weather history averages 5.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 105 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 67 events fall before 1990 and 290 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $53.1M 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 Shelby County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 218 | 0 | $1.3M | 80 | 1959–2026 |
| Hail | 61 | 0 | $245K | 3 | 1971–2025 |
| Tornado | 35 | 0 | $53.1M | F4 | 1955–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 20 | 0 | $371K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 16 | 0 | $172K | 0 | 1998–2021 |
| Lightning | 7 | 0 | $277K | 0 | 1996–2009 |
Decade by decade
Shelby County, Indiana severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
37 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 31 touched down inside it and 6 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961-04-25 | EF4 | 0 | 7 | 63.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-06-03 | EF3 | 1 | 8 | 9.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-03 | EF3 | 1 | 25 | 20.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-11-22 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-03-10 | EF3 | 0 | 22 | 35.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1958-07-31 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-03-10 | EF2 | 1 | 1 | 17.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-06-03 | EF2 | 0 | 4 | 10.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2006-03-31 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 17.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1992-11-22 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 7.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Shelby County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 15, 1971 | Tornado | 0 | 5 | $250K | |
| Apr 3, 1974 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $25.0M | |
| Jul 30, 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | WALDRON | 0 | 1 | $18K |
| May 26, 2011 | Tornado | MORRISTOWN | 0 | 1 | $75K |
| Jun 4, 2008 | Tornado | MT AUBURN | 0 | 1 | $15K |
| Apr 1, 2006 | Tornado | SHELBYVILLE | 0 | 1 | $5.0M |
| Nov 15, 2005 | Tornado | NORRISTOWN | 0 | 1 | $5.0M |
| Apr 25, 1961 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $2.5M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
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.
A strong F3 tornado touched down in northern Bartholomew county on 15 November 2005, continuing into southeast Shelby county, where it would do the majority of its damage. No one was killed by this powerful tornado, despite areas of severe damage, and only one minor injury was reported. A resident sustained an ankle injury when moving quickly down into his basement with his family to take cover. The worst damage along the tornado's path took place along and near Vandalia Road just east of the town of Geneva, where a large hog farm was severely damaged, and an old farm house was blown off its foundation. The structural integrity of the destroyed home was insufficient to justify a violent rating. Around 25 properties were damaged in this largely rural area, with six declared total losses.
A weak F1 tornado embedded in a squall line cut a 16 mile path across Shelby County. 20 residences and an auto body shop were damaged in Gwynneville, while 7 businesses and 3 homes were damaged in or near Shelbyville. Damage was estimated around 1 million dollars.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
45,265
Population (ACS)
$212K
Median home value
14
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 |
| Jun 8, 2008 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Sep 10, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
| Jan 21, 2005 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Shelbyville 144
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Shelby County, Indiana?
357 events are on record between 1955 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $55.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Shelby County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 218 recorded events — 61.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Shelby County?
37 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 31 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Shelby County?
14 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Shelby County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Shelby County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Shelby County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 43 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Shelby 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
- Scott County 153
- Spencer County 334
- St. Joseph County 707
- Starke County 217
- Rush County 273
- Steuben County 280
Cite this page
“Shelby County, Indiana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/indiana/shelby-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.