Indiana, 1981

Tornado and Damaging Winds in Indiana, April 28, 1981

April 28, 1981 · NWS NG · 16 events in 12 counties and zones

15 thunderstorm wind, 1 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$25,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
16

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

15 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, La Porte

When
April 28, 1:15 PM CST
Where
La Porte County
Coordinates
41.550, -86.700

Thunderstorm Wind, Kosciusko

When
April 28, 2:20 PM CST
Where
Kosciusko County
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates
41.230, -85.720

Thunderstorm Wind, Whitley

When
April 28, 2:35 PM CST
Where
Whitley County
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates
41.170, -85.480

Thunderstorm Wind, White

When
April 28, 2:52 PM CST
Where
White County
Coordinates
40.600, -86.850

Thunderstorm Wind, Allen

When
April 28, 3:02 PM CST
Where
Allen County
Measured
51 kt (59 mph)
Coordinates
40.980, -85.180

Thunderstorm Wind, Howard

When
April 28, 3:14 PM CST
Where
Howard County
Coordinates
40.480, -85.970

Thunderstorm Wind, Allen

When
April 28, 3:20 PM CST
Where
Allen County
Measured
65 kt (75 mph)
Coordinates
41.070, -85.130

Thunderstorm Wind, Bartholomew

When
April 28, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Bartholomew County
Coordinates
39.150, -85.730

Thunderstorm Wind, Jay

When
April 28, 4:14 PM CST
Where
Jay County
Coordinates
40.530, -84.970

Thunderstorm Wind, De Kalb

When
April 28, 4:30 PM CST
Where
De Kalb County
Coordinates
41.370, -85.050

Thunderstorm Wind, Howard

When
April 28, 5:25 PM CST
Where
Howard County
Measured
55 kt (63 mph)
Coordinates
40.430, -86.180

Thunderstorm Wind, Boone

When
April 28, 5:30 PM CST
Where
Boone County
Coordinates
40.000, -86.580

Thunderstorm Wind, Marion

When
April 28, 5:50 PM CST
Where
Marion County
Coordinates
39.780, -86.150

Thunderstorm Wind, Madison

When
April 28, 5:50 PM CST
Where
Madison County
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates
40.270, -85.830

Tornado, Marion

When
April 28, 6:00 PM CST
Where
Marion County
Rating
F1
Path width
33 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
39.830, -86.300

Thunderstorm Wind, Madison

When
April 28, 6:05 PM CST
Where
Madison County
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates
40.270, -85.670

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 1981Every state in 1981This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Indiana, 1981

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: 10016346, 10016347, 10016348, 10016349, 10016350, 10016351, 10016352, 10016353, 10016354, 10016355, 10016356, 10016357, 10016358, 10016359, 10016360, 10016361.