Gibson County

Every recorded tornado

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

Every storm within 100 miles

1. Tropical storms and hurricanes (34 kt or more, still tropical) at closest approach. Post-tropical remnants with gale-force winds are listed but not counted. Direct: track within 50 miles; near: within 100 miles. Distance is measured to the county boundary for counties and to the city centre for cities, using positions interpolated hourly between HURDAT2 fixes.

National Hurricane Center HURDAT2, 1851 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. Jul 31, 2012Thunderstorm Wind$6.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A very destructive macroburst with winds estimated up to 110 mph snapped or uprooted thousands of trees. Hundreds of structures were damaged. A total of 78 structures received major damage such as loss of roof decking or porches, and 249 sustained minor damage such as loss of shingles or minor siding loss. Dozens of barns and sheds were heavily damaged or destroyed. The macroburst damage was concentrated in Oakland City. The damage area extended south to the Warrick County line. In Oakland City, a tree was down on a trailer with residents still inside. The damage path was 3.5 miles wide and 12 miles long. One person was injured due to wind, and three people were injured by hail.…

2. Feb 28, 2017Tornado$3.2 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   This long-track tornado crossed from Posey County into Gibson County just northwest of Poseyville. The tornado crossed U.S. Highway 41 just north of Fort Branch and just south of the Toyota manufacturing plant. The path later crossed Interstate 69 before ending just south of Oakland City. The tornado was rated EF-3 at a couple of points south and southwest of Owensville, where a couple of houses lost their roofs and most of their exterior walls. This was where the highest winds along the 44-mile path occurred, likely around 150 mph. One person was seriously injured, requiring hospitalization. Cars were tossed 15 yards, and two double-wide mobile homes were destroyed, with their…

3. Mar 2, 2012Hail$3.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A severe hail event, with hail near baseball size, occurred in southern Gibson county causing extensive damage to homes, businesses, vehicles and other structures. Some of the largest hail was reported just south of Fort Branch. Ninety six homes were damaged with many having major shingle damage, siding damage, and windows broken out. One insurance company alone reported 500 vehicles damaged, with many of those being totaled by the large hail.

4. Mar 15, 2025Tornado$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   An EF-2 tornado began just northeast of the Tri State Speedway near Haubstadt. Damage to outbuildings and power poles occurred, along with many trees that were uprooted as it moved northeast crossing Highway 168 and did substantial damage to farm buildings and silos on County Road 550. It eventually crossed Interstate 69 and did roof damage to a church and canopy damage to a Gas Station to the southwest of Oakland City. Several trees were uprooted through town and one mobile home was severely damaged. The tornado continued northeast across the Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge and through Pike County. The tornado continued into Daviess county Indiana and had a total length of…

5. May 3, 1996Hail$1.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Extensive damage was done to vehicles and awnings. About 75 cars were totalled from hail damage, and 40 homes were damaged by hail. Many vehicle windshields were broken. Some house windows were also broken. Vinyl siding on some houses was damaged. The hail broke holes in some roofs.

6. May 1, 1996Flood, Gibson$1.2 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Wabash River remained above flood stage at New Harmony from late April through May 26. The river crested there at 20.9 feet on May 7, which is 5.9 feet above flood stage. Some families were displaced by the flooding. The damage amount listed above is for all flooding that took place in Gibson and Posey Counties, not just the river flooding.

7. May 1, 1996Flood, Gibson$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Flooding along the Patoka River continued from late April well into May. Red Cross shelters were opened for evacuees. Some of the tributaries also flooded. During the peak of the flooding, State Roads 64 and 257 were closed at Pikesville. Numerous other state and county roads were closed near the Patoka River. Water went over a bridge over Wheeler Creek. Flooding of the White River displaced families and closed roads. The damage estimate above may include some flash flood damage not related to river flooding.

8. Jan 3, 2005Flood, Gibson$750,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Major flooding of the White River occurred, prompting local emergency declarations in Gibson and Pike Counties. Floodfighting activities included the National Guard, which reinforced levees. Of particular concern was the levee protecting the community of Hazleton, which developed weak spots and some leaks. One-third to one-half of Hazleton was threatened by the levee failure, and 21 people were evacuated as a precautionary measure. The Governor of Indiana visited Hazleton during a tour of the flooding. Two feet of water was over the floor of a Hazleton home unprotected by the levee. Some lowland residents all along the river were evacuated. A total of 43 Gibson County residents…

9. May 10, 1996Flash Flood$700,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Rainfall amounts around 3 inches in 4 hours or less caused flash flooding of roads. This rainfall event in combination with the late April event resulted in major damage, especially to roads and bridges. The damage estimate above is for all flooding, including Wabash, Patoka, and White River flooding.

10. Jun 12, 1998Thunderstorm Wind$500,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Very damaging thunderstorm winds in excess of 70 MPH affected a narrow swath of Gibson County from near Princeton to Oakland City. Two trailers were destroyed, numerous trees were downed, and 40 to 50 homes were damaged. About 90 percent of the town of Princeton was without power. Midnight curfews were enacted in Oakland City and Patoka. Indiana Route 64 was closed due to debris on the roadway. Grain bins were blown over near Princeton. Most of the house damage was a result of falling trees. A few houses had roofs ripped off. Oakland City was hit very hard, with hundreds of trees blown down, some on houses and vehicles.

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, 3.9 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.