Tornadoes · United States · Indiana

Tornadoes in Jefferson County, Indiana

21 tornadoes have crossed Jefferson County since 1950, 56th of the 92 counties in Indiana with a tornado on record, an average of one every 3.6 years. They have killed 23 people and injured 304. 3 were rated F4 or EF4 and above.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The United States rated tornadoes on Ted Fujita’s F scale until 31 January 2007 and on the Enhanced Fujita scale after it. Both run from 0 to 5, and both rate the damage rather than measure the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. F0 / EF040 to 72 mph on the F scale, 65 to 85 mph on the EF scale

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. F1 / EF173 to 112 mph on the F scale, 86 to 110 mph on the EF scale

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. F2 / EF2113 to 157 mph on the F scale, 111 to 135 mph on the EF scale

    Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

  4. F3 / EF3158 to 206 mph on the F scale, 136 to 165 mph on the EF scale

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. F4 / EF4207 to 260 mph on the F scale, 166 to 200 mph on the EF scale

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. F5 / EF5261 to 318 mph on the F scale, over 200 mph on the EF scale

    Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.

  7. Unrated

    The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

Now

Tornadoes
21
Deaths
23
Injuries
304
F4 and above
3
Worst on record
EF4, March 2, 2012

The deadliest in Jefferson County

  1. F4 Hanover–Madison tornado, IndianaApril 3, 197411 killed, 190 injured
  2. EF4 Henryville tornado, Indiana and KentuckyMarch 2, 201211 killed
  3. F3, Jefferson County, IndianaSeptember 26, 19761 killed, 1 injured

The strongest

  1. EF4 Henryville tornado, Indiana and KentuckyMarch 2, 2012EF4, 46.6 mi (75 km)
  2. F4 Hanover–Madison tornado, IndianaApril 3, 1974F4, 35.6 mi (57 km)
  3. F4, Jefferson, Switzerland, Ohio and Dearborn counties, IndianaApril 3, 1974F4, 27.1 mi (44 km)
  4. F3, Washington, Jackson, Scott and Jefferson counties, IndianaJune 2, 1990F3, 41.0 mi (66 km)
  5. F3, Clark, Trimble and Jefferson counties, Indiana and KentuckyJune 2, 1990F3, 17.0 mi (27 km)
  6. F3, Jefferson County, IndianaSeptember 26, 1976F3, 14.6 mi (23 km)
  7. F3, Jefferson and Jennings counties, IndianaApril 9, 1999F3, 3.0 mi (5 km)
  8. EF2, Jefferson, Trimble, Carroll and Switzerland counties, Indiana and KentuckyMarch 14, 2024EF2, 18.0 mi (29 km)
  9. F2, Jennings and Jefferson counties, IndianaApril 21, 1967F2, 6.3 mi (10 km)
  10. F2, Jefferson County, IndianaOctober 7, 1965F2, 2.0 mi (3 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 16 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Jefferson County. Each year links to every tornado in Indiana that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
202412EF2
20231EF1
20171EF1
2012211EF4
20113EF1
20021F1
19991F3
19971F1
19921F1
199025F3
19851F2
19791F0
1976111F3
1974211294F4
196712F2
19651F2

Every tornado that crossed Jefferson County

21 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
March 14, 20241:58 PM EDTEF2Jefferson to KY18.05002$320,000
March 3, 20233:29 PM ESTEF1Jefferson1.7120
May 20, 20177:10 PM EDTEF1Jefferson0.230$75,000
March 2, 20122:50 PM ESTEF4Henryville tornado46.680011$58 million
January 17, 201210:40 AM ESTEF0Jefferson0.360$40,000
April 19, 201112:41 AM EDTEF0Jefferson3.2100
April 19, 201112:40 AM EDTEF1Jefferson2.3125
April 19, 201112:19 AM EDTEF0Scott11.8100
August 14, 20021:52 PM ESTF1Jefferson4.0125$100,000
April 9, 19992:56 AM ESTF3Jefferson3.0250$350,000
March 28, 19978:47 PM ESTF1Jefferson9.0100$200,000
September 18, 19925:02 PM CDTF1Trimble to KY1.550$50,000 to $500,000
June 2, 199010:40 PM CDTF3Clark to KY17.04405$50,000 to $500,000
June 2, 19909:25 PM ESTF3Washington41.0150$50,000 to $500,000
April 5, 19854:25 PM ESTF2Jefferson1.017$5,000 to $50,000
August 1, 197911:25 AM ESTF0Jefferson0.110
September 26, 19765:55 PM ESTF3Jefferson14.630011$50,000 to $500,000
April 3, 19743:40 PM ESTF4Jefferson27.11,133104$5 million to $50 million
April 3, 19743:19 PM CDTF4Hanover–Madison tornado35.61,20011190$50 million to $500 million
April 21, 19676:10 PM GMT-5F2Jennings6.3102$5,000 to $50,000
October 7, 19657:00 PM GMT-5F2Jefferson2.0100$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Jefferson CountyThe forecast for Jefferson CountyThe live radar over Jefferson CountyEvery county in Indiana

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.