Tornadoes · United States · Indiana

Tornadoes in Ripley County, Indiana

26 tornadoes have crossed Ripley County since 1950, 37th of the 92 counties in Indiana with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.9 years. They have killed 14 people and injured 208. 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
26
Deaths
14
Injuries
208
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
F4, April 3, 1974

The deadliest in Ripley County

  1. F4 Hanover–Madison tornado, IndianaApril 3, 197411 killed, 190 injured
  2. EF3, Ripley County, IndianaMarch 2, 20123 killed, 5 injured

The strongest

  1. F4 Hanover–Madison tornado, IndianaApril 3, 1974F4, 35.6 mi (57 km)
  2. F3, Ripley County, IndianaApril 9, 1999F3, 15.0 mi (24 km)
  3. EF3, Ripley County, IndianaMarch 2, 2012EF3, 8.7 mi (14 km)
  4. F2, Ripley and Dearborn counties, IndianaJune 2, 1990F2, 23.0 mi (37 km)
  5. F2, Ripley County, IndianaJuly 30, 2004F2, 2.0 mi (3 km)
  6. F2, Ripley County, IndianaJuly 13, 1956F2, 0.2 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

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

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20253EF1
20221EF0
20211EF1
20203EF1
20171EF0
20141EF1
2012135EF3
20111EF0
20091EF1
200412F2
199912F3
199316F1
199013F2
19811F1
19782F1
1974111190F4
19703F1
19571F1
19561F2

Every tornado that crossed Ripley County

26 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 16, 20258:02 PM EDTEF1Dearborn6.3250$60,000
March 30, 20258:02 PM EDTEF1Ripley4.8200$200,000
March 30, 20257:54 PM EDTEF0Ripley2.2100$150,000
March 7, 20224:09 AM ESTEF0Ripley1.3100$100,000
June 18, 20218:51 PM EDTEF1Ripley6.2150$100,000
April 8, 202010:08 PM EDTEF0Ripley2.6220$50,000
April 8, 202010:06 PM EDTEF0Ripley0.275$20,000
April 8, 20209:59 PM EDTEF1Ripley2.5450$50,000
October 7, 20179:05 PM EDTEF0Dearborn5.7100$85,000
February 20, 201410:14 PM ESTEF1Ripley0.850$100,000
March 2, 20123:52 PM ESTEF3Ripley8.735035$275,000
May 23, 20116:43 PM EDTEF0Dearborn3.150$45,000
March 8, 20095:22 PM EDTEF1Ripley0.525$40,000
July 30, 20047:17 PM ESTF2Ripley2.01332$470,000
April 9, 19993:05 AM ESTF3Ripley15.04502$1.4 million
June 4, 19939:04 AM ESTF1Ripley0.5506$500,000 to $5 million
June 2, 19909:30 PM ESTF2Ripley23.04403$50,000 to $500,000
November 19, 19816:45 PM ESTF1Ripley4.7150$50,000 to $500,000
June 12, 197812:45 PM ESTF1Ripley0.110
June 8, 19783:05 PM ESTF1Ripley0.110$5,000 to $50,000
April 3, 19743:19 PM CDTF4Hanover–Madison tornado35.61,20011190$50 million to $500 million
April 29, 19706:30 PM EDTF1Ripley1.030$50,000 to $500,000
April 29, 19705:30 PM EDTF0Ripley0.310$500 to $5,000
April 19, 197010:00 PM ESTF1Ripley3.350$500 to $5,000
June 28, 195710:00 PM GMT-5F1Ripley0.110$5,000 to $50,000
July 13, 19564:10 PM GMT-5F2Ripley0.2100$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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