Marion

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond this area.
2. Weak tornadoes were under-recorded before Doppler radar coverage became national in the early 1990s, so earlier decades read low. Ratings use the Fujita scale before February 2007 and the Enhanced Fujita scale after.

Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, 1950 to 2025.

Smoke overhead

1. A smoke day is a date on which a smoke plume traced by NOAA Hazard Mapping System analysts from satellite imagery covered this place's point (the county's population centre or the city centre). Counts here are of medium or heavy smoke. Since 2018 analysts have often drawn light smoke as one area over most of the continent, so light-smoke counts are not comparable from year to year. The plumes show smoke anywhere in the air above, not air quality at the ground, and smoke hidden by cloud is missed.

NOAA Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, 2011 to 2026, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Flood insurance figures are for Grant County, the county that contains Marion.

Claims by ZIP code

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026. NOAA Storm Events through 2026.

River crests

River gauges in Grant County, the county that contains Marion.

River gauges

1. Crests are the highest and the recent crests the National Weather Service lists for each river gauge in the county that has a flood stage, not every flood. Flood categories use each gauge's current flood stages; crests from before levees, dams or channel changes may not be comparable. Crests measured on an old datum are left out of the rankings.

NOAA National Water Prediction Service gauge records, retrieved October 30, 2026.

The drought index is for Grant County, the county that contains Marion.

1. The Palmer Drought Severity Index is computed by NOAA each month from the county's average temperature and precipitation, relative to the county's own climate. Zero is normal; -3 or lower is severe drought and -4 or lower extreme drought. It describes the long-term balance of moisture, not water supply or crop losses.

NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, 1895 to September 2026, issued October 6, 2026.

1. Earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more in the USGS Comprehensive Catalog since 1900. Within 50 miles means the epicentre lies within 50 miles of the city centre.
2. Small earthquakes were under-recorded before the modern seismic networks of the 1970s and are still missed in remote areas, so early decades read low. Magnitudes are as the catalogue reports them and mix scales (moment, local and body-wave).

USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog, 1900 to present, retrieved October 30, 2026.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Jun 11, 1998Tornado$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   THIS TORNADO TRACK WAS A CONTINUATION OF THE TORNADO WHICH BEGAN NEAR THE TOWN OF ELWOOD IN MADISON COUNTY. THE TORNADO WAS WEAKENING AS IT CROSSED INTO GRANT COUNTY BUT CAUSED EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO SEVERAL FARMS. ONE FARMSTEAD SUFFERED A DESTROYED BARN AND AN OVERTURNED JUNK BUS. ANOTHER FARMSTEAD HAD A VERY LARGE METAL OUTBUILDING DESTROYED AND 3 LARGE SILOS WERE BLOWN INTO THE FARM HOUSE WHICH SUFFERED MAJOR DAMAGE. ANOTHER FARM LOST MOST OF ITS OUTBUILDINGS WITH THE ROOF OF THE HOUSE DAMAGED. ANOTHER FARM NEAR FAIRMOUNT SUFFERED SEVERE DAMAGE WITH 2 BARNS DESTROYED AND THE HOUSE LOST ITS ROOF.MANY TREES AND OUTBUILDINGS IN FOWLERTON WERE DAMAGED WERE THE TORNADO FINALLY LIFTED.

2. Aug 4, 1998Flash Flood$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   EXTENSIVE FLOODING THROUGHOUT MARION AND THE COUNTY. MANY ROADS AND BRIDGES UNDER WATER. NUMEROUS RESIDENCES WERE EVACUATED ALONG THE MISSISSINEWA RIVER AS ARMY NATIONAL GUARDSMEN SANDBAGGED A WEAKENING DIKE ON THE EAST SIDE OF MARION. THE DIKE HELD BUT SEVERAL HOMES SUSTAINED WATER DAMAGE.

3. Mar 1, 2011Flood$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Flooding along the Mississinewa River continued into the first day of March. High water from the river spilled over into eastern portions of Marion as well as into the Stonecrest Mobile Home Community, where residents woke to flooded residences and roads. Sufficient water covered the entrances to the community to stop residents from entering and exiting the area, as well as causing school buses to divert away from the area. While no exact damage figures were provided, damage likely exceeded 1 million dollars from a combination of structural and roadway damage.

4. Jun 11, 1998Tornado$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   THIS TORNADO WAS A CONTINUATION OF THE GREENTOWN TORNADO IN HOWARD COUNTY. THE TORNADO WAS WEAKENING AS IT CROSSED INTO GRANT COUNTY BUT CAUSED EXTENSIVE TREE DAMAGE ALONG ITS PATH AND SEVERLY DAMAGED SEVERAL HOMES IN SWAYZEE. MANY OF THE HOMES SUFFERED DAMAGE FROM UPROOTED TREES FALLING ON THEM. MANY TREES AND POWER LINES WERE REPORTED DOWN FROM THIS SERIES OF STORMS. IN ADDITION...VERY HEAVY RAIN CAUSED FLASH FLOODING ACROSS THE COUNTY WITH MANY COUNTY ROADS WASHED OUT OR UNDER WATER.

5. Nov 6, 2005Thunderstorm Wind$200,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   8 to 10 barns as well as 3 mobile homes were destroyed. A hosue suffered severe window damage. Much of the damage occurred in Marion and Upland townships. Surveys from local emergency and NWS officials found evidence of the formation of gustnadoes where concentrated areas of damage were observed.

6. Apr 9, 2001Thunderstorm Wind$150,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Several roofs reported blown off. Many trees down.

7. Aug 24, 1998Thunderstorm Wind$150,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   WIDESPREAD TREE DAMAGE IN MARION AND ACROSS GRANT COUNTY.

8. Jun 1, 2009Thunderstorm Wind$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Emergency management officials reported an old lumber building was blown down by the strong winds in Marion near the intersection of Branson and Swayzee St. In addition, several trees were uprooted onto cars and house and a railroad track crossing arm was broken. Damage is estimated at $100,000.

9. Apr 19, 2011Tornado$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A survey of damage in Grant County indicated that a circulation touched down roughly two miles southwest of Fairmount. The circulation touched down at a residence in the 10,000 block of County Road South 200 West. The back side of the roof of the residence was ripped off, along with some siding stripped and windows broken. Debris from the property was carried into the adjacent field. The tornado continued northeast where other residences as well as trees suffered varying degrees of damage. The tornado lifted near the intersection of State Routes 26 and 9. Damage found was consistent with winds between 100 and 110 mph.

10. Aug 24, 2007Thunderstorm Wind$50,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Emergency Management officials reported 15 power poles down along N 500 E from CR 300 N to 100 N. Portions of State Route 15 in Marion were closed due to trees and power lines being blown down. Other trees and tree limbs were reported down across the county.

1. Storm Events records before 1996 cover only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail. Damage figures are as reported by the National Weather Service at the time, not adjusted for inflation.

NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026, issued October 26, 2026.

All-time high

108°FJul 14, 1936

All-time low

−23°F2 times, most recently Jan 21, 1985

Warmest night

80°FJul 30, 1999

Coldest day

−13°FJan 19, 1994

Wettest day

7.07 inAug 5, 1998

Snowiest day

13.0 inNov 16, 1932

Hottest year

1921mean 56.3°F

Coldest year

2014mean 46.8°F

Wettest year

199854.68 in

Driest year

193426.25 in

Snowiest season

69.2 in1981-82

Station Marion 2 N (USC00125337), 790 ft elevation, 2.1 miles from the city centre. Daily records from 1893 to October 27, 2026; 96.5% of days in the last 30 years are complete. Records at a single station can differ from a city’s official threaded record, which may combine several stations.

NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily.

Declarations for Grant County.

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, retrieved October 30, 2026. Statewide declarations are not listed.

• Tornadoes NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, through 2025.
• Tropical cyclones NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2 (Atlantic; Northeast and Central Pacific), through 2025.
• Wildfire USGS/USFS Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity, through 2026.
• Storm events NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, through 2026.
• Flood insurance OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026.
• Declarations OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Weather records NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily, station USC00125337.
• River crests NOAA National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service river gauges, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Drought NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, through September 2026.
• Smoke NOAA NESDIS Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Earthquakes USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat), retrieved October 30, 2026.

Joins, thresholds and known limits are set out in the methodology. Found an error? Report it. Page built October 30, 2026.