Ohio, 1997Tornado and Flash Flooding in Ohio, July 26 to 27, 1997
July 26 to 27, 1997 · NWS ILN · 22 events in 8 counties and zones
A warm front which was across central Ohio at peak heating on the 26th became the focus for a Mesoscale Convective System that lasted well into the early morning hours on the 27th. Severe thunderstorms moved repeatedly over the same areas causing substantial damage.
Every event with a place to put it; 4 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
Open the live radar over this ground
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $2.4 million
- Crop damage
- $10,000
- Events
- 22
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.
A warm front which was across central Ohio at peak heating on the 26th became the focus for a Mesoscale Convective System that lasted well into the early morning hours on the 27th. Severe thunderstorms moved repeatedly over the same areas causing substantial damage. The continuous rainfall also caused flash flooding in Licking county. Over 400 homes received damage from the combined severe thunderstorm and flooding event.
Event by event
16 thunderstorm wind, 3 flash flood, 1 tornado, 1 hail, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Tornado, Licking
- When
- July 26, 6:15 PM EST to 6:20 PM EST
- Where
- Licking County, 3 mi SW of Croton
- Rating
- F1
- Path length
- 0.3 mi
- Path width
- 25 yd
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Crop damage
- $10,000
- Coordinates
- 40.220, -82.720
A tornado touched down briefly downing a few trees and damaging corn crops.
Thunderstorm Wind, Delaware
- When
- July 26, 6:25 PM EST to 6:30 PM EST
- Where
- Delaware County, Delaware
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Coordinates
- 40.300, -83.070
Hail, Licking
- When
- July 26, 6:27 PM EST to 6:30 PM EST
- Where
- Licking County, Kirkersville
- Measured
- 1.5 in hail
- Coordinates
- 39.950, -82.600
Thunderstorm Wind, Fairfield
- When
- July 26, 7:30 PM EST to 7:45 PM EST
- Where
- Fairfield County, Pickerington
- Measured
- 60 kt (69 mph)
- Property damage
- $50,000
- Coordinates
- 39.880, -82.750
A grocery store roof was damaged and numerous trees were downed.
Thunderstorm Wind, Licking
- When
- July 26, 7:30 PM EST to 7:40 PM EST
- Where
- Licking County, Pataskala
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Coordinates
- 40.000, -82.670
Thunderstorm Wind, Hocking
- When
- July 26, 7:45 PM EST to 7:55 PM EST
- Where
- Hocking County, Logan
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Coordinates
- 39.530, -82.420
Numerous trees knocked down.
Thunderstorm Wind, Putnam
- When
- July 26, 8:08 PM EST to 8:15 PM EST
- Where
- Putnam County, Cloverdale
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Property damage
- $3,000
- Coordinates
- 41.020, -84.300
Thunderstorm Wind, Licking
- When
- July 26, 8:10 PM EST to 8:20 PM EST
- Where
- Licking County, Granville
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Coordinates
- 40.070, -82.520
Thunderstorm Wind, Fairfield
- When
- July 26, 8:10 PM EST to 8:20 PM EST
- Where
- Fairfield County, Millersport
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Coordinates
- 39.900, -82.530
Thunderstorm Wind, Delaware
- When
- July 26, 9:08 PM EST
- Where
- Delaware County, Sunbury
- Measured
- 54 kt (62 mph)
- Coordinates
- 40.230, -82.850
An observer reported a wind gust to 63 mph.
Thunderstorm Wind, Hocking
- When
- July 26, 9:30 PM EST to 9:45 PM EST
- Where
- Hocking County, Laurelville
- Measured
- 70 kt (81 mph)
- Property damage
- $50,000
- Coordinates
- 39.450, -82.770
Hundreds of trees were downed of which many fell across power lines. Sixteen telephone poles were broken during the storm.
Flash Flood, Licking
- When
- July 26, 9:30 PM EST to July 27, 2:30 AM EST
- Where
- Licking County, Countywide
- Property damage
- $2.0 million
- Coordinates
- 40.092, -82.483 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
An estimated 8 inches of rain fell across the county in less than 6 hours. Numerous roads were closed, including Interstate 71,and many houses and businesses were flooded. The county was declared a disaster area by the state of Ohio.
Lightning, Licking
- When
- July 26, 9:38 PM EST
- Where
- Licking County, Newark
- Property damage
- $20,000
- Coordinates
- 40.092, -82.483 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Lightning struck the Modern financing building sparking a fire the caused substantial damage.
Thunderstorm Wind, Delaware
- When
- July 26, 9:45 PM EST to 9:55 PM EST
- Where
- Delaware County, Olive Green
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Coordinates
- 40.320, -82.830
Trees and power lines downed.
Thunderstorm Wind, Fairfield
- When
- July 26, 9:50 PM EST to 10:15 PM EST
- Where
- Fairfield County, Countywide
- Measured
- 60 kt (69 mph)
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Coordinates
- 39.730, -82.570
Thunderstorm Wind, Licking
- When
- July 26, 10:30 PM EST to 10:40 PM EST
- Where
- Licking County, Wagram
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Coordinates
- 39.950, -82.730
Thunderstorm Wind, Mercer
- When
- July 26, 11:25 PM EST to 11:30 PM EST
- Where
- Mercer County, Celina
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Coordinates
- 40.550, -84.570
Trees and power poles downed.
Thunderstorm Wind, Franklin
- When
- July 26, 11:55 PM EST to 11:59 PM EST
- Where
- Franklin County, Reynoldsburg
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Coordinates
- 39.950, -82.820
Trees and power lines downed.
Thunderstorm Wind, Pickaway
- When
- July 27, 12:25 AM EST to 12:30 AM EST
- Where
- Pickaway County, Ashville
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Coordinates
- 39.720, -82.950
Thunderstorm Wind, Pickaway
- When
- July 27, 12:42 AM EST to 12:50 AM EST
- Where
- Pickaway County, 3 mi NW of Whisler
- Measured
- 70 kt (81 mph)
- Property damage
- $200,000
- Coordinates
- 39.520, -82.870
Several barns destroyed, roof blown off a garage, and numerous trees downed. Some of the trees fell across some of which fell across homes and barns.
Flash Flood, Fairfield
- When
- July 27, 1:13 AM EST to 2:15 AM EST
- Where
- Fairfield County, Countywide
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Coordinates
- 39.752, -82.631 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Persistent heavy rainfall caused roads to be flooded across the county.
Flash Flood, Hocking
- When
- July 27, 1:15 AM EST to 2:15 AM EST
- Where
- Hocking County, Countywide
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Coordinates
- 39.497, -82.479 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Several hours of thunderstorms with heavy rainfall caused several roads to be flooded across the county.
- 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.
- Hail
- Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
- 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.
- Lightning
- A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
- Heat in Illinois, July 26 to 27, 19972 deaths · 35 events
- Heat in Missouri, July 26 to 28, 199724 injured · 11 events
- Damaging Winds and Lightning Strikes in Wisconsin, July 26, 1997$494,000 · 61 kt wind · 21 events
- Lightning Strike in Michigan, July 26, 1997$750,000 · 1 event
- Tornado in Iowa, July 26, 1997$223,000 · F1 · 1 event
- Flash Flood in Iowa, July 26, 1997$170,000 · 1 event
- Damaging Winds in Wisconsin, July 26, 1997$80,000 · 61 kt wind · 7 events
- Damaging Wind in Ohio, July 26, 1997$75,000 · 1 event
- Tornado in Ohio, July 26, 1997$75,000 · F0 · 1 event
- Heat in Indiana, July 26 to 27, 199741 events
- Lightning Strike in Ohio, July 26, 1997$50,000 · 1 event
- Lightning Strike in Iowa, July 26, 1997$25,000 · 1 event
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: 5612303, 5612225, 5612224, 5612226, 5612295, 5612296, 5612298, 5612285, 5612297, 5612286, 5612288, 5612299, 5612302, 5612287, 5612289, 5612290, 5612292, 5612291, 5612293, 5612294, 5612300, 5612301.