Tornadoes · United States · Indiana

Tornadoes in Washington County, Indiana

35 tornadoes have crossed Washington County since 1950, 11th of the 92 counties in Indiana with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.2 years. They have killed 19 people and injured 125. 2 were rated F4 or EF4 and above, 1 at the top of the scale.

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
35
Deaths
19
Injuries
125
F4 and above
2
Worst on record
F5, April 3, 1974

The deadliest in Washington County

  1. EF4, Washington, Clark, Scott, Jefferson and Trimble counties, Indiana and KentuckyMarch 2, 201211 killed
  2. F5, Perry, Crawford, Harrison and Washington counties, IndianaApril 3, 19746 killed, 86 injured
  3. F1, Washington County, IndianaMarch 19, 19632 killed

The strongest

  1. F5, Perry, Crawford, Harrison and Washington counties, IndianaApril 3, 1974F5, 68.0 mi (109 km)
  2. EF4, Washington, Clark, Scott, Jefferson and Trimble counties, Indiana and KentuckyMarch 2, 2012EF4, 46.6 mi (75 km)
  3. F3, Washington, Jackson, Scott and Jefferson counties, IndianaJune 2, 1990F3, 41.0 mi (66 km)
  4. F2, Washington and Clark counties, IndianaMay 27, 2004F2, 25.9 mi (42 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, Washington County, IndianaJune 2, 1990F2, 4.5 mi (7 km)
  8. F2, Washington County, IndianaApril 5, 1985F2, 1.0 mi (2 km)
  9. F2, Washington County, IndianaMarch 16, 1963F2, 1.0 mi (2 km)
  10. F2, Washington County, IndianaMarch 7, 1956F2, 1.0 mi (2 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 22 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Washington County. Each year links to every tornado in Indiana that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20251EF2
20231EF1
20221EF1
20211EF0
20191EF0
20181EF0
20174EF1
2012111EF4
20116EF1
20081EF1
20042F2
20001F1
19951F0
199032F3
1986125F2
19851F2
19741686F5
19731F1
19671F1
196322F2
19581F1
1956212F2

Every tornado that crossed Washington County

35 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 2, 202511:20 PM EDTEF2Washington15.3600
August 6, 20231:13 AM EDTEF1Washington1.860
March 18, 20228:06 PM EDTEF1Washington5.5200
October 15, 202110:12 PM EDTEF0Washington2.770
March 14, 20192:14 PM EDTEF0Washington3.035$30,000
July 20, 20182:03 PM EDTEF0Washington1.175$50,000
November 5, 201711:20 PM ESTEF1Washington0.560$200,000
November 5, 201711:16 PM ESTEF1Washington0.335$250,000
November 5, 201711:04 PM ESTEF0Washington0.6325$100,000
March 1, 20175:41 AM ESTEF1Washington5.8100$150,000
March 2, 20122:50 PM ESTEF4Washington to KY46.680011$58 million
May 25, 201110:31 PM EDTEF1Washington2.4130$30,000
May 25, 201110:30 PM EDTEF1Washington1.2100
April 19, 201112:14 AM EDTEF0Washington13.1200
April 19, 201112:07 AM EDTEF0Washington0.750
April 19, 201112:00 AM EDTEF0Washington1.275
April 19, 201111:59 PM EDTEF1Washington1.5200
January 29, 20087:40 PM ESTEF1Washington10.7200$60,000
May 30, 20043:10 PM ESTF1Washington10.630$120,000
May 27, 20046:30 PM ESTF2Washington25.9150$2.5 million
January 3, 20002:05 PM ESTF1Washington0.350$50,000
May 27, 199510:00 PM ESTF0Washington0.5100$50 to $500
June 2, 19909:25 PM ESTF3Washington41.0150$50,000 to $500,000
June 2, 19909:03 PM ESTF2Washington4.51502$50,000 to $500,000
June 2, 19908:17 PM ESTF0Washington3.530
March 10, 19863:10 PM ESTF2Scott12.030025$500,000 to $5 million
April 5, 19854:28 PM ESTF2Washington1.010$500,000 to $5 million
April 3, 19742:20 PM ESTF5Perry68.010686$50 million to $500 million
June 20, 19737:00 PM ESTF1Washington0.130$5,000 to $50,000
December 11, 19672:30 PM GMT-5F1Washington1.010$5,000 to $50,000
March 19, 19634:00 PM GMT-5F1Washington0.1102$500 to $5,000
March 16, 19636:20 PM GMT-5F2Washington1.0800$500 to $5,000
April 20, 19584:00 PM GMT-6F1Washington0.5100$500 to $5,000
April 3, 19566:45 PM GMT-5F2Washington0.11012$500,000 to $5 million
March 7, 19561:10 AM GMT-5F2Washington1.010$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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