Tornadoes and Hail in Indiana, April 26 to 27, 1994

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Indiana, April 26 to 27, 1994
Start: 1994-04-26T22:00
End: 1994-04-27T00:12
Location: Indiana

April 26 to 27, 1994 · 13 events in 10 counties and zones

7 thunderstorm wind, 3 hail, 3 tornado, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 11 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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: 3
Injuries: 70
Property damage: $6.1 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 13

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

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

Hail, Newton

When: April 26, 10:00 PM EST
Where: Newton County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 40.956, -87.397 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Jasper

When: April 26, 10:10 PM EST
Where: Jasper County, Rensselaer
Coordinates: 41.023, -87.116 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Several trees were blown down and one barn was destroyed.

Thunderstorm Wind, La Porte

When: April 26, 10:12 PM EST
Where: La Porte County, Michigan City
Property damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 41.549, -86.742 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

One- to two-foot diameter trees and power lines were downed.

Hail, Jasper

When: April 26, 10:35 PM EST
Where: Jasper County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 41.023, -87.116 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Several trees were blown down and one barn was destroyed.

Hail, Pulaski

When: April 26, 10:40 PM EST
Where: Pulaski County, Medaryville
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 41.042, -86.699 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Brief touchdown near Medaryville damaged a barn roof and another barn nearby. Irrigation equipment was also damaged.

Tornado, Pulaski

When: April 26, 10:45 PM EST
Where: Pulaski County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 30 yd
Coordinates: 41.100, -86.880

Brief touchdown near Medaryville damaged a barn roof and another barn nearby. Irrigation equipment was also damaged.

Tornado, Pulaski

When: April 26, 10:45 PM EST to 11:21 PM EST
Where: Pulaski County, Francesville to Culver
Rating: F2
Path length: 20 mi
Path width: 440 yd
Property damage: $500,000
Coordinates: 41.100, -86.880

The tornado touched down near Francesville in southwest Pulaski County then tracked northeast across the entire county entering extreme northeast Fulton county 1.1 miles northeast of Monterey at 2313 EST. It then crossed into extreme southwest Marshall county 3.7 miles southwest of Culver at 2315 EST and lifted at 2321 EST about 2.5 miles southeast of Culver. The tornado destroyed five farm buildings, and damaged numerous others. One home was destroyed. A mobile home was lifted off the ground and placed on top of a car. Dozens of large trees were uprooted at Tippecanoe River State Park north of Winamac. The tornado damage path was intermittent.

Thunderstorm Wind, Marshall

When: April 26, 11:45 PM EST
Where: Marshall County, Culver
Property damage: $50,000
Coordinates: 41.325, -86.262 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A storage shed was destroyed and several large trees were downed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Warren

When: April 26, 11:45 PM EST
Where: Warren County
Coordinates: 40.347, -87.353 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Several trees were blown down in the northeastern part of the county near Pine Village.

Thunderstorm Wind, Elkhart

When: April 26, 11:45 PM EST
Where: Elkhart County, Goshen
Property damage: $500,000
Coordinates: 41.597, -85.859 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The roof was blown off a nursing home, and two houses also lost their roofs. Several large trees were downed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Benton

When: April 26, 11:45 PM EST
Where: Benton County
Coordinates: 40.606, -87.311 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Numerous trees were blown down across southeast part of county near Templeton.

Thunderstorm Wind, Kosciusko

When: April 26, 11:55 PM EST
Where: Kosciusko County
Property damage: $50,000
Coordinates: 41.244, -85.861 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Sixty mph winds blew roofs off of sheds and downed power lines across the northern part of the county.

Tornado, Tippecanoe

When: April 26, 11:58 PM EST to April 27, 12:12 AM EST
Where: Tippecanoe County, Lafayette
Rating: F4
Path length: 13 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Deaths: 3 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 70 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $5.0 million
Coordinates: 40.389, -86.894 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The path of the tornado was intermittent. The tornado touched down northwest of Lafayette just before midnight, and then moved northeast at a forward speed of about 60 mph. The tornado crossed into Carroll County at 1212 EST and then lifted. Eleven single family homes were destroyed, and 17 homes sustained major damage. Seven single family homes sustained minor damage. Thirteen multi-family dwellings were heavily damaged. At the Sagamore Village Estates mobile home park, 64 mobile homes were destroyed or heavily damaged, and 21 mobile homes sustained minor damage. Three additional mobile homes outside the park were also damaged. Two gas stations and a venetian blind factory were heavily damaged. Total property damage was estimated at 3.5 million dollars. An eleven year old girl was killed when the tornado destroyed her house in Pine View Farms, which is adjacent to Sagamore Village Estates. Her 37 year old stepfather was critically injured at their home, and died the next day. A 24-year old male who was working at the Lafayette Venetian Blind factory was killed when the roof collapsed on him. F11P, M37P, M24O.

What these are

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

Every storm in Indiana in 1994 Every state in 1994 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Indiana, 1994 Warnings in Indiana, April 1994

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: 10321947, 10322074, 10322162, 10322075, 10322037, 10322038, 10322039, 10321836, 10321861, 10322416, 10322938, 10322154, 10321817.