Ohio, 1981

Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Ohio, June 21, 1981

June 21, 1981 · 14 events in 14 counties and zones

7 tornado, 7 thunderstorm wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
3
Property damage
$1.0 million
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
14

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

Event by event

7 tornado, 7 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Darke

When
June 21, 9:14 AM CST
Where
Darke County
Rating
F1
Path length
2.3 mi
Path width
150 yd
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
40.220, -84.630

Thunderstorm Wind, Champaign

When
June 21, 10:39 AM CST
Where
Champaign County
Coordinates
40.120, -83.950

Tornado, Union

When
June 21, 11:30 AM CST
Where
Union County
Rating
F1
Path length
1.9 mi
Path width
100 yd
Injuries
3 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
40.230, -83.370

Thunderstorm Wind, Muskingum

When
June 21, 12:00 PM CST
Where
Muskingum County
Coordinates
39.950, -82.020

Tornado, Knox

When
June 21, 12:15 PM CST
Where
Knox County
Rating
F0
Path length
2 mi
Path width
150 yd
Property damage
$3,000
Coordinates
40.400, -82.480

Tornado, Columbiana

When
June 21, 1:21 PM CST
Where
Columbiana County
Rating
F0
Path length
1 mi
Path width
100 yd
Property damage
$3,000
Coordinates
40.780, -80.770

Thunderstorm Wind, Mahoning

When
June 21, 1:25 PM CST
Where
Mahoning County
Coordinates
40.900, -80.850

Thunderstorm Wind, Jefferson

When
June 21, 1:50 PM CST
Where
Jefferson County
Coordinates
40.200, -80.780

Thunderstorm Wind, Gallia

When
June 21, 2:45 PM CST
Where
Gallia County
Measured
56 kt (64 mph)
Coordinates
38.820, -82.330

Thunderstorm Wind, Meigs

When
June 21, 3:05 PM CST
Where
Meigs County
Measured
56 kt (64 mph)
Coordinates
39.050, -82.050

Thunderstorm Wind, Athens

When
June 21, 3:15 PM CST
Where
Athens County
Measured
56 kt (64 mph)
Coordinates
39.370, -82.000

Tornado, Lawrence

When
June 21, 3:20 PM CST
Where
Lawrence County
Rating
F0
Path length
1 mi
Path width
100 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
38.530, -82.670

Tornado, Van Wert

When
June 21, 5:45 PM CST
Where
Van Wert County
Rating
F1
Path width
150 yd
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
40.750, -84.420

Tornado, Allen

When
June 21, 5:47 PM CST
Where
Allen County
Rating
F1
Path length
2.7 mi
Path width
33 yd
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
40.730, -84.400

What these are

Tornado
A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.
Thunderstorm Wind
Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Ohio in 1981Every state in 1981This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Ohio, 1981

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 10100097, 10100098, 10100099, 10100100, 10100101, 10100102, 10100103, 10100104, 10100105, 10100106, 10100107, 10100108, 10100109, 10100110.