June 1990 Lower Ohio Valley tornado outbreak
June 2–3, 1990: Lower Ohio Valley tornado outbreak
A very large tornado outbreak swept the Midwest on June 2–3, 1990. It produced 65 tornadoes across southern Illinois, central and southern Indiana, southwestern Ohio, and northern Kentucky. Seven of these were strong F4 tornadoes. Indiana alone saw 37 tornadoes in one day, breaking the state’s previous single-day record of 21 set during the 1974 Super Outbreak.
Weather and warning: A strong low-pressure system moved from North Dakota into the Upper Midwest, bringing a cold front across the Mississippi Valley. Very unstable air, a powerful jet stream, and warm, moist air at lower levels created prime conditions for supercell storms. The National Severe Storms Forecast Center issued a high risk for severe weather over much of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and northern Kentucky.
Notable tornadoes: A long-tracked F4 tornado began near Aden and cut across southern Indiana, causing major destruction in towns like Barnhill, Albion, Browns, Mount Carmel, and Petersburg. It injured 11 people and contributed to Indiana’s heavy toll. Another powerful F4 formed west of Union, moved into Petersburg, and leveled many homes and businesses, killing six people in Indiana and injuring many more. A third nighttime F4 started west of Bright and then moved into Ohio, causing severe damage in Hamilton County (around Cincinnati) and nearby areas, with hundreds of homes and several buildings damaged or destroyed and 37 injuries.
Overall impact: Across Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky, 313 homes were destroyed and 892 were damaged. About 76% of destroyed homes and 75% of damaged homes were in Indiana. The outbreak caused 9 fatalities and about 253 injuries. Petersburg was particularly hard hit, and Indiana declared a state of emergency.
The 1990 outbreak was the most destructive tornado event in Indiana since the 1974 Super Outbreak.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 14:49 (CET).