Indiana, 1971

Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Indiana, March 15, 1971

March 15, 1971 · 14 events in 13 counties and zones

11 thunderstorm wind, 3 tornado, 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
0
Injuries
7
Property damage
$300,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
14

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

11 thunderstorm wind, 3 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Tippecanoe

When
March 15, 12:45 AM CST
Where
Tippecanoe County
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates
40.380, -86.900

Tornado, Boone

When
March 15, 1:10 AM CST
Where
Boone County
Rating
F2
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
20 yd
Injuries
2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
40.100, -86.550

Thunderstorm Wind, Putnam

When
March 15, 1:20 AM CST
Where
Putnam County
Coordinates
39.580, -86.900

Thunderstorm Wind, Hamilton

When
March 15, 1:30 AM CST
Where
Hamilton County
Coordinates
40.080, -86.180

Thunderstorm Wind, Vanderburgh

When
March 15, 1:33 AM CST
Where
Vanderburgh County
Measured
55 kt (63 mph)
Coordinates
38.000, -87.500

Tornado, Parke

When
March 15, 2:00 AM CST
Where
Parke County
Rating
F0
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
33 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
39.780, -87.420

Thunderstorm Wind, Vigo

When
March 15, 2:03 AM CST
Where
Vigo County
Coordinates
39.500, -87.280

Thunderstorm Wind, Johnson

When
March 15, 2:20 AM CST
Where
Johnson County
Coordinates
39.500, -86.180

Thunderstorm Wind, Bartholomew

When
March 15, 2:25 AM CST
Where
Bartholomew County
Coordinates
39.280, -86.000

Tornado, Shelby

When
March 15, 2:30 AM CST
Where
Shelby County
Rating
F2
Path length
1.3 mi
Path width
200 yd
Injuries
5 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
39.520, -85.850

Thunderstorm Wind, Bartholomew

When
March 15, 2:30 AM CST
Where
Bartholomew County
Coordinates
39.200, -85.900

Thunderstorm Wind, Franklin

When
March 15, 2:45 AM CST
Where
Franklin County
Coordinates
39.500, -85.180

Thunderstorm Wind,

When
March 15, 3:00 AM CST
Where
County
Coordinates
40.000, -84.780

Thunderstorm Wind, Union

When
March 15, 3:30 AM CST
Where
Union County
Coordinates
39.700, -85.000

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 1971Every state in 1971This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Indiana, 1971

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: 10003139, 10003140, 10003141, 10003142, 10003143, 10003144, 10003145, 10003146, 10003147, 10003148, 10003149, 10003150, 10003151, 10003152.