Anderson, IN Tornado History — 131 Tornadoes Since 1950
How many tornadoes has Anderson, IN had?
Anderson has had 131 tornadoes on record within 25 miles since 1950, including 15 violent (EF3+) tornadoes.
When was the most recent tornado near Anderson?
The most recent tornado within 25 miles of Anderson was an EF1 on April 2, 2025.
When is tornado season in Anderson?
April is historically the peak month for tornadoes near Anderson, with 35 on record. Spring through early summer (April–June) generally sees the highest activity across most of the central and southern United States.
At a Glance
Recent Tornado Activity Near Anderson
The last 20 years of confirmed tornadoes within 25 miles — 31 total, averaging 1.6 per year over this window.
Tornadoes by Decade
Tornadoes by Enhanced Fujita Rating
F0–F5 ratings (pre-2007) are grouped with their EF equivalents. The Enhanced Fujita scale replaced the original Fujita scale in February 2007.
Tornadoes by Month
Casualties on Record Near Anderson
35 fatalities have been recorded within 25 miles of Anderson since 1950, across 6 events. 434 injuries have been reported across all events. 1965 was the deadliest year on record.
The deadliest single event was a F4 on April 11, 1965, which caused 28 fatalities along a 45.7-mile track.
Notable Tornadoes Near Anderson
About Tornadoes in Anderson
This overview was written July 24, 2026. The tornado counts and notable-event figures elsewhere on this page reflect the latest data and may differ from this summary.
Anderson lies in central Indiana, northeast of Indianapolis, in the flat glaciated farmland that covers much of the state. This is squarely within the tornado-prone interior of the country, where the open terrain provides little resistance to the large weather systems that cross the region each spring and summer.
Indiana's tornado risk comes from the clash of air masses over the Midwest. Warm, moist air flowing north from the Gulf of Mexico meets cooler, drier air from Canada, and when a strong jet stream adds wind shear, thunderstorms can organize into rotating supercells capable of producing tornadoes. Activity builds from spring into summer, when heat and humidity make the atmosphere most unstable, though favorable setups can occur outside those months.
The Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale rates tornado intensity from EF0 to EF5 based on a survey of the damage rather than a measured wind speed. Most tornadoes are relatively weak, but the region's climate can support strong and occasionally violent ones. The tornado history for the Anderson area — counts, the decade and rating breakdowns, and the deadliest, costliest, and most recent events — comes from the NOAA Storm Prediction Center and is displayed in the figures elsewhere on this page.