Posey County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Posey County: 2.
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. Sep 14, 2008High Wind, Posey$4.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Frequent wind gusts from 50 to 70 mph caused numerous problems in southwest Indiana. 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, IL and St. Louis, MO on its way toward the northeastern states. The rapid speed of the low pressure system contributed to this high wind event. A peak wind gust of 64 mph was measured by the automated observing system at the Evansville airport. The highest sustained wind at the airport was 47 mph. An unofficial wind gust of 66 mph was measured at Newburgh.||Extensive tree damage occurred. Trees were uprooted and very large limbs were…

2. Mar 2, 1997Flood, Posey$2.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Widespread rainfall amounts around 10 inches in the middle Ohio Valley, from around Louisville to Cincinnati, occurred over a one to three day period. This resulted in a massive flood crest that took a few weeks to travel down the Ohio River. The resultant flood was the worst in about 30 years, and one of the five worst on record. Water from the Ohio River backed up into the Pigeon Creek, which flows through Evansville. About 60 homes were evacuated along Pigeon Creek, and two bridges over the creek were closed. In Warrick County, just a few families were forced from their homes. Numerous roads were closed for days at a time, including at least 50 in Spencer County alone. The…

3. Jan 26, 2009Winter Storm, Posey$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A major winter storm dumped 6 to 10 inches of sleet and snow north and west of Evansville, including Pike County. In addition to the sleet and snow, up to one-half inch of ice coated objects. This resulted in very difficult driving conditions. Numerous vehicles slid off roadways. Schools were out for several days. Isolated power outages affected a small number of people north and west of Evansville. From Evansville south and east, a major ice storm occurred. About one inch of ice accumulated. This resulted in widespread tree damage and numerous power outages. In the city of Evansville itself, several inches of sleet and snow were combined with nearly an inch of ice. The weight of…

4. Apr 24, 2002Hail$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A hailstorm with stones up to golf ball size passed directly over Mount Vernon. At least 200 homes were damaged by the hail, and several hundred vehicles were damaged.

5. Jul 9, 2024Tornado$1.1 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The long track cell entering from Northwest Kentucky produced its first Southwest Indiana tornado on the afternoon of July 9th with an EF-3 tornado. Tree debris and crops flattened in a convergent pattern occurred north of Port Rd, just south of the Kenco facility. The tornado intensified quickly with the Kenco facility the EF-3 damage point, undergoing removal of roughly half the roof and the collapse of several large segments of outer walls. The tornado continued northward, overturning semi trailers and train cars near Old Hwy 62. A manufactured home had its roof blown off and walls collapse near Seibert Ln. Damage to roofs of homes and farm buildings occurred on Nation Rd just…

6. Apr 19, 2011Thunderstorm Wind$750,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A machine shed was unroofed at exit 12 along Interstate 64. A tractor-trailer rig was blown off Interstate 64. The driver was slightly injured. At least a half dozen grain bins were destroyed, and at least a half dozen house roofs sustained moderate to major damage. Dozens of houses received minor roof damage. Several farms in the Griffin area sustained damage. Trees, barns, and sheds were blown down. Three mobile homes were destroyed in the Wadesville area. A few farm buildings were destroyed in the New Harmony area.

7. Jan 5, 2005Flood, Posey$600,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Record flooding of the Lower Wabash River occurred, prompting local emergency declarations in Posey and Gibson Counties. Floodfighting activities included the construction of temporary sandbag levees. A number of lowland residents were evacuated. A total of 43 residents in Gibson County were evacuated, including those along the White and Patoka Rivers. Up to 30 people were sheltered at a Posey County church near the confluence of the Wabash and Ohio Rivers. About 40 homes in Posey County, not including river camps, were affected by the flood. This total does not include homes that were inaccessible due to flooded roads. Across Gibson and Posey Counties, many roadways were closed.…

8. Feb 28, 2017Tornado$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   This long-track tornado continued from White County, Illinois across the Wabash River into Posey County. The tornado was rated EF-2 throughout its path in Posey County. The tornado was about 220 yards wide when it crossed the Wabash River to Indiana Highway 69. Several small barns were destroyed, and most trees were snapped along the path. Power poles were snapped, and roads were blocked by debris. The Posey County portion of the path was almost entirely through agricultural land, resulting in damage to very few residences. The tornado crossed Interstate 64 west of Poseyville, leaving a path of flattened trees across the interstate. Just before the tornado crossed into Gibson…

9. Sep 20, 2002Tornado$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado destroyed 10 mobile homes and four buildings. The greatest concentration of damage was on Highway 165 about 2 miles south of Poseyville. Peak winds were estimated around 130 MPH. Among the destroyed structures was a county highway garage. Eight vehicles were tossed, including a small van that was thrown onto a debris pile. One person was treated for a cut.

10. Mar 2, 2012Tornado$500,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    The tornado began 4.5 miles west southwest of Wadesville and ended 0.6 miles east northeast of Blairsville. The tornado destroyed 1 wood frame house and moderately damaged several others. Several equipment sheds or garages were damaged or destroyed. Several grain bins were destroyed. Over 100 trees were snapped or uprooted. The tornado, which was observed by numerous individuals including storm spotters, had peak winds near 125 mph.

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

107°F3 times, most recently Jul 5, 2012

All-time low

−23°FFeb 2, 1951

Warmest night

82°FJul 8, 1980

Coldest day

−3°F2 times, most recently Dec 22, 1989

Wettest day

6.40 inMar 18, 2008

Snowiest day

19.3 inDec 22, 2004

Hottest year

2024mean 60.3°F

Coldest year

1979mean 53.8°F

Wettest year

201170.03 in

Driest year

196327.88 in

Snowiest season

37.9 in1969-70

Station Evansville Regional Airport (USW00093817), 402 ft elevation, 16.8 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1948 to October 26, 2026; 99.7% 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 USW00093817.
• 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.