Tornadoes · United States · Indiana
Tornadoes in Randolph County, Indiana
23 tornadoes have crossed Randolph County since 1950, 1 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 46th of the 92 counties in Indiana with a tornado on record, an average of one every 3.3 years. They have killed 2 people and injured 64. 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
- 23
- Deaths
- 2
- Injuries
- 64
- F4 and above
- 1
- Worst on record
- F4, April 3, 1974
The deadliest in Randolph County
The strongest
- F4, Henry, Delaware, Randolph and Jay counties, IndianaApril 3, 1974
- EF3 Winchester tornado, Indiana and OhioMarch 14, 2024
- F3, Delaware and Randolph counties, IndianaSeptember 24, 1961
- F3, Darke and Randolph counties, Ohio and IndianaNovember 15, 1955
- F3, Randolph and Darke counties, Indiana and OhioJuly 28, 1961
- F3, Randolph County, IndianaMarch 10, 1986
- F2, Randolph County, IndianaMarch 11, 1955
- F2, Randolph County, IndianaMarch 19, 1963
- F2, Randolph County, IndianaFebruary 15, 1967
- F2, Randolph County, IndianaMarch 11, 1955
Every year with a tornado
The 18 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Randolph County. Each year links to every tornado in Indiana that year.
Every tornado that crossed Randolph County
23 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 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.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 11, 2026 | 11:17 PM EDT | EF0 | Randolph | 0.3 | 25 | |||
| May 14, 2025 | 6:08 PM EDT | Unrated | Randolph | 0.3 | 50 | |||
| March 14, 2024 | 6:50 PM CDT | EF3 | Winchester tornado | 41.3 | 700 | 1 | 39 | $26 million |
| August 20, 2022 | 3:29 PM EDT | EF0 | Randolph | 1.7 | 20 | $15,000 | ||
| August 1, 2003 | 6:55 PM EST | F0 | Randolph | 1.0 | 50 | |||
| May 1, 2003 | 6:20 PM EST | F0 | Randolph | 0.1 | 10 | |||
| June 11, 1998 | 7:22 PM EST | F1 | Henry | 11.0 | 200 | $810,000 | ||
| June 11, 1998 | 7:20 PM EST | F0 | Randolph | 5.0 | 150 | $10,000 | ||
| June 3, 1989 | 5:35 PM EST | F0 | Randolph | 0.3 | 20 | $500 to $5,000 | ||
| March 10, 1986 | 3:55 PM EST | F3 | Randolph | 7.6 | 440 | $5 million to $50 million | ||
| April 8, 1980 | 2:50 PM EST | F1 | Randolph | 0.5 | 60 | $500 to $5,000 | ||
| August 13, 1975 | 7:30 PM EST | F0 | Randolph | 0.2 | 50 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| April 3, 1974 | 3:35 PM EST | F4 | Henry | 18.0 | 1,400 | 1 | 12 | $5 million to $50 million |
| September 22, 1973 | 5:40 PM EST | F0 | Randolph | 0.5 | 50 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| April 20, 1968 | 5:40 PM GMT-5 | F1 | Randolph | 0.1 | 10 | $500 to $5,000 | ||
| February 15, 1967 | 9:45 PM GMT-5 | F2 | Randolph | 0.5 | 10 | $500 to $5,000 | ||
| March 19, 1963 | 3:16 PM GMT-5 | F2 | Randolph | 2.5 | 300 | $50,000 to $500,000 | ||
| September 24, 1961 | 4:00 PM GMT-5 | F3 | Delaware | 38.6 | 10 | 1 | $50,000 to $500,000 | |
| July 28, 1961 | 8:30 PM GMT-5 | F3 | Randolph to OH | 20.2 | 200 | 2 | $50,000 to $500,000 | |
| April 5, 1957 | 1:00 PM GMT-5 | F1 | Randolph | 0.1 | 10 | $500 to $5,000 | ||
| November 15, 1955 | 7:30 PM GMT-6 | F3 | Darke to IN | 21.0 | 400 | 8 | $500,000 to $5 million | |
| March 11, 1955 | 2:00 AM GMT-6 | F2 | Randolph | 0.1 | 10 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| March 11, 1955 | 2:00 AM GMT-6 | F2 | Randolph | 15.6 | 500 | 2 | $50,000 to $500,000 |
Nearby
Warnings in force in Randolph CountyThe forecast for Randolph CountyThe live radar over Randolph 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.