Tornadoes and Hail in Ohio, July 2, 1997

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Ohio, July 2, 1997
Start: 1997-07-02T15:23
End: 1997-07-02T20:20
Location: Ohio

July 2, 1997 · NWS ILN · 36 events in 31 counties and zones

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $2.7 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 36

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.

A low pressure system with an unusually strong mid and upper level jet streak was moving across the Great Lakes with an associated cold front moving across the upper Ohio valley. Thunderstorms developed across Indiana and moved into West-Central Ohio around mid-afternoon with a distinct bow echo causing wind damage from near to Lima to southeast of Columbus. On the southern edge of the first line of storms, a supercell developed over Central Indiana. This storm evolved into a bow echo and swept across the Dayton metro area causing extensive wind damage and a brief tornado in Greene county. Another supercell developed near Cincinnati and moved southeastward along the Ohio River. This storm produced the F3 tornado in Clermont county.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

31 thunderstorm wind, 3 tornado, 2 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Mercer

When: July 2, 3:23 PM EST to 3:55 PM EST
Where: Mercer County, Countywide
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 40.550, -84.620

Numerous trees downed. One tree fell across a house trailer causing damage.

Thunderstorm Wind, Van Wert

When: July 2, 3:30 PM EST to 3:35 PM EST
Where: Van Wert County, Van Wert
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 40.870, -84.570

Numerous trees downed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Shelby

When: July 2, 3:50 PM EST to 4:15 PM EST
Where: Shelby County, Botkins to Sidney
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $20,000
Coordinates: 40.470, -84.180

Roof blown off a barn and numerous trees downed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Auglaize

When: July 2, 4:00 PM EST to 4:05 PM EST
Where: Auglaize County, New Bremen
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 40.430, -84.380

Numerous trees downed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Logan

When: July 2, 4:15 PM EST to 4:45 PM EST
Where: Logan County, Countywide
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 40.380, -83.750

Trees downed across the entire county.

Thunderstorm Wind, Darke

When: July 2, 4:30 PM EST to 4:40 PM EST
Where: Darke County, New Madison
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 39.970, -84.700

Trees and power lines downed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Hardin

When: July 2, 4:40 PM EST to 4:45 PM EST
Where: Hardin County, Kenton
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 40.650, -83.600

Trees downed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Champaign

When: July 2, 4:52 PM EST to 5:00 PM EST
Where: Champaign County, Urbana to Mechanicsburg
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 40.120, -83.750

Several trees knocked down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Preble

When: July 2, 5:00 PM EST to 5:45 PM EST
Where: Preble County, Countywide
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 39.750, -84.630

Numerous trees downed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Union

When: July 2, 5:00 PM EST to 5:15 PM EST
Where: Union County, Milford Center to New Dover
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 40.180, -83.430

Trees and power lines downed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Clark

When: July 2, 5:00 PM EST to 5:05 PM EST
Where: Clark County, Springfield
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 39.920, -83.800

Numerous trees downed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Madison

When: July 2, 5:30 PM EST to 5:35 PM EST
Where: Madison County, Plain City
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph)
Property damage: $15,000
Coordinates: 40.120, -83.280

Roof blown off a barn. Several trees and power lines downed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Delaware

When: July 2, 5:30 PM EST to 5:40 PM EST
Where: Delaware County, Delaware to 3 mi of Sunbury
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph)
Property damage: $20,000
Coordinates: 40.250, -83.070

Roof peeled off a barn and numerous trees downed.

Tornado, Franklin

When: July 2, 5:30 PM EST to 5:45 PM EST
Where: Franklin County, Dublin
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.2 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Property damage: $30,000
Coordinates: 40.100, -83.120

A tornado made a brief touchdown in an area where downbursts were also occurring. Several homes received minor damage and numerous trees were downed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Montgomery

When: July 2, 5:30 PM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where: Montgomery County, Countywide
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph)
Property damage: $100,000
Coordinates: 39.730, -84.200

Roof blown off an area church and numerous trees downed. Some trees fell across houses.

Thunderstorm Wind, Greene

When: July 2, 5:35 PM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where: Greene County, Countywide
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph)
Property damage: $20,000
Coordinates: 39.700, -83.870

Numerous trees downed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Butler

When: July 2, 5:40 PM EST to 5:50 PM EST
Where: Butler County, Rockdale to Astoria
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph)
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 39.430, -84.470

Many trees downed. Several fell across homes and cars.

Thunderstorm Wind, Licking

When: July 2, 5:40 PM EST to 5:50 PM EST
Where: Licking County, Pataskala
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 40.000, -82.670

Many large trees knocked down.

Tornado, Greene

When: July 2, 6:00 PM EST to 6:05 PM EST
Where: Greene County, 2 mi N of New Jasper
Rating: F2
Path length: 0.2 mi
Path width: 300 yd
Property damage: $50,000
Coordinates: 39.680, -83.820

A brief tornado developed in the apex of a bow echo that moved across the county. A house was blown off its foundation and moved 35 feet away.

Thunderstorm Wind, Fairfield

When: July 2, 6:00 PM EST to 6:10 PM EST
Where: Fairfield County, Lancaster
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 39.720, -82.600

Numerous trees and power lines downed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Clinton

When: July 2, 6:02 PM EST to 6:30 PM EST
Where: Clinton County, Countywide
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 39.400, -83.780

Numerous trees downed.

Hail, Hamilton

When: July 2, 6:04 PM EST to 6:25 PM EST
Where: Hamilton County, Delhi to Cincinnati
Measured: 2.75 in hail
Property damage: $100,000
Coordinates: 39.120, -84.680

Hail as large as baseballs fell across the southwestern part of the county. Windows and roofs were destroyed on numerous cars. Several buildings were damaged including an area greenhouse which had its roof destroyed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Warren

When: July 2, 6:05 PM EST to 6:10 PM EST
Where: Warren County, Waynesville
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $15,000
Coordinates: 39.530, -84.080

Roof blown off a building and numerous trees downed.

Hail, Warren

When: July 2, 6:30 PM EST to 6:35 PM EST
Where: Warren County, Lebanon
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 39.430, -84.200

Thunderstorm Wind, Fayette

When: July 2, 6:30 PM EST to 6:50 PM EST
Where: Fayette County, Countywide
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $20,000
Coordinates: 39.550, -83.470

Numerous trees and power lines downed. Several trees fell across cars and trailers.

Thunderstorm Wind, Highland

When: July 2, 6:35 PM EST to 7:00 PM EST
Where: Highland County, Countywide
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $20,000
Coordinates: 39.200, -83.620

Numerous trees downed and a barn destroyed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Hocking

When: July 2, 6:40 PM EST to 6:50 PM EST
Where: Hocking County, Logan
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 39.530, -82.420

Several trees downed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Ross

When: July 2, 7:00 PM EST to 7:15 PM EST
Where: Ross County, Chillicothe
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 39.330, -82.980

Several trees knocked down across the county.

Thunderstorm Wind, Warren

When: July 2, 7:02 PM EST to 7:10 PM EST
Where: Warren County, Lebanon
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 39.430, -84.200

Trees and power lines downed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Clinton

When: July 2, 7:20 PM EST to 7:30 PM EST
Where: Clinton County, New Vienna
Measured: 70 kt (81 mph)
Property damage: $100,000
Coordinates: 39.320, -83.700

A roof was blown off an antique store, over another building , and into a parking lot. Numerous trees were downed of which several fell on vehicles.

Tornado, Clermont

When: July 2, 7:30 PM EST to 7:50 PM EST
Where: Clermont County, Moscow to 2 mi SE of Felicity
Rating: F3
Path length: 12 mi
Path width: 500 yd
Property damage: $2.0 million
Coordinates: 38.850, -84.180

A multiple vortex tornado tracked across the southern part of the county. The tornado damaged or destroyed 56 mobile homes and 27 single family homes. Several barns and sheds were destroyed and numerous trees were downed. No serious injuries or deaths occurred with this tornado.

Thunderstorm Wind, Highland

When: July 2, 7:30 PM EST to 7:40 PM EST
Where: Highland County, Highland to Leesburg
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 39.350, -83.600

Several trees downed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Adams

When: July 2, 7:30 PM EST to 7:40 PM EST
Where: Adams County, Locust Grove
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 38.980, -83.370

Several trees downed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Brown

When: July 2, 7:40 PM EST to 7:50 PM EST
Where: Brown County, Higginsport
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 38.780, -83.970

Numerous trees downed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Pike

When: July 2, 7:45 PM EST to 8:00 PM EST
Where: Pike County, Latham to Idaho
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $15,000
Coordinates: 39.100, -83.250

A trailer was overturned and numerous trees were knocked down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Scioto

When: July 2, 8:15 PM EST to 8:20 PM EST
Where: Scioto County, Portsmouth
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 38.730, -82.980

Several trees downed.

What these are

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.
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.
Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Ohio in 1997 Every state in 1997 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Ohio, 1997 Warnings in Ohio, July 1997

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: 5611869, 5611870, 5611979, 5611871, 5611983, 5611978, 5611982, 5611980, 5611981, 5611984, 5611985, 5611986, 5611987, 5611988, 5611989, 5611992, 5611990, 5611991, 5611996, 5611997, 5611998, 5611999, 5611993, 5611994, 5611995, 5612099, 5612000, 5612098, 5612100, 5612102, 5612101, 5612103, 5612104, 5612105, 5612106, 5612107.