Starke County

Every recorded tornado

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

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.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Feb 20, 2018Flood$1.2 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Extensive flooding occurred across the county as rivers, creeks, streams and ditches could not keep up with the flood waters. Water was reported to be so high and fast that many ditches were breaking, allowing the water to spill onto roads and other areas. A levee on the Yellow River west of State Route 39 and south of State Route 8 was breached, causing extensive damage to the levee and increased flooding downstream. Portions of State Routes 8, 39, 10 and 23 as well as countless county roads were closed due to high water. Damage is estimated in excess of 1.2 million dollars.

2. Mar 10, 2009Flood$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Numerous roads were flooded with standing water ranging from six inches to a few feet in depth. The hardest hit areas were generally south of US 30 with at least 10 roads reported closed due to high water. The Kankakee River rose to a record level of 13.72 feet near Davis. Several lakes in the area, including Bass Lake, rose to well above levels and caused areas of flooding to adjacent properties. Damage is estimated at one million dollars.

3. Apr 30, 2019Lightning$75,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Lightning struck a home in the city of Knox during a thunderstorm Tuesday evening. Local media did not provide an exact time, but appeared to be early evening so the time has been estimated. The home was a total loss. No one was injured in the fire. Damage is estimated at $75,000.

4. Jul 21, 2005Thunderstorm Wind$50,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A large tree was uprooted, falling over onto a house in Koontz Lake, destroying the home. The home was not occupied at the time.

5. Mar 10, 2026Thunderstorm Wind$35,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Report of a barn destroyed, with debris on SR 8 west of the Starke County Airport.

6. Mar 10, 2026Tornado$35,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Video obtained from storm chasers claiming to be on the south-|southeast side of the parent mesocyclone clearly show two|distinct tornadoes occurring at the same time. One larger circulation|with numerous power flashes, with a smaller 2nd circulation off to |the southwest. Based on the unusual damage path that the NWS damage |assessment uncovered, this aligns with the idea that a small, |short-lived circulation formed on the southern periphery of the |large wedge tornado, producing brief EF-0 damage before dissipating.

7. Jun 5, 2005Thunderstorm Wind$30,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Trees and power lines were reported down in the North Judson area. The strong winds continued east into Bass Lake, where a 75 foot high tree was blown down onto a house, as well as a Ford Expedition sitting next to the house. A boat capsized on Bass Lake, but no injuries were reported.

8. Aug 29, 2022Thunderstorm Wind$30,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Countless trees down, uprooted, or snapped. Power lines are down and some power poles broken. One instance of a tree uprooted and snapped, 6 to 10 inches in diameter.

9. Feb 24, 2007Ice Storm, Starke$25,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Around a quarter inch of ice along with a few tenths of sleet, cause dangerous driving and areas of power outages. A 37 year old male was killed after sliding into the path of a semi, with the vehicle being struck on the driver side near 600 W and US 30. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene despite wearing a seat belt.

10. Mar 30, 2025Thunderstorm Wind$25,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Several trees down on S Walnut street between Garden St and E Weninger. The alleyway west of there has trees damaged as well. Powerlines down too.

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

109°F3 times, most recently Jul 14, 1936

All-time low

−29°FJan 20, 1985

Warmest night

96°FJul 4, 1897

Coldest day

−15°FJan 19, 1994

Wettest day

6.30 inJul 10, 2024

Snowiest day

15.0 inDec 18, 1929

Hottest year

2012mean 53.6°F

Coldest year

2014mean 47.2°F

Wettest year

199350.47 in

Driest year

192827.18 in

Snowiest season

68.7 in2013-14

Station Winamac 2SSE (USC00129670), 690 ft elevation, 17.8 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1897 to September 29, 2026; 97.8% 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 USC00129670.
• 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.