Tornadoes · United States · Indiana

Tornadoes in Shelby County, Indiana

36 tornadoes have crossed Shelby County since 1950, 1 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 7th of the 92 counties in Indiana with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.1 years. They have killed 3 people and injured 78. 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
36
Deaths
3
Injuries
78
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
F4, April 25, 1961

The deadliest in Shelby County

  1. F3, Shelby and Hancock counties, IndianaApril 3, 19741 killed, 25 injured
  2. EF3, Shelby and Rush counties, IndianaJune 3, 20081 killed, 8 injured
  3. F2, Shelby and Hancock counties, IndianaMarch 10, 19861 killed, 1 injured

The strongest

  1. F4, Shelby, Rush, Fayette, Union and Preble counties, Indiana and OhioApril 25, 1961F4, 63.1 mi (102 km)
  2. F3, Morgan, Johnson, Marion and Shelby counties, IndianaMarch 10, 1986F3, 35.0 mi (56 km)
  3. F3, Shelby and Hancock counties, IndianaApril 3, 1974F3, 20.7 mi (33 km)
  4. F3, Bartholomew and Shelby counties, IndianaNovember 15, 2005F3, 10.0 mi (16 km)
  5. F3, Shelby County, IndianaNovember 22, 1992F3, 10.0 mi (16 km)
  6. EF3, Shelby and Rush counties, IndianaJune 3, 2008EF3, 9.7 mi (16 km)
  7. F3, Shelby County, IndianaJuly 31, 1958F3, 0.1 mi (0 km)
  8. F2, Rush, Shelby, Fayette and Union counties, IndianaMarch 11, 1955F2, 34.8 mi (56 km)
  9. F2, Johnson, Shelby and Rush counties, IndianaMay 10, 1969F2, 33.2 mi (53 km)
  10. F2, Shelby and Hancock counties, IndianaMarch 10, 1986F2, 17.8 mi (29 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 25 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Shelby County. Each year links to every tornado in Indiana that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20261EF1
20241EF0
20222EF1
20212EF1
201111EF0
20082112EF3
200611F2
200511F3
20011F1
19951F0
19923F3
19891F0
19863123F3
19801F1
19783F1
19741125F3
19731F1
197115F2
19692F2
19651F1
196127F4
19581F3
19571F2
19561F2
195513F2

Every tornado that crossed Shelby County

36 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 11, 202611:03 PM EDTEF1Johnson11.9200
May 7, 20248:02 PM EDTEF0Shelby0.850$30,000
May 21, 20223:58 PM EDTEF1Shelby0.225$20,000
May 21, 20223:57 PM EDTEF1Shelby14.6100$150,000
July 29, 20218:14 PM EDTEF1Shelby0.750$15,000
July 29, 20217:58 PM EDTEF1Shelby2.550$43,000
May 25, 201111:15 PM EDTEF0Shelby0.71501$75,000
June 3, 20089:24 PM EDTEF2Brown10.61504$23 million
June 3, 20089:04 PM EDTEF3Shelby9.715018$1.2 million
March 31, 20067:20 PM ESTF2Johnson17.07001$8.0 million
November 15, 20055:19 PM ESTF3Bartholomew10.03001$5.1 million
November 24, 20018:08 PM ESTF1Shelby16.0100$1.0 million
July 16, 19955:52 PM ESTF0Shelby0.110
November 22, 19924:45 PM ESTF2Shelby7.550$50,000 to $500,000
November 22, 19924:05 PM ESTF3Shelby10.050$500,000 to $5 million
July 2, 19926:10 PM ESTF0Shelby0.120
July 11, 19892:25 PM ESTF0Shelby0.523$5,000 to $50,000
March 10, 19862:10 PM ESTF2Shelby10.0300$500,000 to $5 million
March 10, 19862:10 PM ESTF2Shelby17.815011$500,000 to $5 million
March 10, 19861:28 PM ESTF3Morgan35.044022$500,000 to $5 million
June 19, 19803:00 PM ESTF1Johnson0.110
June 18, 19786:37 PM ESTF1Shelby0.110
June 18, 19786:30 PM ESTF1Shelby0.110
June 18, 19786:16 PM ESTF0Shelby0.110
April 3, 19742:45 PM ESTF3Shelby20.7440125$5 million to $50 million
June 4, 19733:40 PM ESTF1Shelby17.680$5,000 to $50,000
March 15, 19713:30 AM ESTF2Shelby1.32005$50,000 to $500,000
August 9, 19695:30 PM GMT-4F2Shelby0.110$50,000 to $500,000
May 10, 19692:40 PM GMT-4F2Johnson33.210$50,000 to $500,000
April 8, 19659:02 PM GMT-5F1Shelby0.110
November 16, 19615:45 AM GMT-5F2Shelby0.510$5,000 to $50,000
April 25, 19612:27 PM GMT-6F4Shelby to OH63.15507$500,000 to $5 million
July 31, 19584:32 PM GMT-5F3Shelby0.110$5,000 to $50,000
July 4, 19576:00 PM GMT-5F2Shelby0.110$50,000 to $500,000
February 25, 19566:50 AM GMT-5F2Shelby2.0300$500,000 to $5 million
March 11, 19553:00 AM GMT-6F2Rush34.88803$50,000 to $500,000

Nearby

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