Tornadoes · United States · Indiana

Tornadoes in Madison County, Indiana

30 tornadoes have crossed Madison County since 1950, 21st of the 92 counties in Indiana with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.5 years. They have killed 0 people and injured 25. 1 was 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
30
Deaths
0
Injuries
25
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
F4, May 14, 1972

The strongest

  1. F4, Marion, Hancock, Madison and Henry counties, IndianaMay 14, 1972F4, 30.0 mi (48 km)
  2. F2, Hancock, Madison and Henry counties, IndianaJune 11, 1998F2, 16.0 mi (26 km)
  3. EF2, Madison County, IndianaApril 2, 2025EF2, 15.2 mi (24 km)
  4. EF2, Madison County, IndianaMay 27, 2019EF2, 5.9 mi (9 km)
  5. F2, Madison County, IndianaJuly 2, 1997F2, 5.0 mi (8 km)
  6. F2, Madison County, IndianaAugust 17, 1980F2, 3.3 mi (5 km)
  7. EF2, Madison and Hamilton counties, IndianaJuly 29, 2024EF2, 3.0 mi (5 km)
  8. EF2, Madison, Pope, Livingston and Massac counties, Indiana and Illinois and KentuckyApril 2, 2025EF2, 2.1 mi (3 km)
  9. F2, Hamilton and Madison counties, IndianaNovember 22, 1992F2, 2.0 mi (3 km)
  10. F2, Madison County, IndianaMarch 28, 1954F2, 1.5 mi (2 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 22 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Madison County. Each year links to every tornado in Indiana that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20254EF2
20241EF2
20221EF0
201911EF2
20181EF1
20111EF1
20081EF0
20042F0
19982F2
19971F2
19922F2
19911F0
198811F1
19802F2
19771F1
19761F1
19731F1
1972120F4
19641F2
19601F1
195821F2
195412F2

Every tornado that crossed Madison County

30 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 2, 20259:57 PM EDTEF2Madison15.2200$3.2 million
April 2, 20259:52 PM EDTEF0Madison4.9100$300,000
April 2, 20259:46 PM EDTEF1Madison11.6150$400,000
April 2, 20259:43 PM EDTEF2Madison to IL, KY2.1250$200,000
July 29, 20249:41 PM EDTEF2Madison3.050$765,000
June 8, 20226:13 PM EDTEF0Madison0.625$115,000
May 27, 20198:05 PM EDTEF2Madison5.91001$150,000
July 20, 20183:50 PM EDTEF1Madison0.630$30,000
February 27, 201112:30 AM ESTEF1Madison0.640$105,000
May 11, 20088:25 AM EDTEF0Madison0.110$15,000
May 30, 20048:55 PM ESTF0Madison2.050$70,000
April 20, 20047:24 PM ESTF0Madison0.250$180,000
June 11, 19987:41 PM ESTF1Madison17.0500$2.0 million
June 11, 19986:45 PM ESTF2Hancock16.0300$410,000
July 2, 19973:40 PM ESTF2Madison5.0110$600,000
November 22, 19924:54 PM ESTF1Madison0.267$5,000 to $50,000
November 22, 19924:20 PM ESTF2Hamilton2.0100$50,000 to $500,000
March 27, 19917:20 PM ESTF0Madison0.120$500 to $5,000
September 12, 19881:15 PM ESTF1Marion34.02001$50,000 to $500,000
August 17, 19806:15 PM ESTF2Madison3.360$50,000 to $500,000
June 7, 19807:55 PM ESTF1Madison0.110
April 4, 19776:00 PM ESTF1Madison0.520$5,000 to $50,000
March 20, 19766:27 PM ESTF1Madison5.1100$5,000 to $50,000
June 12, 197312:20 PM ESTF1Madison0.110$5,000 to $50,000
May 14, 19721:05 PM ESTF4Marion30.020020$50,000 to $500,000
April 28, 19642:20 PM GMT-5F2Madison0.150
April 16, 19605:00 PM GMT-5F1Madison0.110$5,000 to $50,000
June 13, 19583:30 AM GMT-5F2Madison0.1101$5,000 to $50,000
June 9, 195810:25 PM GMT-5F1Madison0.110$50,000 to $500,000
March 28, 19544:50 PM GMT-6F2Madison1.5532$500,000 to $5 million

Nearby

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