Ohio, 1996

Flash Flood in Ohio, July 31, 1996

July 31, 1996 · NWS RLX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Late night and predawn thunderstorms moved out of northeastKentucky and dumped 2 to 4 inches of rain in less than 6 hours across Lawrence and southern Gallia Counties. 7 inches in the 24 hour period.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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
0
Property damage
$400,000
Crop damage
$100,000
Events
1

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS RLX wrote it up.

Late night and predawn thunderstorms moved out of northeastKentucky and dumped 2 to 4 inches of rain in less than 6 hours across Lawrence and southern Gallia Counties. Gallipolismeasured 4.7 inches in the 24 hour period. Waterloo had4 inches of rain. No evacuations were reported, but watergot into 25 to 40 homes. The hardest hit region was aroundPedro, Waterloo, and Scottown of Lawrence County. Cornand tobacoo crops were also lost. In southern GalliaCounty some vehicles were damaged in the Sand Fork toMercerville vicinity.

The radar

The Charleston,WV radar (KRLX), 78 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 07:32 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Lawrence

When
July 31, 2:30 AM EST to 7:00 AM EST
Where
Lawrence County, Countywide
Property damage
$400,000
Crop damage
$100,000
Coordinates
38.599, -82.537 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Flash Flood
Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Ohio in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Ohio, July 1996

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: 5565228.