Ohio, 1996

Flooding in Ohio, May 15 to 20, 1996

May 15 to 20, 1996 · NWS ILN · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

7 feet on the 16th. Flood stage is 52 feet.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

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 ILN wrote it up.

Record spring rainfall caused rare May flooding on the Ohio river.The river stage at Cincinnati reached 53.7 feet on the 16th. Flood stage is 52 feet. The flooding closed restaurant barges along the river as well as the horse track on the east side of Cincinnati. The famous American Queen showboat remained stranded in Cincinnati for a few weeks due to the high water. The boat's smokestacks were unable to get underneath the bridges. Marina parking lots were also flooded on the east side of town. Some of the worst flooding was on the east side of town, where backwater flooding occurred at the confluence of the Little Miami river.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Hamilton

When
May 15, 8:00 PM EST to May 20, 6:00 AM EST
Where
Hamilton forecast zone
Coordinates
39.196, -84.543 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Clermont

When
May 15, 8:00 PM EST to May 20, 6:00 AM EST
Where
Clermont forecast zone
Coordinates
39.047, -84.152 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Flood
Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.

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, May 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: 5558788, 5558789.