Tornadoes · United States · Indiana

Tornadoes in Posey County, Indiana

26 tornadoes have crossed Posey County since 1950, 1 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 36th of the 92 counties in Indiana with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.9 years. They have killed 3 people and injured 3. None was rated F4 or 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
26
Deaths
3
Injuries
3
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
EF3, February 28, 2017

The deadliest in Posey County

  1. EF2, Posey and Gibson counties, IndianaJanuary 29, 20082 killed
  2. EF3, White, Posey and Gibson counties, Illinois and IndianaFebruary 28, 20171 killed, 2 injured

The strongest

  1. EF3, White, Posey and Gibson counties, Illinois and IndianaFebruary 28, 2017EF3, 44.1 mi (71 km)
  2. EF3, Posey County, IndianaJuly 9, 2024EF3, 5.8 mi (9 km)
  3. EF2, Vanderburgh, Posey and Warrick counties, IndianaApril 2, 2024EF2, 14.9 mi (24 km)
  4. EF2, Vanderburgh, Gibson and Posey counties, IndianaMay 25, 2011EF2, 12.2 mi (20 km)
  5. EF2, Posey and White counties, Illinois and IndianaApril 2, 2024EF2, 11.9 mi (19 km)
  6. EF2, Posey County, IndianaApril 2, 2024EF2, 11.6 mi (19 km)
  7. EF2, Vanderburgh and Posey counties, IndianaApril 2, 2025EF2, 10.6 mi (17 km)
  8. EF2, Posey and Gibson counties, IndianaJuly 9, 2024EF2, 8.4 mi (14 km)
  9. EF2, Posey and Gibson counties, IndianaJanuary 29, 2008EF2, 7.0 mi (11 km)
  10. EF2, Posey County, IndianaMarch 2, 2012EF2, 6.1 mi (10 km)

Every year with a tornado

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

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20261EF0
20252EF2
20247EF3
20202EF1
2017112EF3
20141EF1
20121EF2
20111EF2
200812EF2
20061F0
200231F2
19891F1
19861F0
19771F0
19711F1
19581F0

Every tornado that crossed Posey County

26 tornadoes, newest first. 3 of them touched down in a neighboring state and ran in, so the record files them under that state rather than Indiana. The 1 at the top is this year's, from the surveying office rather than SPC's published database, and its rating is marked as preliminary.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 27, 20263:22 PM CDTEF0Posey1.650
April 2, 20258:52 PM CDTEF1Posey1.175$1.2 million
April 2, 20258:51 PM CDTEF2Vanderburgh10.6150$3.4 million
July 9, 20244:51 PM CDTEF2Posey8.4400$353,000
July 9, 20244:32 PM CDTEF1Posey3.3300$5,000
July 9, 20244:18 PM CDTEF3Posey5.8300$1.1 million
April 2, 20245:47 AM CDTEF2Vanderburgh14.9250$428,000
April 2, 20245:37 AM CDTEF2Posey11.6250$250,000
April 2, 20245:30 AM CDTEF2Posey to IN11.9250$135,000
April 2, 20245:22 AM CDTEF1Gallatin to IN7.4100$111,000
July 15, 202011:40 PM CDTEF1Posey4.380$95,000
April 25, 20201:25 PM CDTEF0Posey0.440
February 28, 20179:55 PM CSTEF3White to IN44.144012$5.7 million
October 13, 20145:25 PM CDTEF1Posey3.8150$30,000
March 2, 201212:37 PM CSTEF2Posey6.1140$500,000
May 25, 20118:09 PM CDTEF2Vanderburgh12.2125$240,000
January 29, 20085:07 PM CSTEF2Posey7.01002$250,000
May 10, 20065:58 PM CDTF0Posey2.560
September 20, 200210:50 AM CDTF2Posey4.71501$500,000
September 20, 200210:40 AM CDTF0Posey0.240
April 24, 20026:16 PM CDTF0Posey0.130
May 19, 19896:45 PM CDTF1Posey1.030$5,000 to $50,000
May 15, 19863:50 PM CDTF0Posey0.210
May 21, 19777:00 PM CDTF0Posey0.310
April 27, 19715:00 PM CDTF1Posey1.050$5,000 to $50,000
November 16, 19583:45 PM GMT-6F0Posey0.110$500 to $5,000

Nearby

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