Indiana, 1961

Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Indiana, March 6, 1961

March 6, 1961 · 12 events in 11 counties and zones

10 tornado, 2 thunderstorm wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
1
Injuries
8
Property damage
$1.1 million
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
12

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

Event by event

10 tornado, 2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Vigo

When
March 6, 5:00 AM CST
Where
Vigo County
Measured
65 kt (75 mph)
Coordinates
39.380, -87.280

Tornado, Warren

When
March 6, 5:45 AM CST
Where
Warren County
Path width
33 yd
Property damage
$3,000
Coordinates
40.320, -87.220

Tornado, Tippecanoe

When
March 6, 6:05 AM CST
Where
Tippecanoe County
Rating
F1
Path width
33 yd
Property damage
$250
Coordinates
40.300, -86.920

Tornado, Clinton

When
March 6, 6:15 AM CST
Where
Clinton County
Rating
F2
Path length
2.7 mi
Path width
70 yd
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
40.380, -86.630

Tornado, Boone

When
March 6, 6:30 AM CST
Where
Boone County
Rating
F2
Path width
33 yd
Injuries
2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
40.130, -86.620

Tornado, Howard

When
March 6, 6:30 AM CST
Where
Howard County
Rating
F3
Path length
2 mi
Path width
300 yd
Deaths
1 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries
3 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
40.470, -86.130

Tornado, Howard

When
March 6, 7:00 AM CST
Where
Howard County
Rating
F3
Path width
33 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
40.470, -85.970

Tornado, Scott

When
March 6, 7:06 AM CST
Where
Scott County
Rating
F2
Path length
1 mi
Path width
33 yd
Injuries
3 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
38.750, -85.820

Thunderstorm Wind, Madison

When
March 6, 7:15 AM CST
Where
Madison County
Coordinates
40.080, -85.780

Tornado, Wells

When
March 6, 7:50 AM CST
Where
Wells County
Rating
F1
Path width
33 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
40.720, -85.180

Tornado, Dubois

When
March 6, 8:00 AM CST
Where
Dubois County
Rating
F1
Path length
7.2 mi
Path width
33 yd
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
38.220, -86.900

Tornado, Clark

When
March 6, 10:00 AM CST
Where
Clark County
Path width
33 yd
Property damage
$3,000
Coordinates
38.400, -85.720

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

EventDateAgeSexWhereKind
Tornado, Howard1961-03-06Direct

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind
Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
Tornado
A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Indiana in 1961Every state in 1961This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Indiana, 1961

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 10009302, 10009303, 10009304, 10009305, 10009306, 10009307, 10009308, 10009309, 10009310, 10009311, 10009312, 10009313.