Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Indiana, October 17, 1981

Name: Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Indiana, October 17, 1981
Start: 1981-10-17T20:40
End: 1981-10-17T23:35
Location: Indiana

October 17, 1981 · 5 events in 4 counties and zones

3 thunderstorm wind, 2 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: 5

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

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

Tornado, Lake

When: October 17, 8:40 PM CST
Where: Lake County
Rating: F1
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 41.650, -87.470

Thunderstorm Wind, Marshall

When: October 17, 9:00 PM CST
Where: Marshall County
Coordinates: 41.350, -86.320

Thunderstorm Wind, Kosciusko

When: October 17, 10:30 PM CST
Where: Kosciusko County
Coordinates: 41.170, -86.030

Tornado, Marshall

When: October 17, 10:50 PM CST
Where: Marshall County
Rating: F0
Path length: 2 mi
Path width: 150 yd
Property damage: $30
Coordinates: 41.300, -86.120

Thunderstorm Wind, Clinton

When: October 17, 11:35 PM CST
Where: Clinton County
Coordinates: 40.200, -86.250

What these are

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 1981 Every state in 1981 This day in weather history The 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: 10016795, 10016796, 10016797, 10016798, 10016799.