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Whitley County, Indiana severe weather history spans 338 recorded events between 1954 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 60.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,566 nationally and #36 in Indiana.
338
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$3.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Whitley County, Indiana severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Whitley County, Indiana severe weather history averages 4.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 98 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 56 events fall before 1990 and 282 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $2.2M 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 Whitley County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 203 | 0 | $2.2M | 80 | 1957–2025 |
| Hail | 97 | 0 | $2K | 9.99 | 1961–2026 |
| Tornado | 16 | 0 | $630K | F2 | 1954–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 10 | 0 | $421K | 0 | 1996–2023 |
| Flood | 8 | 0 | $215K | 0 | 2006–2022 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $70K | 0 | 2001–2008 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $35K | 0 | 2005–2005 |
Decade by decade
Whitley County, Indiana severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
17 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 14 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965-07-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1963-04-17 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 13.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2014-06-30 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-10-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-03-08 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1981-04-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-03 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 7.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1973-06-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-08-08 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-06-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Whitley County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 19, 2001 | Lightning | COLUMBIA CITY | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Numerous trees down on houses and cars. A South Whitley factory had its roof blown off and the Tranter Printing building lost its roof which crashed into a vehicle destroying it. Several homes sustained damage from fallen trees with many power lines blown down across town.
The circulation rapidly touched down on the southern outskirts of the Countryside Mobile Home Park and moved northeast through the eastern part of the park. As the circulation intensified, extensive damage occurred to 6 mobile homes which were severely damaged or destroyed. An additional 20 trailers in the immediate area suffered varying amount of damage from ripped skirting to some shifting off blocks. At least one trailer was occupied at the time of the tornado, but luckily no injuries were reported. Damage is estimated at around one half million dollars.
Emergency management officials reported nearly 20 homes, as well as several local ditches and roads, were impacted by flash flooding as some locations in the Tri Lakes area received between three and five inches of rain over a few hour period. Some homes experienced a foot or more of water into the interior areas as well as crawlspaces and basements. Washouts of driveways, foundations and some local roads occurred. Damage is estimated at least at $300,000.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
34,618
Population (ACS)
$219K
Median home value
15
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 |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Columbia City 101
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Whitley County, Indiana?
338 events are on record between 1954 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $3.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Whitley County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 203 recorded events — 60.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Whitley County?
17 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 Whitley County?
15 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Whitley County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Whitley County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Whitley County as very low risk, placing it in the 25 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Whitley 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
- White County 263
- Wells County 243
- Wayne County 435
- Washington County 292
- Warrick County 393
- Warren County 196
Cite this page
“Whitley County, Indiana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/indiana/whitley-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.