Wells County

Every recorded tornado

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

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Jul 5, 2003Flood, Wells$4.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Wabash river in Bluffton reached the second highest crest on record at 18.3 feet. Flood stage is 10 feet. Emergency management reported an estimated damage amount for homes and business as well as damage to infrastructure.

2. Jun 9, 2008Lightning$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Lightning struck the corner of the Farm Credit Services office in Bluffton. Employees reported a loud boom, but nothing was apparent immediately. An off duty Bluffton fire fighter in the area noticed smoke from the building and began evacuations of the building and call for personnel. The fire quickly got into the attic and the building was a total loss with damage estimates of at least $250,000.

3. Jul 22, 1998Flash Flood$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   MANY ROADS AND BASEMENTS WERE FLOODED IN BLUFFTON AND WELLS AS 6 INCHES OF RAIN FELL IN LESS THEN 5 HOURS.

4. Nov 6, 2005Thunderstorm Wind$150,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Numerous reports of damage to buildings, trees, tree limbs, power lines and poles were received across the county. A pole barn was flattened south of Bluffton, as well as a tree being blown down onto a semi travelling on US 224. An air conditioner unit was blown off the top of the Ossian Elementary School, striking a building. A county sheriff's car was damaged while enroute to a alarm call during the storm. The officer's car struck a large tree that fell onto the road. A wind gust of 63 mph was recorded at the Bluffton police department. Surveys from local emergency and NWS officials found evidence of the formation of gustnadoes where concentrated areas of damage were observed.

5. Jun 11, 1998Tornado$150,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   THIS WAS ONE OF SEVERAL TORNADOES PRODUCED FROM THE SAME SUPERCELL THAT DEVELOPED ACROSS HOWARD COUNTY. THIS BRIEF SPINUP CAUSED EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO ALL OUTBUILDINGS ON ONE FARM, 2 FARM HOMES SUFFERED EXTENSIVE DAMAGE, 5 OTHER HOMES SUFFERED MINOR TO MODERATE STRUCTURAL DAMAGE.

6. Jun 6, 2005Thunderstorm Wind$120,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Straight line winds damaged an empty 50,000 bushel steel galvanized grain bin and a smaller grain bin had a few of its legs twisted 1 mile northeast of Markle. Damage was estimated around $100,000. The storm continued on to the northeast, destroying a 40 foot by 60 foot 2 year old pole barn valued at roughly $20,000. Parts of the pole barn were found a half mile away. Some minor roof damage also occurred to an adjacent house.

7. Oct 26, 2010Thunderstorm Wind$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A barn was destroyed, which contained three horses. Two of the horses were rescued, with the third being killed from the weight of the barn. Debris was pushed to the adjacent rail road tracks to the east.

8. Mar 11, 2026Tornado$50,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A weak circulation touched down in an open field southwest of the|intersection of CR S 600 E and E 350 S. The tornado moved|northeast causing damage to a pole barn which lost its roof as|well as had leaning walls. Debris impacted an adjacent pole barn|with the pieces of metal being carried downstream into a yard|just to the east of the above noted intersection. The circulation|continued across mainly unplanted fields, but drone imagery|indicated a narrow area of very light scouring in the field and|inflow into the tornado. A tree fell onto SR 116 near E 300 S,|which a car ran into to. It then continued northeast before|lifting near the county line at S 700 W-1. A small garage…

9. Jul 4, 2003Tornado$50,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   This tornado originated in Huntington county southeast of Plum Tree and crossed into Wells county 3 miles northwest of Liberty center and lifted 3 miles south of Liberty Center. F1 damage was to a home...as well as trees and power poles snapped.

10. Jun 15, 2023Thunderstorm Wind$40,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    A large tree was down onto a mobile home.

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

106°F2 times, most recently Jun 28, 2012

All-time low

−22°FJan 20, 1985

Warmest night

78°F4 times, most recently Jul 28, 2011

Coldest day

−11°FJan 20, 1985

Wettest day

4.40 inJun 3, 1989

Snowiest day

12.6 inMar 10, 1964

Hottest year

2024mean 54.4°F

Coldest year

2014mean 47.7°F

Wettest year

199054.58 in

Driest year

202524.31 in

Snowiest season

81.2 in1981-82

Station Fort Wayne International Airport (USW00014827), 797 ft elevation, 14.0 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1939 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 USW00014827.
• 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.