Tornadoes · United States · Indiana

Tornadoes in Knox County, Indiana

28 tornadoes have crossed Knox County since 1950, 2 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 27th of the 92 counties in Indiana with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.7 years. They have killed 1 person and injured 96. 2 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
28
Deaths
1
Injuries
96
F4 and above
2
Worst on record
F4, June 2, 1990

The deadliest in Knox County

  1. F4, Hamilton, Wayne, Edwards, Wabash, Gibson, Knox, Pike and Daviess counties, Illinois and IndianaJune 2, 19901 killed, 12 injured

The strongest

  1. F4, Hamilton, Wayne, Edwards, Wabash, Gibson, Knox, Pike and Daviess counties, Illinois and IndianaJune 2, 1990F4, 106.0 mi (171 km)
  2. F4, Wabash and Knox counties, Illinois and IndianaJanuary 7, 1989F4, 19.0 mi (31 km)
  3. F3, Knox County, IndianaFebruary 10, 1959F3, 3.3 mi (5 km)
  4. F2, Lawrence, Knox, Daviess, Dubois and Martin counties, Illinois and IndianaMay 6, 1971F2, 55.3 mi (89 km)
  5. EF2, Wabash, Gibson and Knox counties, Illinois and IndianaMay 19, 2022EF2, 26.9 mi (43 km)
  6. F2, Knox County, IndianaApril 30, 1962F2, 26.2 mi (42 km)
  7. F2, Knox and Daviess counties, IndianaFebruary 25, 1956F2, 21.0 mi (34 km)
  8. F2, Wabash, Lawrence and Knox counties, Illinois and IndianaApril 19, 1963F2, 14.8 mi (24 km)
  9. F2, Pike, Knox and Daviess counties, IndianaSeptember 20, 2002F2, 13.5 mi (22 km)
  10. EF2, Knox County, IndianaMay 26, 2024EF2, 12.1 mi (20 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 21 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Knox County. Each year links to every tornado in Indiana that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20262EF1
20241EF2
20221EF2
20191EF0
201311EF2
20111EF1
200911EF1
200212F2
19981F0
19962F0
19911F1
19902113F4
1989455F4
197111F2
19671F2
1963122F2
19621F2
19591F3
195621F2
19551F1
19541F1

Every tornado that crossed Knox County

28 tornadoes, newest first. 7 of them touched down in a neighboring state and ran in, so the record files them under that state rather than Indiana. The 2 at the top are this year's, from the surveying office rather than SPC's published database, and their ratings are marked as preliminary.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 21, 20267:00 PM EDTEF0Knox0.380
August 12, 20263:03 PM EDTEF1Knox1.5150
May 26, 20249:49 PM EDTEF2Knox12.150$700,000
May 19, 20229:31 PM CDTEF2Wabash to IN26.9300$705,000
February 7, 201911:47 AM ESTEF0Knox3.0300$15,000
November 17, 20132:56 PM ESTEF2Knox8.81001$75,000
April 19, 201110:54 PM EDTEF1Knox10.975$206,000
March 8, 20091:43 PM CDTEF1Lawrence to IN4.41001$305,000
September 20, 200211:35 AM ESTF2Pike13.51502$1.0 million
June 29, 19987:58 PM ESTF0Daviess1.280$10,000
May 28, 19964:09 PM ESTF0Knox11.075$10,000
April 19, 199610:15 PM ESTF0Knox1.050$150,000
August 3, 19913:05 PM ESTF1Knox0.550$5,000 to $50,000
June 2, 19906:45 PM CDTF2Lawrence to IN5.0501$50,000 to $500,000
June 2, 19906:20 PM CDTF4Hamilton to IN106.0300112$500,000 to $5 million
April 28, 19899:05 PM ESTF0Knox0.550
April 28, 19898:47 PM ESTF0Knox0.550
January 7, 19895:24 PM CSTF4Wabash to IN19.020055$5 million to $50 million
January 7, 19896:00 PM ESTF0Knox0.130$500 to $5,000
May 6, 197110:07 AM CDTF2Lawrence to IN55.3501$50,000 to $500,000
December 11, 19674:45 PM GMT-5F2Knox0.110$5,000 to $50,000
April 19, 19632:50 PM GMT-6F2Wabash to IN14.825022$50,000 to $500,000
April 30, 196210:50 PM GMT-5F2Knox26.210$50,000 to $500,000
February 10, 19594:00 AM GMT-6F3Knox3.3100$5,000 to $50,000
July 28, 19566:39 PM GMT-5F1Knox0.110$500 to $5,000
February 25, 19563:57 AM GMT-6F2Knox21.09001$5,000 to $50,000
November 15, 195510:00 PM GMT-6F1Knox0.110$5,000 to $50,000
April 6, 19544:00 AM GMT-6F1Knox0.127$500 to $5,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Knox CountyThe forecast for Knox CountyThe live radar over Knox 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.