Tornadoes · United States · Indiana

Tornadoes in Vanderburgh County, Indiana

36 tornadoes have crossed Vanderburgh County since 1950, 8th of the 92 counties in Indiana with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.1 years. They have killed 25 people and injured 250. 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
36
Deaths
25
Injuries
250
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F3, November 6, 2005

The deadliest in Vanderburgh County

  1. F3, Henderson, Vanderburgh, Warrick and Spencer counties, Kentucky and IndianaNovember 6, 200524 killed, 238 injured
  2. F2, Vanderburgh and Warrick counties, IndianaApril 11, 19791 killed, 2 injured

The strongest

  1. F3, Henderson, Vanderburgh, Warrick and Spencer counties, Kentucky and IndianaNovember 6, 2005F3, 41.3 mi (66 km)
  2. F3, Vanderburgh County, IndianaNovember 15, 1955F3, 2.0 mi (3 km)
  3. EF2, Vanderburgh and Warrick counties, IndianaApril 2, 2024EF2, 14.9 mi (24 km)
  4. EF2, Vanderburgh, Posey and Warrick counties, IndianaApril 2, 2024EF2, 14.9 mi (24 km)
  5. EF2, Vanderburgh, Gibson and Posey counties, IndianaMay 25, 2011EF2, 12.2 mi (20 km)
  6. EF2, Vanderburgh and Posey counties, IndianaApril 2, 2025EF2, 10.6 mi (17 km)
  7. F2, Vanderburgh and Warrick counties, IndianaApril 11, 1979F2, 10.0 mi (16 km)
  8. F2, Vanderburgh County, IndianaMay 15, 1986F2, 0.2 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 26 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Vanderburgh County. Each year links to every tornado in Indiana that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20254EF2
20245EF2
20232EF1
20221EF1
20201EF1
20161EF1
20151EF1
20121EF0
20111EF2
20061F0
2005124238F3
20041F1
19981F0
19972F1
19901F0
19891F1
19862F2
19811F0
19801F1
1979112F2
197711F1
19751F1
19671F1
19631F0
19621F0
195519F3

Every tornado that crossed Vanderburgh County

36 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.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 13, 20254:09 PM CDTEF0Vanderburgh1.325$150,000
April 2, 20259:01 PM CDTEF1Vanderburgh4.075$275,000
April 2, 20258:55 PM CDTEF1Vanderburgh17.0230$1.2 million
April 2, 20258:51 PM CDTEF2Vanderburgh10.6150$3.4 million
July 30, 20246:30 PM CDTEF1Vanderburgh11.0300$385,000
April 2, 20245:57 AM CDTEF1Vanderburgh5.3200$135,000
April 2, 20245:54 AM CDTEF1Vanderburgh7.3200$230,000
April 2, 20245:47 AM CDTEF2Vanderburgh14.9250$428,000
April 2, 20245:47 AM CDTEF2Vanderburgh14.9250$520,000
March 3, 202312:45 PM CSTEF0Vanderburgh2.150$25,000
March 3, 202312:38 PM CSTEF1Vanderburgh2.8100$150,000
March 30, 20226:59 PM CDTEF1Vanderburgh1.075$10,000
July 15, 202011:40 PM CDTEF1Posey4.380$95,000
April 26, 20165:38 PM CDTEF1Vanderburgh7.5250$250,000
April 7, 20152:20 PM CDTEF1Vanderburgh9.6500$430,000
March 2, 20121:00 PM CSTEF0Vanderburgh2.050
May 25, 20118:09 PM CDTEF2Vanderburgh12.2125$240,000
May 10, 20065:08 PM CDTF0Vanderburgh5.275
November 6, 20051:39 AM CSTF3Henderson to IN41.350024238$87 million
May 30, 20048:40 PM CDTF1Vanderburgh6.0200$1.2 million
August 7, 19982:28 PM CDTF0Vanderburgh0.130$10,000
August 18, 19971:14 PM CDTF0Vanderburgh0.540
June 17, 19976:28 PM CDTF1Vanderburgh2.0100$500,000
June 6, 199012:52 PM CDTF0Vanderburgh1.110$50 to $500
May 19, 19897:05 PM CDTF1Vanderburgh3.540$50,000 to $500,000
May 15, 19864:45 PM CDTF2Vanderburgh0.210$50,000 to $500,000
May 15, 19863:55 PM CDTF0Vanderburgh0.210
May 26, 19814:00 PM CDTF0Vanderburgh0.110
June 28, 198012:45 AM CDTF1Vanderburgh0.110
April 11, 19798:00 PM CSTF2Vanderburgh10.01012
June 30, 19775:50 PM CDTF1Vanderburgh15.3501$50,000 to $500,000
January 10, 197512:25 PM CSTF1Vanderburgh0.550$5,000 to $50,000
December 11, 19671:40 PM GMT-6F1Vanderburgh0.110$5,000 to $50,000
June 28, 19638:00 PM GMT-5F0Vanderburgh0.110$500 to $5,000
May 26, 19625:07 PM GMT-5F0Vanderburgh0.110
November 15, 19557:20 PM GMT-6F3Vanderburgh2.0509$50,000 to $500,000

Nearby

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