County Hazards

Storm events on record through

Knox County, Indiana Storm events, disaster declarations and flood insurance claims on record

This page is a county record of past events and claims. It does not show the flood zone or the risk of an address. For the flood map of an address, use FEMA's address search (opens in a new tab).

NCEI has 698 storm events on record for Knox County, Indiana, from 1950 through 30 Jun 2026.

The newest event on record is a flash flood event on 21 Jun 2026.

FEMA has 18 disaster declarations on record for the county from 1964 through 1 Oct 2026. The newest is EM-3651 of 15 Aug 2026.

OpenFEMA has 81 NFIP claims on record for the county from 1978 through 8 Sep 2026. The NFIP paid $1.0 million on these claims.

The NWS collects event reports from a variety of sources, which include (but are not limited to): county, state, and federal emergency management officials, local law enforcement officials, SKYWARN spotters, NWS damage surveys, newspaper clipping services, the insurance industry, and the general public, among others.

The National Weather Service reports property and crop damage estimates using available data at the time of event reporting. These values should therefore be considered broad estimates. Damage amounts are not adjusted for inflation.

Zone (NWS Forecast Zone): A zone is a geographic area defined by the NWS for issuing forecasts, watches, and warnings. While zones often align with counties, they can also represent smaller or subdivided areas within a county to account for differences in weather conditions, such as elevation or proximity to water. Larger-scale events—such as heat, cold, drought, and winter storms—are typically recorded by zone.

The words of the agency. Source: NOAA NCEI, Storm Events Database, page "Frequently Asked Questions", copied on .

This is raw, unedited data from FEMA's National Emergency Management Information System (NEMIS) and as such is subject to a small percentage of human error.

The words of the agency. Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset "Disaster Declarations Summaries - v2", copied on . The page gives: last data refresh 2026-10-01.

It is derived from the National Flood Insurance Program system of record, staged in the program's reporting platform and redacted to protect policy holder personally identifiable information.

The words of the agency. Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset "NFIP Redacted Claims - v3", copied on . The page gives: last data refresh 2026-09-09.

Dates of the data: NCEI storm events through . OpenFEMA disaster declarations through . NFIP claims through .

Since the last update: no change is on record for Knox County. The site compares the agency data at each update. Updates of the data

The five hazards

Storm events on record for Knox County by hazard and period (NCEI, through 30 Jun 2026)
Hazard1950 to 20262000 to 20092010 to 20192020 to 2026Newest event
Hail99264313
Tornado28233
Flood2101412614
Wind3055311575
Winter331088
Other event types23Heat, cold, drought, wildfire, lightning, fog, tropical and other types
All storm events698235204120

A hazard name opens the page of that hazard for the county. A hazard has a page from 10 events. The year 2026 has the events through 30 Jun 2026 only.

Forecast zones with the name of the county give 132 of the 698 events. A county count has the events that NCEI gives to the county. It also has the events of a forecast zone that has the name of the county. A zone with another name counts for the state only.

Rates of Knox County beside the total of the counties of Indiana and of the United States
MeasureKnoxAll counties of IndianaAll counties of the United States
Storm events for each 100 square miles, 1950 to 2026135.3119.649.3
Storm events for each 10,000 residents, 1950 to 2026194.162.952.5
NFIP claims for each 1,000 policies in force, 2016 to 2025no figure140.4185.3

The columns for the state and the United States total the counties. They count the events of each county in the same way as the county column. The site gives a rate for each 10,000 residents only from 10,000 residents. Residents and area: Census Bureau, 2021.

Newest storm events on record

Flash Flood

4 miles NNE of FREELANDVILLE. Damage estimate: $10 thousand

TornadoEF0

3 miles WNW of JOHNSTOWN. Damage estimate: $30 thousand

Thunderstorm Wind64 mph (56 knots, estimated gust)

1 mile E of VINCENNES. Damage estimate: $75 thousand

Thunderstorm Wind64 mph (56 knots, estimated gust)

3 miles W of EDWARDSPORT. Damage estimate: $50 thousand

Thunderstorm Wind58 mph (50 knots, estimated gust)

1 mile E of JOHNSTOWN. Damage estimate: $2 thousand

Thunderstorm Wind58 mph (50 knots, estimated gust)

1 mile NE of BRUCEVILLE. Damage estimate: $25 thousand

Flood

At JOHNSTOWN

Flood

3 miles NNW of JOHNSTOWN. Damage estimate: $10 thousand

Flood

1 mile WSW of BRUCEVILLE. Damage estimate: $25 thousand

Flood

2 miles SW of FREELANDVILLE. Damage estimate: $10 thousand

Flash Flood

2 miles N of VINCENNES

Thunderstorm Wind58 mph (50 knots, estimated gust)

1 mile NE of BRUCEVILLE. Damage estimate: $1 thousand

Thunderstorm Wind58 mph (50 knots, estimated gust)

1 mile E of VINCENNES. Damage estimate: $3 thousand

Thunderstorm Wind58 mph (50 knots, estimated gust)

3 miles WSW of BRUCEVILLE. Damage estimate: $1 thousand

Thunderstorm Wind58 mph (50 knots, estimated gust)

4 miles NNE of VINCENNES. Damage estimate: $2 thousand

Hail2.00 in, hen egg size

1 mile W of BICKNELL

Hail1.00 in, quarter size

1 mile NE of BRUCEVILLE

High Wind58 mph (50 knots, estimated gust)

On record for the forecast zone. Damage estimate: $60 thousand

Thunderstorm Wind60 mph (52 knots, estimated gust)

3 miles W of MONROE CITY. Damage estimate: $2 thousand

Flood

1 mile W of FREELANDVILLE. Damage estimate: $5 thousand

Hail1.25 in, half dollar size

1 mile W of OAKTOWN

Heavy Snow

On record for the forecast zone

Thunderstorm Wind60 mph (52 knots, estimated gust)

3 miles W of FRITCHTON. Damage estimate: $4 thousand

Flood

3 miles WSW of FRITCHTON. Damage estimate: $5 thousand

Thunderstorm Wind62 mph (54 knots, estimated gust)

1 mile W of BICKNELL. Damage estimate: $50 thousand

The 25 events above are the newest in the NCEI record. A place is the text of the NCEI record: a distance and a direction from a reference place. Wind speed is in miles per hour, with the knots that NCEI gives. The site does not show a place text that names a private property or reads as a person. Download these events (CSV)

Storm events on record for Knox County by year, 1950 to 2026
DecadeYear that ends in 0Year that ends in 1Year that ends in 2Year that ends in 3Year that ends in 4Year that ends in 5Year that ends in 6Year that ends in 7Year that ends in 8Year that ends in 9All
1950s00001121016
1960s01210001016
1970s110001640215
1980s222100121617
1990s7330242214281295
2000s16102019172034134343235
2010s242237289102262620204
2020s1061717212722 (part of the year)120

A darker cell has a larger count. The number is in each cell.

NCEI recorded tornado events from 1950, and hail and thunderstorm wind events from 1955. It recorded all event types from 1996. A count before 1996 has fewer event types.

FEMA disaster declarations

FEMA has 18 disaster declarations on record for Knox County from 1964 through 1 Oct 2026. The newest is EM-3651: SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING.

Disaster declarations that name Knox County (OpenFEMA, through 1 Oct 2026)
DeclaredNumberTypeIncident typeTitle in the FEMA recordAssistance
EM-3651EmergencyFloodSEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODINGPublic
EM-3641EmergencyWinter StormSEVERE WINTER STORMPublic
DR-4515Major disasterBiologicalCOVID-19 PANDEMICIndividual, Public
EM-3456EmergencyBiologicalCOVID-19Public
DR-1997Major disasterSevere StormSEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, ANDPublic
DR-1795Major disasterSevere StormSEVERE STORMS AND FLOODINGIndividual
DR-1766Major disasterSevere StormSEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND TORNADOESIndividual, Public
EM-3238EmergencyHurricaneHURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATIONPublic
DR-1573Major disasterSevere StormSEVERE WINTER STORMS AND FLOODINGIndividual, Public
EM-3197EmergencySnowstormSNOWPublic
DR-1433Major disasterSevere StormSEVERE STORMS AND TORNADOESIndividual, Public
DR-1418Major disasterSevere StormSEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES AND FLOODINGIndividual, Public
DR-1234Major disasterSevere StormSEVERE STORMS AND TORNADOES, AND FLOODINGPublic
DR-1125Major disasterSevere StormSEVERE STORMS AND FLOODINGPublic
DR-1109Major disasterFloodBLIZZARD OF 96Public
DR-891Major disasterFloodSEVERE STORMS & FLOODINGIndividual, Public
DR-869Major disasterSevere StormSEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES & FLOODINGIndividual, Public
DR-596Major disasterFloodSEVERE STORMS & FLOODINGPublic

DR is a major disaster declaration. EM is an emergency declaration. FM is a fire management assistance declaration. A declaration for the whole state is on the Indiana page. What a disaster declaration is

The dataset includes declared recovery programs and geographic areas (county not available before 1964; Fire Management records are considered partial due to historical nature of the dataset).

The words of the agency. Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset "Disaster Declarations Summaries - v2", copied on . The page gives: last data refresh 2026-10-01.

Flood insurance claims (NFIP)

OpenFEMA has 81 NFIP claims on record for Knox County from 1978 through 8 Sep 2026.

The NFIP paid $1,011,921 on 65 claims.

FEMA counts 59 residential policies in force on 3 Aug 2026. The site gives a rate for each 1,000 policies only from 100 policies, because one claim changes a smaller rate too much.

NFIP claims in Knox County by year of loss, 1978 to 2026
DecadeYear that ends in 0Year that ends in 1Year that ends in 2Year that ends in 3Year that ends in 4Year that ends in 5Year that ends in 6Year that ends in 7Year that ends in 8Year that ends in 9All
1970s022
1980s01120100005
1990s1201003105022
2000s2190072010132
2010s070400220116
2020s0031000 (part of the year)4

A darker cell has a larger count. The number is in each cell.

NFIP claims by year of loss with the amount paid: 25 years
NFIP claims in Knox County by year of loss, with the amount paid (OpenFEMA, through 8 Sep 2026)
Year of lossClaimsClaims with a paymentAmount paid
20231not shownnot shown
20223not shownnot shown
20191not shownnot shown
20172not shownnot shown
20162not shownnot shown
20134not shownnot shown
201176$146,338
20091not shownnot shown
20081010$261,023
20062not shownnot shown
200576$97,113
200296$41,810
20011not shownnot shown
20002not shownnot shown
199855$40,211
19961not shownnot shown
19953not shownnot shown
1993108$57,657
19912not shownnot shown
19901not shownnot shown
19851not shownnot shown
19832not shownnot shown
19821not shownnot shown
19811not shownnot shown
19792not shownnot shown

A year with fewer than 5 claims shows the count of claims and no amount. A year with 1 to 4 claims with a payment shows no amount either. Such an amount could point to one property. The amount is the sum of the building, contents and increased cost of compliance payments. FEMA counts 10 multiple-loss properties in the county (2 Aug 2026). How FEMA redacts NFIP claims

This dataset is not intended to be an official federal report, and should not be considered an official federal report.

Note, the County Code field may not reflect the individual county the property is located as projects can be associated with more than one county

The words of the agency. Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset "NFIP Redacted Claims - v3", copied on . The page gives: last data refresh 2026-09-09.

FEMA cannot verify the quality and/or timeliness of any data or any analysis derived therefrom after the data has been retrieved from FEMA.gov.

The words of the agency. Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Terms and Conditions, copied on . The page gives: last updated 2025-01-22.

National Risk Index

Risk Index rating
Relatively Low
Risk Index score
55.3 of 100
Expected Annual Loss rating
Relatively Low
Expected Annual Loss
$19 million
Social Vulnerability rating
Relatively Low
Community Resilience rating
Very High
National Risk Index of Knox County by hazard type (FEMA, December 2025 release)
Hazard typeRisk Index ratingExpected Annual Loss
Cold waveRelatively Low$336,185
DroughtRelatively Moderate$1,010,052
EarthquakeRelatively Moderate$5,824,081
HailRelatively Low$283,547
Heat waveRelatively Low$667,249
HurricaneVery Low$10,951
Ice stormRelatively Low$110,263
Inland floodingRelatively Low$7,450,439
LandslideRelatively Low$4,498
LightningRelatively Moderate$501,860
Strong windRelatively Moderate$623,450
TornadoRelatively Low$1,875,708
WildfireVery Low$2,651
Winter weatherRelatively Moderate$146,518

The National Risk Index dataset leverages available source data for natural hazard and community risk factors to develop a baseline relative risk measurement for each United States county and Census tract.

The rating is a qualitative categorization that describes the community in comparison to all other communities at the same level, ranging from “Very Low” to “Very High.”

The National Risk Index data are meant for planning purposes only.

The words of the agency. Source: FEMA, National Risk Index Data: Frequently Asked Questions (December 2025, v1.20), copied on .

The labels and the ratings are those of FEMA. Expected Annual Loss is a figure for a whole county. It is not a figure for a property. How to read the National Risk Index

Tropical storm and hurricane tracks

The HURDAT2 record of the National Hurricane Center has 4 tracks within 100 miles of the centre point of the county, through the 2025 season. 0 of them were within 50 miles at hurricane strength.

Storm names, years and distances: 4 tracks
Tropical storm and hurricane tracks within 100 miles of the centre point of Knox County (NHC HURDAT2)
Storm nameYearNearest point of the trackHighest wind within 100 miles
Helene202460 miles46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm194169 miles40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm191519 miles40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm190285 miles40 mph

A name is the storm name that the National Hurricane Center gave. The distance is from the centre line of the track. It does not show how far the wind, the rain or the surge of a storm went.

ZIP Codes, cities and towns of Knox County

Each ZIP Code below has a page with its NFIP claims by year. 7 more ZIP Codes have fewer than 5 claims and no page.

A city or town has no page of its own. This page is the record for the whole county, which has these places:

  • Bicknell
  • Bruceville
  • Decker
  • Edwardsport
  • Emison
  • Freelandville
  • Monroe City
  • Oaktown
  • Ragsdale
  • Sandborn
  • Vincennes
  • Westphalia
  • Wheatland

Official channels

These links open the pages of the agencies. The site checked the links on .

Cite this page

County Hazards. "Knox County, Indiana: storm events, disaster declarations and flood insurance claims on record". https://countyhazards.com/county/in/knox/. Data: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database through 30 Jun 2026; FEMA OpenFEMA disaster declarations through 1 Oct 2026; FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP claims through 8 Sep 2026. Page made on .

Where the data comes from

  • Storm events: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, yearly details files through 30 Jun 2026.
  • Disaster declarations: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, read on 1 Oct 2026.
  • NFIP claims: OpenFEMA NFIP Claims, as of 8 Sep 2026. Multiple-loss properties: 2 Aug 2026. Policies in force: 3 Aug 2026.
  • National Risk Index: FEMA, December 2025 release. Storm tracks: NHC HURDAT2 through the 2025 season.
  • Residents, area, places and adjacent counties: US Census Bureau, 2021 vintage.

How the counts are made · Corrections · Hazards in all states: hail, tornado, flood, wind, winter

Questions

How many tornado events are on record for Knox County?
NCEI has 28 tornado events on record for Knox County from 1950 through 30 Jun 2026. 13 events have a rating of EF2 or F2, or a higher rating.
How large is the hail on record for Knox County?
NCEI has 99 hail events on record from 1955 through 30 Jun 2026. 27 events have a hail size of 1.75 inches or more. NCEI names 1.75 inches a golf ball.
Which month has the most storm events on record for Knox County?
May has 127 of the 698 storm events on record from 1950 through 30 Jun 2026.
How many NFIP claims are there for each 1,000 policies in force in Knox County?
FEMA counts 59 residential policies in force on 3 Aug 2026. The site gives a rate for each 1,000 policies only from 100 policies, because one claim changes a smaller rate too much.