Spencer County

Every recorded tornado

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

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. Jan 26, 2009Winter Storm, Spencer$6.0 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…

2. Sep 14, 2008High Wind, Spencer$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…

3. May 25, 2004Flash Flood$1.1 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Widespread flash flooding occurred across northern Warrick and Spencer Counties. In northern Spencer County, numerous roads were closed by flooding, and some persons were rescued from stalled vehicles. About eight inches of water was over U.S. Highway 231 in Gentryville. State Highway 245 was closed at Lamar due to high water. Some flooding of a few homes was reported in Spencer County. About six inches of water entered a cabinet manufacturing facility. Significant amounts of debris washed across the property of an amusement park at Santa Claus in Spencer County, closing the park for several days. Three feet of muddy water was flowing through the park. City streets were flooded…

4. Mar 18, 2008Flood$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Three young boys were rescued unhurt when their boat capsized in Anderson River backwaters just southeast of New Boston. Several stranded motorists were rescued. At least one family was rescued from a flooded home in St. Meinrad. A home near the Anderson River was sandbagged. Schools were closed. Numerous roads were closed, including roads that don't normally flood. Major roads that were closed included portions of U.S. Highway 231, Indiana 62, and Indiana 161. Some damage occurred to county roads. Some water entered the Spencer County courthouse and other structures around the county. Residents of a house on Indiana 66 could access their house only by boat.

5. Apr 19, 1996Thunderstorm Wind$200,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A maintenance building lost several walls. A cable TV tower was blown down 1 mile east of Dale. A lady was trapped in her car when power lines fell on it about 5 miles southeast of Dale. A turkey farm just northeast of Dale was extensively damaged. A turkey barn and a garage were destroyed, along with close to 2,000 turkeys. A home received extensive damage to its roof and one wall. A wholesale warehouse lost a wall and part of its roof.

6. Mar 1, 2018Flood$200,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Moderate flooding continued along the Ohio River from late February. The flood crest in neighboring Warrick County was the highest since the March, 1997 flood. Numerous roads were closed for days at a time, including at least 50 county roads. U.S. Route 231 north of Rockport was affected by high water, along with a few other state highways. The town of Grandview in Spencer County was hardest hit, where some residents evacuated.

7. Jan 5, 2025Winter Storm, Spencer$125,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A major winter storm impacted southwest Indiana on the 5th with a mix of snow, sleet, and freezing rain. Heavy snow with rates around 1 inch per hour impacted locations along and north of Interstate 64 beginning in the morning hours before eventually ending as sleet and freezing rain later that day. A lull occurred that evening with areas of freezing drizzle before wrap around moisture caused one final burst of snow into the morning hours on the 6th. Peak accumulations ranged from 4 to 8 inches of snow and sleet along with glazes of ice. Further south along an axis that extended along the Ohio River, a period of snow on the onset transitioned to sleet and freezing rain, ending as…

8. Jan 29, 2008Thunderstorm Wind$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Countywide, trees and power lines were down. Minor structural damage occurred, with damage to roofs and outbuildings.

9. Jun 27, 2011Thunderstorm Wind$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A heat burst occurred in the wake of a line of thunderstorms. About two miles east of Hatfield on Route 66, a large fertilizer auger leg was blown down off a fertilizer storage building. The building sustained minor structural damage to a section of the roof, as well as some limited loss of shingles. Five empty fertilizer wagons were blown up to 100 feet. Several tree limbs were blown down. Peak winds were estimated near 90 mph. The damage area was only about one-quarter mile long and one-quarter mile wide. A heat burst is defined as a localized, sudden increase in surface temperature associated with a thunderstorm, shower, or mesoscale convective system. This heat burst occurred…

10. Jul 20, 2018Thunderstorm Wind$100,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    A damaging downburst crossed into Spencer County from southeast Warrick County. Hundreds of trees, some very large, were uprooted, snapped, or had large broken limbs. A half dozen homes or garages sustained mostly minor damage, with loss of siding, shingles, or other damage. One barn was destroyed east of Hatfield due to fallen trees. A tree fell on a mobile home. Peak winds in this downburst were estimated near 95 mph. The damage area was about eight miles long and two miles wide, and nearly all of it occurred in Spencer County.

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°FJul 7, 2012

All-time low

−25°FFeb 13, 1899

Warmest night

82°FJul 12, 2011

Coldest day

−1°FFeb 9, 1899

Wettest day

7.53 inNov 15, 2005

Snowiest day

9.8 inDec 22, 2004

Hottest year

2012mean 60.2°F

Coldest year

1997mean 55.1°F

Wettest year

201172.20 in

Driest year

193028.02 in

Snowiest season

33.2 in1995-96

Station Boonville 1S (USC00120852), 400 ft elevation, 14.4 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1897 to October 25, 2026; 99.3% 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 USC00120852.
• 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.