Indiana lightning risk
Marion County has the highest lightning risk in Indiana, scoring 96.9 out of 100 — rated "Very High" by FEMA's National Risk Index. NOAA has recorded 50 lightning events across Indiana over the past decade.
| # | County | NRI score | Rating |
NOAA events 2016–2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marion County | 96.9 | Very High | 4 |
| 2 | Lake County | 92.6 | Relatively High | 1 |
| 3 | Allen County | 83.9 | Relatively High | 5 |
| 4 | Hamilton County | 83.9 | Relatively High | 1 |
| 5 | St. Joseph County | 80.4 | Relatively Moderate | 3 |
| 6 | Vanderburgh County | 79.9 | Relatively Moderate | 4 |
| 7 | Clark County | 78.6 | Relatively Moderate | 1 |
| 8 | Delaware County | 75.6 | Relatively Moderate | 2 |
| 9 | Marshall County | 75.6 | Relatively Moderate | 2 |
| 10 | Floyd County | 70.9 | Relatively Moderate | 1 |
| 11 | Knox County | 69.6 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 12 | Fountain County | 67.8 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 13 | Kosciusko County | 67.7 | Relatively Moderate | 4 |
| 14 | LaPorte County | 67.5 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 15 | Elkhart County | 66.3 | Relatively Moderate | 3 |
| 16 | Tippecanoe County | 66 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 17 | Monroe County | 62.4 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 18 | Decatur County | 62.2 | Relatively Moderate | 1 |
| 19 | Vigo County | 60.8 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 20 | Wayne County | 59.5 | Relatively Moderate | 1 |
| 21 | Johnson County | 59.3 | Relatively Moderate | 2 |
| 22 | LaGrange County | 58.9 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 23 | Hendricks County | 58.3 | Relatively Moderate | 4 |
| 24 | Porter County | 56.8 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 25 | Madison County | 56.4 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 26 | Dearborn County | 55.9 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 27 | Daviess County | 53.8 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 28 | Howard County | 51.8 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 29 | Ripley County | 51.2 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 30 | Jackson County | 50.8 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 31 | Harrison County | 50.2 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 32 | Grant County | 48.7 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 33 | Morgan County | 47.9 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 34 | Noble County | 45.9 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 35 | Jefferson County | 45.7 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 36 | Bartholomew County | 45.1 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 37 | Henry County | 45.1 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 38 | Jennings County | 45.1 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 39 | Cass County | 43.3 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 40 | Warrick County | 42 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 41 | Dubois County | 40.7 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 42 | Adams County | 40.3 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 43 | Lawrence County | 39.3 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 44 | Steuben County | 38.7 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 45 | DeKalb County | 38.5 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 46 | Washington County | 36.3 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 47 | Miami County | 36.1 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 48 | Gibson County | 35.5 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 49 | Wabash County | 35.1 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 50 | Hancock County | 33 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 51 | Parke County | 32.5 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 52 | Starke County | 32.3 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 53 | Fayette County | 31.3 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 54 | Putnam County | 30.9 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 55 | Shelby County | 30.5 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 56 | Fulton County | 30.1 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 57 | Scott County | 30 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 58 | Greene County | 29.4 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 59 | Franklin County | 28.8 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 60 | Montgomery County | 28.6 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 61 | Boone County | 27.6 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 62 | Randolph County | 26.2 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 63 | Huntington County | 25.5 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 64 | Pike County | 25.2 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 65 | Clinton County | 25 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 66 | Posey County | 24.1 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 67 | White County | 23.8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 68 | Crawford County | 23.5 | Very Low | 0 |
| 69 | Rush County | 23.3 | Very Low | 0 |
| 70 | Perry County | 22.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 71 | Spencer County | 22.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 72 | Orange County | 21.2 | Very Low | 0 |
| 73 | Brown County | 20.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 74 | Jasper County | 20.1 | Very Low | 1 |
| 75 | Whitley County | 19.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 76 | Switzerland County | 19.8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 77 | Owen County | 19.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 78 | Wells County | 19.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 79 | Clay County | 18.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 80 | Jay County | 18.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 81 | Vermillion County | 17 | Very Low | 0 |
| 82 | Pulaski County | 16.3 | Very Low | 0 |
| 83 | Carroll County | 14.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 84 | Ohio County | 13 | Very Low | 0 |
| 85 | Sullivan County | 11.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 86 | Blackford County | 10.8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 87 | Martin County | 10.8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 88 | Newton County | 10 | Very Low | 0 |
| 89 | Union County | 6.3 | Very Low | 0 |
| 90 | Benton County | 6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 91 | Warren County | 5.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 92 | Tipton County | 4.5 | Very Low | 0 |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0, December 2025. Scores are 0–100 percentile rankings among all US counties. See the methodology page for definitions. Download the full CSV for all counties.
Lightning risk nationally:
Other hazard risks in Indiana:
Frequently asked questions
What is the highest lightning risk county in Indiana?
Marion County, IN has the highest lightning risk in Indiana, with a FEMA National Risk Index score of 96.9 out of 100 (rated "Very High").
How many counties in Indiana are rated Very High for lightning risk?
1 of 92 scored Indiana counties are rated "Very High" for lightning risk by FEMA's National Risk Index.
What causes lightning risk in Indiana?
Lightning risk reflects expected annual losses from cloud-to-ground strikes, which ignite building fires, damage electrical systems, and cause fatalities. Florida consistently leads the US in lightning density. High scores also appear across the Gulf Coast, Southeast, and central Plains, where afternoon convective storms are most frequent in summer months.