Tornadoes and Hail in Indiana, May 6, 1971

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Indiana, May 6, 1971
Start: 1971-05-06T01:55
End: 1971-05-06T11:00
Location: Indiana

May 6, 1971 · 10 events in 8 counties and zones

5 tornado, 3 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail, 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: 3
Property damage: $530,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 10

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

5 tornado, 3 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Spencer

When: May 6, 1:55 AM CST
Where: Spencer County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 37.880, -87.000

Tornado, Gibson

When: May 6, 9:15 AM CST
Where: Gibson County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 20 yd
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 38.330, -87.480

Tornado, Knox

When: May 6, 9:20 AM CST
Where: Knox County
Rating: F2
Path length: 14.1 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 38.700, -87.500

Tornado, Daviess

When: May 6, 9:45 AM CST
Where: Daviess County
Rating: F2
Path length: 29.7 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 38.630, -87.250

Thunderstorm Wind, Dubois

When: May 6, 9:50 AM CST
Where: Dubois County
Measured: 66 kt (76 mph)
Coordinates: 38.380, -86.780

Hail, Jackson

When: May 6, 10:30 AM CST
Where: Jackson County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 38.780, -86.180

Thunderstorm Wind, Jackson

When: May 6, 10:30 AM CST
Where: Jackson County
Coordinates: 38.780, -86.180

Tornado, Crawford

When: May 6, 10:50 AM CST
Where: Crawford County
Rating: F1
Path length: 3.6 mi
Path width: 40 yd
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 38.350, -86.320

Thunderstorm Wind, Harrison

When: May 6, 10:50 AM CST
Where: Harrison County
Coordinates: 38.200, -86.080

Tornado, Harrison

When: May 6, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Harrison County
Rating: F1
Path length: 4.5 mi
Path width: 40 yd
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 38.330, -86.250

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.

Event	Date	Age	Sex	Where	Kind
Tornado, Harrison	1971-05-06				Direct

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
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.
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.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Indiana in 1971 Every state in 1971 This day in weather history The 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: 10006484, 10006485, 10006486, 10006487, 10006488, 10006489, 10006490, 10006491, 10006492, 10006493.