Tornadoes · United States · Indiana

Tornadoes in Scott County, Indiana

16 tornadoes have crossed Scott County since 1950, 1 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 70th of the 92 counties in Indiana with a tornado on record, an average of one every 4.8 years. They have killed 22 people and injured 229. 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
16
Deaths
22
Injuries
229
F4 and above
2
Worst on record
EF4, March 2, 2012

The deadliest in Scott County

  1. F4 Hanover–Madison tornado, IndianaApril 3, 197411 killed, 190 injured
  2. EF4 Henryville tornado, Indiana and KentuckyMarch 2, 201211 killed

The strongest

  1. EF4 Henryville tornado, Indiana and KentuckyMarch 2, 2012EF4, 46.6 mi (75 km)
  2. F4 Hanover–Madison tornado, IndianaApril 3, 1974F4, 35.6 mi (57 km)
  3. F3, Washington, Jackson, Scott and Jefferson counties, IndianaJune 2, 1990F3, 41.0 mi (66 km)
  4. EF2, Scott and Trimble counties, Indiana and KentuckyJune 18, 2026EF2, 23.6 mi (38 km)
  5. EF2, Washington and Scott counties, IndianaApril 2, 2025EF2, 15.3 mi (25 km)
  6. F2, Scott and Washington counties, IndianaMarch 10, 1986F2, 12.0 mi (19 km)
  7. F2, Scott County, IndianaJanuary 11, 1963F2, 5.1 mi (8 km)
  8. F2, Scott County, IndianaApril 5, 1985F2, 2.0 mi (3 km)
  9. F2, Scott County, IndianaMarch 6, 1961F2, 1.0 mi (2 km)
  10. F2, Scott County, IndianaAugust 9, 1968F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 15 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Scott County. Each year links to every tornado in Indiana that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
202611EF2
20251EF2
20211EF0
2017110EF1
2012111EF4
20112EF0
20081EF1
19971F1
19901F3
1986125F2
19851F2
1974111190F4
19681F2
19631F2
196113F2

Every tornado that crossed Scott County

16 tornadoes, newest first. 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 18, 20263:04 AM EDTEF2Scott to KY23.61,0001
April 2, 202511:20 PM EDTEF2Washington15.3600
October 15, 202110:40 PM EDTEF0Scott0.675
March 1, 20176:05 AM ESTEF1Scott2.112510$250,000
March 2, 20122:50 PM ESTEF4Henryville tornado46.680011$58 million
April 19, 201112:19 AM EDTEF0Scott11.8100
April 19, 201112:14 AM EDTEF0Washington13.1200
January 29, 20088:10 PM ESTEF1Scott1.8100$70,000
March 28, 19978:45 PM ESTF1Scott1.0100
June 2, 19909:25 PM ESTF3Washington41.0150$50,000 to $500,000
March 10, 19863:10 PM ESTF2Scott12.030025$500,000 to $5 million
April 5, 19854:22 PM ESTF2Scott2.017$500 to $5,000
April 3, 19743:19 PM CDTF4Hanover–Madison tornado35.61,20011190$50 million to $500 million
August 9, 19683:00 PM GMT-5F2Scott0.110$5,000 to $50,000
January 11, 196312:35 AM GMT-5F2Scott5.1150$5,000 to $50,000
March 6, 19618:06 AM GMT-5F2Scott1.0103$50,000 to $500,000

Nearby

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