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 Each spoke is this county’s percentile among U.S. counties where that hazard occurs. How it is computed
- 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.
Tropical cyclones within 50 mi
1
Most of any of Indiana’s 92 counties
None at hurricane strength since 1851
DetailsStrongest 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
DetailsTornadoes
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.
Every recorded tornado
| Dec 28, 2025 | EF0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 4, 2024 | EF0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 2, 2024 | EF1 | 3.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Dec 31, 2018 | EF1 | 2.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 20, 2018 | EF1 | 6.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jan 30, 2013 | EF0 | 2.7 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 22, 2011 | EF0 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 19, 2011 | EF0 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 27, 2008 | EF0 | 0.8 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 27, 2008 | EF0 | 0.4 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 27, 2008 | EF0 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 |
| May 17, 2003 | F0 | 1.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 21, 1996 | F1 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| May 28, 1996 | F2 | 10.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 6, 1990 | F1 | 1.0 | 2 | 0 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F2 | 11.0 | 9 | 0 |
| Jul 5, 1987 | F0 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 5, 1985 | F2 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 7, 1980 | F1 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 1, 1977 | F1 | 0.5 | 1 | 1 |
| Jan 13, 1976 | F0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 32.0 | 270 | 31 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 68.0 | 86 | 6 |
| May 6, 1971 | F1 | 8.1 | 2 | 1 |
| Apr 27, 1971 | F1 | 1.5 | 2 | 0 |
- Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Harrison County: 4.
- 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 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.
- 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.
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
| 47117 | 111 | $7.1 million |
| 47112 | 57 | $820,000 |
| 47142 | 15 | $229,000 |
| 47115 | 5 | $89,000 |
| 47164 | 5 | $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.
- 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 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).
- 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
- Mar 2, 1997Flood, Harrison$10.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
Ohio River flooding. See narrative for north central Kentucky counties.
- 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…
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Feb 20, 2002Thunderstorm Wind$60,000
National Weather Service narrative
A mobile home was overturned. Several porches were blown off.
- Mar 27, 2017Thunderstorm Wind$50,000
National Weather Service narrative
An off duty NWS employee reported 6 power poles down on Crandall-Lanesville Road.
- 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.
- Jul 8, 2016Thunderstorm Wind$50,000
National Weather Service narrative
Local law enforcement reported trees down in the area along with transformers blown.
- 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
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.
| Aug 15, 2026 | Flood | EM-3651-IN |
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | EM-3641-IN |
| Jul 22, 2025 | Flood | DR-4882-IN |
| Apr 3, 2020 | Biological | DR-4515-IN |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | EM-3456-IN |
| May 4, 2018 | Flood | DR-4363-IN |
| Jun 23, 2011 | Severe Storm | DR-1997-IN |
| Mar 5, 2009 | Severe Storm | DR-1828-IN |
| Sep 23, 2008 | Severe Storm | DR-1795-IN |
| Sep 10, 2005 | Hurricane | EM-3238-IN |
| Jan 21, 2005 | Severe Storm | DR-1573-IN |
| Jan 11, 2005 | Snowstorm | EM-3197-IN |
| Sep 1, 2004 | Severe Storm | DR-1542-IN |
| Jun 3, 2004 | Severe Storm | DR-1520-IN |
| Mar 6, 1997 | Severe Storm | DR-1165-IN |
| Jul 3, 1996 | Severe Storm | DR-1125-IN |
| Apr 2, 1996 | Flood | DR-1109-IN |
| Jan 5, 1991 | Flood | DR-891-IN |
| Jun 4, 1990 | Severe Storm | DR-869-IN |
| Feb 2, 1977 | Snowstorm | EM-3028-IN |
| Apr 4, 1974 | Tornado | DR-423-IN |
| Jul 30, 1968 | Flood | DR-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.
| Tornadoes since 1950 | 25 | 34 / 92 |
| Tornadoes rated F3/EF3 or stronger | 2 | 48 / 92 |
| Tropical cyclones within 50 mi | 1 | 1 / 92 |
| Hurricane-strength passes within 50 mi | 0 | — |
| Wildfire acres since 1984 | 0 | — |
| Flood insurance claims | 207 | 23 / 92 |
| Flood insurance paid | $8.6 million | 11 / 92 |
| Disaster declarations | 22 | 6 / 92 |
| Flood events since 1996 | 74 | 33 / 92 |
| Hail and wind events since 1996 | 296 | 19 / 92 |
| Winter storm events since 1996 | 38 | 63 / 92 |
| Reported damage since 1996 | $12.1 million | 40 / 92 |
| River crests at major flood stage | 0 | — |
| High tide flooding days a year, last 10 years | 0.0 | — |
| Months in severe drought since 1895 | 133 | 38 / 92 |
| Medium or heavy smoke days a year, last 10 years | 16.0 | 90 / 92 |
| Earthquakes M4+ within 50 mi since 1900 | 0 | — |
| Earthquakes M2.5+ in the county since 1973 | 1 | 8 / 92 |
Neighbouring counties
| Crawford County | 7 | 1 |
| Floyd County | 14 | 1 |
| Hardin County KY | 30 | 2 |
| Jefferson County KY | 33 | 1 |
| Meade County KY | 16 | 1 |
| Washington County | 35 | 0 |
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.