Live
Active alerts for this county
Heat Advisory
Elkhart; Lagrange; Steuben; Noble; De Kalb; Starke; Pulaski; Marshall; Fulton; Whitley; Allen; White; Cass; Miami; Wabash; Huntington; Wells; Adams; Grant; Blackford; Jay; Northern La Porte; Eastern St. Joseph; Northern Kosciusko; Southern La Porte; Western St. Joseph; Southern Kosciusko; Cass; St. Joseph; Branch; Hillsdale; Northern Berrien; Southern Berrien; Williams; Fulton; Defiance; Henry; Paulding; Putnam; Van Wert; Allen
Wabash County, Indiana severe weather history spans 255 recorded events between 1956 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 48.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,079 nationally and #63 in Indiana.
255
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
15
Direct injuries
$10.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Wabash County, Indiana severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Wabash County, Indiana severe weather history averages 3.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 98 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 35 events fall before 1990 and 220 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Wabash County, Indiana record is tornado, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $6.4M 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 Wabash County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 123 | 0 | $736K | 83 | 1957–2025 |
| Hail | 87 | 0 | $5K | 1.75 | 1956–2026 |
| Tornado | 21 | 1 | $1.8M | F3 | 1957–2019 |
| Flash Flood | 10 | 0 | $6.4M | 0 | 1997–2013 |
| Flood | 9 | 1 | $475K | 0 | 1999–2019 |
| Lightning | 4 | 0 | $630K | 0 | 2001–2008 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2015–2015 |
Decade by decade
Wabash County, Indiana severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
21 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 19 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968-05-16 | EF3 | 1 | 15 | 50.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-05-27 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 13.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2013-11-17 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 11.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2013-11-17 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2000-06-14 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 7.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1963-04-17 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 13.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-05-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2016-03-31 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2014-06-30 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 7.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-05-30 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Wabash County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 16, 1968 | Tornado | 1 | 12 | $250K | |
| May 2, 2019 | Flood | MT VERNON | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 14, 2000 | Tornado | NORTH MANCHESTER | 0 | 3 | $700K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
State police say 22-year-old Anthonitte Carter of Indianapolis was driving east on CR 925 South east of SR 13 in Wabash County when she passed a high water sign and drove into floodwaters. After the vehicle entered the water, it was carried to the north side of the road and became completely submerged, police said.||The driver was able to get out of her Chevrolet Impala and attempted to rescue her son, 2-year-old Eric Long, but was not successful in freeing him.
6 TO 8 INCHES OF RAIN FELL ACROSS THE SOUTHERN HALF OF WABASH COUNTY SENDING THE NORMALLY DOCILE CHARLEY CREEK INTO A RAGING ONE-HALF MILE WIDE TORRENT THROUGH TOWN. MANY PEOPLE WHO WERE NOT STRANDED BY THE FLOOD WATERS WERE EVACUATED TO HIGHER GROUND. TWO BRIDGES AND 15 COUNTY ROADS WERE COMPLETELY WASHED OUT. MANY HOMES ALONG THE EEL AND SALAMONIE RIVERS WERE EVACUATED AS WELL AS THOSE RIVERS APPROACHED RECORD FLOOD LEVELS. DAMAGE ESTIMATES WERE IN THE MILLIONS DUE TO COUNTLESS FLOODED HOMES… BASEMENTS AND VEHICLES.
The tornado touched down again, hitting a farm at 1300 N and 100 W. A man suffered a broken leg here. Two hog sheds and a large grain bin were destroyed. A 200-yard swath of trees were uprooted to the northeast along the railroad tracks. Another man suffered back and chest injuries as the tornado continued to the intersection of 1300 N and Meridian Road and demolished the barn in which he stood. A 5th wheel camper was rolled 50 yards from its original position destroying it. The tornado continued to the next farm just south of 1400 N and 100 E. The barn was destroyed and the house suffered moderate damage, primarily from flying tree debris. The tornado snapped a utility pole, which fell on an 18-year-old boy, breaking his leg. Many trees and power lines were downed along the way. From here, the tornado continued until the Wabash/Kosciusko county line.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
30,844
Population (ACS)
$157K
Median home value
13
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 |
| May 4, 2018 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Apr 22, 2014 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR |
| Jun 8, 2008 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND TORNADOES | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Wabash County, Indiana?
255 events are on record between 1956 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $10.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Wabash County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 123 recorded events — 48.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Wabash County?
21 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 Wabash County?
13 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Wabash County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Wabash County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Wabash County as very low risk, placing it in the 41 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Wabash 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
- Vigo County 468
- Warren County 196
- Vermillion County 256
- Warrick County 393
- Vanderburgh County 551
- Washington County 292
Cite this page
“Wabash County, Indiana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/indiana/wabash-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.