Morgan County

Every recorded tornado

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

Mapped landslides

Mapped by NASA (1).

1. Landslides mapped in the USGS compilation of landslide inventories across the United States (version 3.0, 2025), rated probable or better. The compilation joins inventories made by federal and state agencies for different purposes and areas, so the number mapped in a county reflects how closely it has been surveyed as much as how often its slopes fail. An area with few records may simply not have been mapped. Deaths are as recorded in the inventories; a slide listed in two inventories is counted once.

USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0, retrieved October 27, 2026.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Jun 4, 2008Flood$80.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Flooding occurred along the White River in Morgan County, including near Centerton, due to heavy rain.

2. Sep 20, 2002Tornado$15.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   One of Indiana's longest tracking tornados formed along a squall line on the morning of September 20. The tornado touched down near Ellettsville in Monroe county and then remained on the ground for 112 miles before lifting in Blackford county. The tornado produced F3 damage at its strongest points. Nearly 100 single family homes were destroyed, along with several mobile homes. Some apartments were also destroyed. Many businesses and hundreds of homes received damage. Several counties were declared disaster areas.

3. Mar 31, 2023Tornado$7.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The rotating supercell thunderstorm's third tornado was a strong EF2 that passed immediately south of the city of Martinsville, while the supercell's non-tornadic damaging winds impacted the center of Martinsville. Numerous homes were observed with considerable roof damage in a subdivision near Indiana Highway 37, while an (empty) grain bin was lofted and displaced. The top of a concrete grain bin was torn off. The tornado continued to the east-northeast, causing sporadic tree damage through the next structure along Rolling Hills Drive. The tornado's strongest (120-130 mph) winds occurred at the end of its path, where one pontoon boat was lofted from the west side of of a lake and…

4. Sep 1, 2003Flood, Morgan$5.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   8 to 10 inches of rain fell across central Indiana during the Labor Day weekend causing major flooding along parts of the White River. In fact, Indianapolis received the most rain ever for a calendar day (7.2 inches) breaking the old record set in 1895 (6.8 inches). According to a local newspaper account, nearly 3,000 residents across central Indiana applied for flood assistance and flood damage was estimated in excess of 20 million dollars. SEMA reports indicated more than 300 homes and nearly 60 businesses were flooded. Nearly 200 people were forced to evacuate their residences. The cities of Muncie and Anderson had near major flooding as the river crested at its highest level…

5. Apr 19, 1996Tornado$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A supercell having produced golfball to baseball size hail from eastern Illinois to central Indiana produced a weak tornado in the south suburbs of Indianapolis. In Morgan county the tornado destroyed 6 buildings and damaged nearly 50 others. The main damage was between Five Points and Waverly and was concentrated in the Fox Hill area.

6. Jan 22, 1999Flood, Morgan$1.7 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Heavy rain of up to 5 inches on the 21st and 22nd combined with rapid snow melt upstream causing widespread flooding along the White River from Muncie to East Mount Carmel. Crests ranged from around a foot above flood stage along extreme eastern sections of the White to around 10 feet above flood stage across extreme western sections. Flooding along the river in Hamilton and northern Marion counties were the highest seen since December 1990 and January 1991. Many homes and streets were flooded, and a few rescues took place. The following are various crests along the river: Muncie - 9.62 feet (flood stage is 9 feet); Anderson - 12.8 feet (flood stage is 10 feet); Noblesville -…

7. Mar 31, 2023Thunderstorm Wind$800,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Supercell thunderstorm straight line winds downed numerous large trees and snapped power poles in southwestern Morgan County, where a storm spotter estimated a 60 mph gust. Winds also caused considerable home damage between Paragon and Martinsville, before ripping the steeple off of the church in the center of Martinsville, leaving a hole in the sanctuary.

8. Sep 27, 2024High Wind, Morgan$700,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Non-thunderstorm winds downed many power lines and trees across the county. Two homes were destroyed in Mooresville with minor damage to 2 other homes in town, while minor damage occurred to 10 other homes across the communities of Brooklyn, Waverly, and near the communities of Banta, Morgantown and Wilbur. At least 1800 homes were without power during the event.

9. Apr 8, 2020Tornado$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado began northwest of the intersection of concord and main in Mooresville before doing significant roof and tree damage to portions of downtown. The largest damage occurred to a brick building where the roof was uplifted and fell causing structural damage to the building. The tornado continued to track to the southeast before damaging a large picnic shelter and crossing State Road 67. The tornado then |lifted. In addition to the tornado, an area about 200 yards on either side of the tornado experienced straight line winds that gusted as high as 70 to 80 mph that caused additional damage.

10. Jul 22, 2004Lightning$500,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    A business was destroyed by a lightning induced fire.

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

105°F2 times, most recently Jul 7, 2012

All-time low

−27°FJan 19, 1994

Warmest night

81°FJul 7, 2012

Coldest day

−11°FJan 20, 1985

Wettest day

7.20 inSep 1, 2003

Snowiest day

11.4 inJan 5, 2014

Hottest year

2012mean 56.9°F

Coldest year

2014mean 50.1°F

Wettest year

199656.81 in

Driest year

195427.93 in

Snowiest season

58.2 in1981-82

Station Indianapolis (USW00093819), 887 ft elevation, 14.9 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.

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 USW00093819.
• 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.
• Landslides USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0 (2025).
• 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.