Wabash County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Wabash County: 0.
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.

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

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.

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.

Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles

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 county boundary (or inside the county).
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. Apr 19, 2011Tornado$2.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Three steel towers carrying high-voltage power lines were bent or partially collapsed. A single wide mobile home was demolished. The frame was blown about 50 yards but was not bent. There was curvature in the debris field. A grain bin was blown one mile into a tree line, and three other grain bins were destroyed. Machine sheds were unroofed, with some walls collapsing. Barns were destroyed, and hundreds of trees were uprooted or snapped. Power poles were snapped. There was minor to moderate damage to house roofs. The tornado reached EF-2 intensity in sparsely populated areas. Where it crossed through the north and west part of Mount Carmel near the end of its path, the tornado…

2. May 1, 1996Flood, Wabash$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Wabash River was above flood stage for most of the month at New Harmony, Indiana. The river crested at 20.9 feet on May 7, well above the 15 foot flood stage. A 9-mile long earthen levee protecting bottomland farm fields was breached about when the river crested. This resulted in an additional 5,000 acres of cropland being flooded near Grayville. The river was reported to be 3 miles wide at the Interstate 64 bridge. The Hocking-Heil levee in Wabash County was breached. Both Wabash and White Counties were declared federal disaster areas as a result of the combination of flash flooding and river flooding. A man suffered a fatal heart attack while boating along a flooded county…

3. May 3, 1996Hail$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Baseball size hail dented hundreds of vehicles and broke many windshields. Most damage estimates ranged from 2,000 to 4,000 dollars per vehicle. At one greenhouse in Mt. Carmel, thousands of glass panes were broken at a cost of 75,000 dollars.

4. May 19, 2022Tornado$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado touched down near Keensburg and moved northeast, passing across the southeast portion of Mount Carmel and across the Wabash River into Indiana. A few homes lost large portions of roofing, mainly shingles. Outbuildings and small sheds were destroyed. Numerous power lines were down. Many trees were snapped or uprooted. Many trees landed on homes and structures, causing some structural damage. Dozens of power poles were snapped off. A large machine shed lost small sections of metal roof and wall panels. Several pivot irrigation systems were flipped. Peak winds were estimated near 115 mph in Wabash County. The tornado crossed the Wabash River into Gibson County, Indiana.

5. May 1, 1996Flood, Wabash$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Little Wabash River crested at 35.3 feet on May 3, well above the flood stage of 27 feet. Widespread flooding occurred around Carmi. The combined result of local flash flooding, Wabash River flooding, and Little Wabash River flooding resulted in a federal disaster declaration for White County. Homes near the Little Wabash River in Carmi were flooded. The damage estimate listed above is for all flooding in White County.

6. Jan 5, 2005Flood, Wabash$400,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Record flooding of the Lower Wabash River occurred, prompting state disaster declarations that included Wabash, White, and Gallatin Counties. Floodfighting activities included the construction of temporary sandbag levees. An agricultural levee near Calvin (in White County) was breached in three places, inundating thousands of acres of farmland. All access to the small community of Maunie (in White County) was cut off by floodwaters, and half of the community was underwater. Ambulances were sent to rescue three oil field workers who were caught in floodwaters near Crossville. No serious injuries were reported. Combined effects of the Wabash and Little Wabash Rivers resulted in at…

7. Nov 17, 2013Tornado$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Four homes were damaged, and two mobile homes were destroyed. One mobile home was thrown across the road and the frame was wrapped around a tree. One woman inside was injured. Another nearby mobile home was turned on its side. One home had part of the roof lifted off. The garage of the residence was destroyed, but most of the articles inside were left untouched. Debris from this residence was thrown several hundred yards. Several outbuildings were destroyed. Peak winds in this tornado were estimated near 125 mph. The peak intensity occurred almost due north of Mount Carmel. This tornado was spawned by the same supercell that produced EF-2 tornadoes in Wayne and Edwards Counties.

8. May 1, 2002Flood, Wabash$150,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Wabash River was above flood stage for nearly the entire month at both Mt. Carmel and New Harmony. Major flooding occurred at Mount Carmel, where the river crested at 32.4 feet on May 17. Flood stage there is 19 feet. Most roads along the river or near the river were impassible. Close to 6,000 acres of farmland were flooded when a major agricultural levy, the Calvin Bottoms Levy, was breached. Since most crops had not been planted due to excessive rainfall in April, crop losses were negligible. Major planting delays were caused by the prolonged moist spell. The Wabash River was more than 3 miles wide at I-64. Mobile homes were moved, and installation of flood gates was…

9. Jul 1, 2023Thunderstorm Wind$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Numerous trees were uprooted and snapped. A roof was partially blown off of a church. Power poles were broken. Vehicle traffic was impeded by the wind. A trained spotter estimated peak winds were 80 to 90 mph.

10. Sep 14, 2008High Wind, Wabash$100,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Frequent wind gusts from 60 to nearly 70 mph caused considerable damage in southern Illinois. The low pressure center that was the remnant of Hurricane Ike raced northeast at 40 to 50 mph across Missouri and Illinois. The center passed between Carbondale and St. Louis on its way toward the northeastern states. The rapid speed of the low pressure system contributed to this high wind event.||Considerable tree damage occurred. Trees were uprooted, and very large limbs were broken. Some trees fell on homes, outbuildings, and vehicles. Fewer than a dozen homes in each county were damaged by falling trees. Others fell on commercial and public buildings. Numerous trees or limbs fell on…

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

113°FJul 13, 1936

All-time low

−20°FFeb 9, 1899

Warmest night

84°FAug 5, 1954

Coldest day

−5°FFeb 9, 1899

Wettest day

10.50 inAug 6, 1905

Snowiest day

16.0 inJan 25, 1904

Hottest year

1921mean 60.1°F

Coldest year

1967mean 51.7°F

Wettest year

201170.33 in

Driest year

190127.40 in

Snowiest season

59.0 in1911-12

Station 1 Wsw Princeton (USC00127125), 450 ft elevation, 12.0 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1897 to October 19, 2026; 92.4% 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.

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.

Neighbouring counties

• 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 USC00127125.
• 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.