Tornadoes · United States · Indiana

Tornadoes in Pike County, Indiana

32 tornadoes have crossed Pike County since 1950, 2 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 16th of the 92 counties in Indiana with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.4 years. They have killed 7 people and injured 74. 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
32
Deaths
7
Injuries
74
F4 and above
2
Worst on record
F4, June 2, 1990

The deadliest in Pike County

  1. F4, Gibson and Pike counties, IndianaJune 2, 19906 killed, 60 injured
  2. 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, Gibson and Pike counties, IndianaJune 2, 1990F4, 13.0 mi (21 km)
  3. EF2, Gibson, Pike and Daviess counties, IndianaMarch 15, 2025EF2, 57.5 mi (93 km)
  4. EF2, Gibson and Pike counties, IndianaFebruary 28, 2011EF2, 22.0 mi (35 km)
  5. F2, Pike, Knox and Daviess counties, IndianaSeptember 20, 2002F2, 13.5 mi (22 km)
  6. F2, Pike County, IndianaApril 15, 1998F2, 4.0 mi (6 km)
  7. F2, Pike County, IndianaMay 5, 1999F2, 3.0 mi (5 km)
  8. F2, Pike County, IndianaMay 25, 2006F2, 2.2 mi (4 km)
  9. EF2, Pike County, IndianaMay 25, 2011EF2, 1.6 mi (3 km)
  10. F2, Pike County, IndianaMay 5, 1999F2, 1.3 mi (2 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 19 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Pike County. Each year links to every tornado in Indiana that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20262EF1
20251EF2
20211EF1
20201EF0
20161EF1
20131EF1
20116EF2
20062F2
200212F2
20011F0
19992F2
19982F2
19962F2
19902772F4
19891F1
19831F0
19781F1
19701F1
19543F1

Every tornado that crossed Pike County

32 tornadoes, newest first. 1 of them touched down in a neighboring state and ran in, so the record files it 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 27, 20263:36 PM CDTEF0Warrick0.750
August 12, 20264:09 PM EDTEF1Pike1.0250
March 15, 20252:53 AM CDTEF2Gibson57.5400$4.3 million
June 8, 20217:12 PM EDTEF1Pike2.530$3,000
July 7, 20204:51 PM EDTEF0Pike0.530
May 7, 20168:20 PM EDTEF1Pike4.370$50,000
June 26, 20137:16 PM EDTEF1Pike0.675$20,000
May 25, 20119:39 PM EDTEF1Pike3.260$20,000
May 25, 20119:36 PM EDTEF1Pike5.050$20,000
May 25, 20119:35 PM EDTEF2Pike1.6200
April 26, 20113:09 AM EDTEF1Pike0.5225$110,000
February 28, 20113:10 AM ESTEF0Pike1.9200$150,000
February 28, 20111:51 AM CSTEF2Gibson22.0550$600,000
May 25, 20064:06 PM CDTF2Pike2.2200$1.0 million
April 7, 20064:45 PM CDTF1Pike0.775$120,000
September 20, 200211:35 AM ESTF2Pike13.51502$1.0 million
October 24, 20014:35 PM ESTF0Pike0.340$70,000
May 5, 19996:45 PM ESTF2Pike3.0200$100,000
May 5, 19996:40 PM ESTF2Pike1.3150$10,000
April 15, 199812:15 AM ESTF2Pike4.050$500,000
April 7, 19989:51 PM ESTF0Pike0.540
May 26, 19965:44 PM ESTF0Pike5.075$50,000
April 19, 199611:42 PM ESTF2Pike0.8100$200,000
June 2, 19907:17 PM CDTF4Gibson13.0200660$5 million to $50 million
June 2, 19906:20 PM CDTF4Hamilton to IN106.0300112$500,000 to $5 million
April 3, 19895:25 PM ESTF1Pike0.750$5,000 to $50,000
May 2, 19833:00 PM ESTF0Pike0.110$5,000 to $50,000
May 12, 19789:20 PM ESTF1Pike1.540$50,000 to $500,000
June 14, 19708:25 PM CDTF1Pike1.0400$500 to $5,000
July 1, 19545:00 PM GMT-6F1Pike0.110$500 to $5,000
April 6, 19542:00 PM GMT-6F1Pike0.110$500 to $5,000
April 6, 19545:00 AM GMT-6F1Pike1.010$500 to $5,000

Nearby

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