Harrison County

Population 40,437 (2025) 484 sq mi

Property owners in Harrison County have filed 207 federal flood insurance claims since 1978, 23rd most of 92 counties in Indiana.

Hazard fingerprint for Harrison County Tornado: 66th percentile. Tropical: 0th percentile. Wildfire: 0th percentile. Flood: 73th percentile. Hail & wind: 72th percentile. Heat: 0th percentile. Cold: 28th percentile. Winter: 26th percentile. TORTROPFIREFLOODSEVEREHEATCOLDWINTER

Hazard fingerprint Each spoke is this county’s percentile among U.S. counties where that hazard occurs. How it is computed

2026
  • Tornado damage paths since 195025
  • Tropical cyclone tracks within 100 miles since 1851, wider where stronger2
  • Major flood years since 19783

At a glance

The record for Harrison County in eight numbers. Each links to its section below.

Flood insurance claims

207

23rd of 92 in Indiana

$8.6 million paid since 1978

Details

Tornadoes since 1950

25

34th of 92 in Indiana

About as many as the typical Indiana county

Details

Tropical cyclones within 50 mi

1

Most of any of Indiana’s 92 counties

None at hurricane strength since 1851

Details

Strongest tornado

F5

April 3, 1974, 68.0 mile path

Strongest tropical cyclone

TS

Tropical storm (unnamed), 1888, 31.5 miles away

Federal disaster declarations

22

Most recent: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, 2026

Details

Record high

106°F

Reached 2 times, most recently July 7, 2012

Details

Record low

−22°F

January 19, 1994

Details

Tornadoes

About one every 3 years since 1950, 2 of them rated F3/EF3 or stronger.

Strongest

April 3, 1974

F5, 68.0 mile path

10 yards wide; 6 killed along the whole path.

Deadliest

April 3, 1974

31 killed, F5

270 injured along the whole path.

Most recent

Sunday, December 28, 2025

EF0, 0.1 mile path

Within the past year.

Tornadoes by decade Doppler radar era² 1950s: 0 1960s: 0 1970s: 6 6 1980s: 3 3 1990s: 4 4 2000s: 4 4 2010s: 5 5 2020s: 3 3 1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
Recorded tornadoes per decade. The 2020s are incomplete.
Tornadoes by month J: 2 F: 0 M: 0 A: 6 M: 3 J: 7 7 J: 4 A: 0 S: 0 O: 1 N: 0 D: 2 JFMAMJJASOND
By month of occurrence, all years.

Every recorded tornado

Tornadoes in Harrison County since 1950
Dec 28, 2025EF00.16000
Jul 4, 2024EF01.012500
Apr 2, 2024EF13.23000
Dec 31, 2018EF12.214000
Jul 20, 2018EF16.025000
Jan 30, 2013EF02.721500
Jun 22, 2011EF00.37500
Apr 19, 2011EF00.35000
Jun 27, 2008EF00.85000
Jun 27, 2008EF00.43000
Jun 27, 2008EF00.31500
May 17, 2003F01.22500
Jul 21, 1996F11.05000
May 28, 1996F210.057500
Jun 6, 1990F11.02320
Jun 2, 1990F211.010090
Jul 5, 1987F00.21000
Apr 5, 1985F21.01700
Jun 7, 1980F10.11000
Oct 1, 1977F10.54011
Jan 13, 1976F01.05000
Apr 3, 1974F532.044027031
Apr 3, 1974F568.010866
May 6, 1971F18.14021
Apr 27, 1971F11.55020
  1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Harrison County: 4.
  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.

Hurricanes and tropical storms

1 passed within 50 miles since 1851; none at hurricane strength.

Strongest within 50 miles

August 21, 1888

Unnamed storm, Tropical storm

31.5 miles at closest approach, winds near 53 mph.

Most recent

September 27, 2024

Helene, Remnant low

11.6 miles at closest approach.

Every storm within 100 miles

Tropical cyclones within 100 miles
Helene202411.6Remnant low46Category 4
Audrey195780.7Tropical storm41Category 3
Unnamed191549.4Post-tropical40Category 4
Unnamed189256.9Post-tropical48Tropical storm
Unnamed188831.5Tropical storm53Category 3
  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.

Wildfire and smoke

No large wildfire has been mapped here since satellite mapping began in 1984.

Smoke overhead

Smokiest year

2023: 53 days

Heavy smoke on 14 days in 2023, the most of any year.

Last 10 years

16.0 days a year

Medium or heavy smoke, 2016 to 2025.

2025

9 days

Medium or heavy smoke. 35 so far in 2026.

Days with medium or heavy smoke overhead, by year 2011: 6 2012: 7 2013: 3 2014: 4 2015: 6 2016: 1 2017: 3 2018: 7 2019: 8 2020: 11 2021: 36 2022: 14 2023: 53 53 2024: 18 2025: 9 201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025
Days each year on which a satellite-traced plume of medium or heavy smoke covered the county’s population centre, 2011 to 2025.
  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.

Floods and flood insurance

207 federal flood insurance claims since 1978, with $8.6 million paid.

Federal flood insurance claims by year 1996: 10 1997: 49 49 2006: 5 2008: 13 2011: 18 2015: 9 2018: 26 2019: 10 2021: 7 2025: 27 2026: 7 199620152026
Claims per year since 1978. Years with fewer than five claims are not shown.

Most claims in one year

1997: 49 claims

$809,000 paid.

2nd most

2025: 27 claims

$4.7 million paid.

3rd most

2018: 26 claims

$1.3 million paid.

Claims by ZIP code

Flood insurance claims by ZIP code
47117111$7.1 million
4711257$820,000
4714215$229,000
471155$89,000
471645$71,000

Flood events since 1996

  • Flash Flood43
  • Flood26
  • Heavy Rain5

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.

Drought

In severe drought or worse for 133 of 1,581 months since 1895 (8%); the longest spell lasted 23 months.

133

Months in severe drought or worse since 1895

69

Months in extreme drought

8%

Share of all months, severe or worse

Lowest reading

February 1931

−6.06, extreme drought

Longest severe spell

23 months

July 1940 to May 1942.

Latest month

September 2026

+1.19, slightly wet

Last severe month: November 1999.

Months in severe drought or worse, by year 1895: 0 1896: 0 1897: 0 1898: 0 1899: 0 1900: 0 1901: 6 1902: 7 1903: 0 1904: 3 1905: 4 1906: 0 1907: 0 1908: 3 1909: 1 1910: 0 1911: 0 1912: 0 1913: 0 1914: 4 1915: 3 1916: 0 1917: 0 1918: 0 1919: 0 1920: 0 1921: 0 1922: 0 1923: 0 1924: 0 1925: 5 1926: 0 1927: 0 1928: 0 1929: 0 1930: 7 1931: 11 1932: 0 1933: 0 1934: 9 1935: 2 1936: 3 1937: 0 1938: 0 1939: 1 1940: 8 1941: 12 12 1942: 5 1943: 1 1944: 7 1945: 0 1946: 0 1947: 0 1948: 0 1949: 0 1950: 0 1951: 0 1952: 0 1953: 4 1954: 12 1955: 1 1956: 0 1957: 0 1958: 0 1959: 0 1960: 0 1961: 0 1962: 0 1963: 1 1964: 2 1965: 0 1966: 0 1967: 0 1968: 0 1969: 0 1970: 0 1971: 0 1972: 0 1973: 0 1974: 0 1975: 0 1976: 0 1977: 0 1978: 0 1979: 0 1980: 0 1981: 0 1982: 0 1983: 0 1984: 0 1985: 0 1986: 0 1987: 0 1988: 1 1989: 0 1990: 0 1991: 3 1992: 6 1993: 0 1994: 0 1995: 0 1996: 0 1997: 0 1998: 0 1999: 1 2000: 0 2001: 0 2002: 0 2003: 0 2004: 0 2005: 0 2006: 0 2007: 0 2008: 0 2009: 0 2010: 0 2011: 0 2012: 0 2013: 0 2014: 0 2015: 0 2016: 0 2017: 0 2018: 0 2019: 0 2020: 0 2021: 0 2022: 0 2023: 0 2024: 0 2025: 0 18951905191519251935194519551965197519851995200520152025
Months each year with a Palmer index of −3 or lower, 1895 to 2025. Twelve means the whole year.
  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.

Earthquakes

11 earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more within 50 miles since 1909; none reached magnitude 4.

1

Magnitude 2.5+ inside the county since 1973

4

Magnitude 3+ within 50 miles since 1973

0

Magnitude 4+ within 50 miles since 1900

0

Magnitude 5+ within 50 miles since 1900

Largest within 50 miles

January 24, 1990

Magnitude 3.9

6 km WNW of Alton, Indiana; 9.3 miles away, 6.2 miles deep.

Most recent, magnitude 3 or more

January 27, 1990

Magnitude 3.8

6 km N of Alton, Indiana; 5.6 miles away.

Earthquakes of magnitude 3 or more within 50 miles, by year 1973: 0 1974: 0 1975: 0 1976: 0 1977: 0 1978: 0 1979: 0 1980: 1 1981: 0 1982: 0 1983: 0 1984: 0 1985: 0 1986: 0 1987: 1 1988: 0 1989: 0 1990: 2 2 1991: 0 1992: 0 1993: 0 1994: 0 1995: 0 1996: 0 1997: 0 1998: 0 1999: 0 2000: 0 2001: 0 2002: 0 2003: 0 2004: 0 2005: 0 2006: 0 2007: 0 2008: 0 2009: 0 2010: 0 2011: 0 2012: 0 2013: 0 2014: 0 2015: 0 2016: 0 2017: 0 2018: 0 2019: 0 2020: 0 2021: 0 2022: 0 2023: 0 2024: 0 2025: 0 19731978198319881993199820032008201320182023
Per year, 1973 to 2025.
  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.

Severe weather and other events

470 events in the National Weather Service record, 429 of them since 1996.

75

Hail reports, 1 inch or larger

4

Hail, 2 inches or larger

190

Damaging gusts, 58 mph+

38

Winter weather events since 1996

0

Heat events since 1996

5

Cold events since 1996

Largest hail

May 1, 2002

2.75 inches

Strongest measured or estimated gust

October 24, 2001

104 mph

Costliest events since 1996

  1. Mar 2, 1997Flood, Harrison$10.0 million
    National Weather Service narrative

    Ohio River flooding. See narrative for north central Kentucky counties.

  2. Jul 20, 2018Tornado$600,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    A tornado was confirmed of EF1 scale with a maximum wind speed of 105 mph. The tornado first touched down along Justin`s Trail in the Southwind Estates subdivision. There was significant tree damage along Pleasure Ridge Road where a large tree fell on a garage. Farther east along Pleasure Ridge Road, several small funnels from the main funnel did extensive damage. A 2 x 8 impaled a concrete grain silo. At least four big barns received extensive damage, including a turkey barn. Further east, several funnels congealed into one main tornado doing extensive damage to hardwood trees and significant roof damage to several homes. Along South Pleasant Road, one home had mud spatter on the…

  3. Mar 19, 2008Flash Flood$500,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Numerous roads in the county were flooded, including portions of Indiana Highway 11. Big Indian Creek near Corydon was flooding, with trailers and vehicles under water. Flood waters from Big Indian Creek were close to Indiana Highway 335.

  4. Aug 13, 2020Flash Flood$150,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Flood waters made it into numerous homes and businesses, and a water rescue took place on Budd Road. Cost of damages estimated.

  5. Oct 24, 2001Thunderstorm Wind$100,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Trees and power lines were downed over much of South Central Indiana. Some were blown on to vehicles at Elizabeth in Harrison County. Also in Elizabeth, a church office was destroyed. A double wide mobile home was destroyed 4 miles northeast of Tell City, and several nearby brick homes had roof damage.

  6. May 30, 2004Thunderstorm Wind$75,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Trees were downed county wide. In the city of Corydon, trees were blown on to two homes, doing extensive damage. No serious injuries were reported, however.

  7. Feb 20, 2002Thunderstorm Wind$60,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    A mobile home was overturned. Several porches were blown off.

  8. Mar 27, 2017Thunderstorm Wind$50,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    An off duty NWS employee reported 6 power poles down on Crandall-Lanesville Road.

  9. May 19, 2017Hail$50,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    An extremely warm, moist, and unstable air mass resided over the lower Ohio Valley during the middle of May. As a series of strong weather systems passed through the region, rounds of strong to severe thunderstorms developed and tracked across southern Indiana. Several inches of rain fell in a very short time resulting in a significant flash flood event for Washington County, Indiana. There were 2 confirmed tornadoes, one in Crawford County and another in Jefferson County, Indiana.

  10. Jul 8, 2016Thunderstorm Wind$50,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Local law enforcement reported trees down in the area along with transformers blown.

  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.

Weather records

From Louisville International Airport, 20.3 miles from the county’s population centre, with records from 1948.

All-time high
106°F2 times, most recently Jul 7, 2012
All-time low
−22°FJan 19, 1994
Warmest night
83°F3 times, most recently Jun 29, 2024
Coldest day
1°FJan 20, 1985
Wettest day
7.22 inMar 1, 1997
Snowiest day
15.5 inJan 17, 1994
Hottest year
2024mean 61.9°F
Coldest year
1960mean 54.5°F
Wettest year
201868.83 in
Driest year
195330.38 in
Snowiest season
50.1 in1977-78
Average monthly high and low temperature and precipitation, last 30 years, Louisville International Airport 32°F 43° 27° 3.6 Jan 48° 31° 3.6 Feb 59° 39° 4.6 Mar 70° 49° 5.0 Apr 78° 59° 5.2 May 86° 67° 4.6 Jun 89° 71° 4.3 Jul 88° 69° 3.5 Aug 83° 62° 3.7 Sep 71° 50° 3.7 Oct 58° 39° 3.4 Nov 48° 32° 4.1 Dec Precipitation, inches
Average daily high and low by month, and average monthly precipitation, over the last 30 years.
Days reaching 95°F per year 1976: 2 1977: 8 1978: 8 1979: 1 1980: 20 1981: 2 1982: 0 1983: 19 1984: 0 1985: 1 1986: 6 1987: 6 1988: 25 1989: 0 1990: 12 1991: 19 1992: 0 1993: 14 1994: 12 1995: 10 1996: 0 1997: 2 1998: 4 1999: 24 2000: 2 2001: 1 2002: 23 2003: 0 2004: 0 2005: 13 2006: 3 2007: 29 2008: 9 2009: 0 2010: 30 30 2011: 17 2012: 27 2013: 4 2014: 1 2015: 4 2016: 4 2017: 5 2018: 4 2019: 19 2020: 2 2021: 12 2022: 16 2023: 6 2024: 14 2025: 8 19761986199620062016
Days reaching 95°F each complete year, last 50 years. Thirty-year average: 9.4.
Snowfall by winter 1976: 24.0 in 1977: 50.1 in 50.1 1978: 20.3 in 1979: 18.3 in 1980: 2.9 in 1981: 11.0 in 1982: 5.2 in 1983: 13.5 in 1984: 18.9 in 1985: 11.6 in 1986: 18.2 in 1987: 8.5 in 1988: 0.9 in 1989: 14.7 in 1990: 6.1 in 1991: 3.2 in 1992: 18.9 in 1993: 29.9 in 1994: 4.0 in 1996: 5.3 in 1997: 22.8 in 1998: 13.3 in 1999: 12.0 in 2000: 14.8 in 2003: 6.9 in 2004: 14.1 in 2005: 5.6 in 2006: 3.4 in 2007: 19.9 in 2008: 12.1 in 2009: 21.3 in 2010: 17.7 in 2011: 7.0 in 2012: 9.8 in 2013: 26.0 in 2014: 27.6 in 2015: 14.9 in 2016: 2.7 in 2017: 19.1 in 2018: 11.2 in 2019: 3.4 in 2020: 19.4 in 2021: 9.5 in 2022: 5.9 in 2023: 4.6 in 2024: 22.7 in 2025: 18.8 in 19761986199720092019
Total snowfall each winter (July to June), last 50 winters.

Median first snow

December 3

Earliest: October 19, 1989

Median last snow

March 17

Latest: April 21, 2021

0 of 75 winters had no measurable snow.

Station Louisville International Airport (USW00093821), 480 ft elevation, 20.3 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1948 to October 26, 2026; 100.0% 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.

Federal disaster declarations

22 since 1953. The most recent: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, August 15, 2026.

Federal disaster declarations
Aug 15, 2026FloodSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and FloodingEmergencyEM-3651-IN
Jan 24, 2026Winter StormSevere Winter StormEmergencyEM-3641-IN
Jul 22, 2025FloodSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and FloodingMajor disasterDR-4882-IN
Apr 3, 2020BiologicalCovid-19 PandemicMajor disasterDR-4515-IN
Mar 13, 2020BiologicalCovid-19EmergencyEM-3456-IN
May 4, 2018FloodSevere Storms and FloodingMajor disasterDR-4363-IN
Jun 23, 2011Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, andMajor disasterDR-1997-IN
Mar 5, 2009Severe StormSevere Winter StormMajor disasterDR-1828-IN
Sep 23, 2008Severe StormSevere Storms and FloodingMajor disasterDR-1795-IN
Sep 10, 2005HurricaneHurricane Katrina EvacuationEmergencyEM-3238-IN
Jan 21, 2005Severe StormSevere Winter Storms and FloodingMajor disasterDR-1573-IN
Jan 11, 2005SnowstormSnowEmergencyEM-3197-IN
Sep 1, 2004Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes and FloodingMajor disasterDR-1542-IN
Jun 3, 2004Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and FloodingMajor disasterDR-1520-IN
Mar 6, 1997Severe StormSevere Storms and FloodingMajor disasterDR-1165-IN
Jul 3, 1996Severe StormSevere Storms and FloodingMajor disasterDR-1125-IN
Apr 2, 1996FloodBlizzard of 96Major disasterDR-1109-IN
Jan 5, 1991FloodSevere Storms & FloodingMajor disasterDR-891-IN
Jun 4, 1990Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes & FloodingMajor disasterDR-869-IN
Feb 2, 1977SnowstormSnowstormsEmergencyEM-3028-IN
Apr 4, 1974TornadoTornadoesMajor disasterDR-423-IN
Jul 30, 1968FloodFloodingMajor disasterDR-247-IN

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.

How this compares

Where Harrison County stands among 92 counties in Indiana and 3,143 in the United States.

Ranks
Tornadoes since 19502534 / 921,264 / 3,143
Tornadoes rated F3/EF3 or stronger248 / 92866 / 3,143
Tropical cyclones within 50 mi11 / 921,473 / 3,143
Hurricane-strength passes within 50 mi0——
Wildfire acres since 19840——
Flood insurance claims20723 / 92909 / 3,143
Flood insurance paid$8.6 million11 / 92513 / 3,143
Disaster declarations226 / 921,187 / 3,143
Flood events since 19967433 / 92947 / 3,143
Hail and wind events since 199629619 / 921,239 / 3,143
Winter storm events since 19963863 / 922,244 / 3,143
Reported damage since 1996$12.1 million40 / 921,832 / 3,143
River crests at major flood stage0——
High tide flooding days a year, last 10 years0.0——
Months in severe drought since 189513338 / 921,379 / 3,143
Medium or heavy smoke days a year, last 10 years16.090 / 921,459 / 3,143
Earthquakes M4+ within 50 mi since 19000——
Earthquakes M2.5+ in the county since 197318 / 92826 / 3,143

Neighbouring counties

Neighbouring counties
Crawford County710136
Floyd County1410233
Hardin County KY3020478
Jefferson County KY33105,557
Meade County KY161018
Washington County350058

Sources and vintage

Every number on this page comes from these public records.

  • 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 USW00093821.
  • 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.