Name: Storm Surge in Ohio, June 1 to 2, 1997
Start: 1997-06-01T09:00
End: 1997-06-02T15:00
Location: Ohio

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 5 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

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $525,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 5

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 CLE wrote it up.

Businesses and homes were flooded when strong northeasterly winds and near record high lake levels produced waves of six to eight feet, aggravating shoreline erosion and slowing discharge of stream outflow into Lake Erie. In Erie County,seventy five to one hundred families evacuated near the Vermilion and Huron Rivers, while those on Mudbrook Road moved to the second floor to escape the flood waters. Also in Erie County, Riverside Avenue residents were evacuated as well as those in Franklin Flats, Rye Beach and White's Landing. Roads along the shoreline were flooded and covered with so much sand and debris that they had to be cleared with snow plows in Port Clinton and Marblehead. On Catawba Island, rising water flooded buildings and cars were submerged. Charter services cancelled trips and hundreds of travelers were stranded on South Bass Island when most ferry trips were also cancelled. In Erie County, the north end of Jackson Pier collapsed. As the water receded, a large number of fish were left behind in peoples yards.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 storm surge/tide. Local standard time, as filed.

Storm Surge/Tide, Lucas

When: June 1, 9:00 AM EST to June 2, 3:00 PM EST
Where: Lucas County, Lake Erie Lakeshore
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 41.684, -83.468 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Storm Surge/Tide, Erie

When: June 1, 9:00 AM EST to June 2, 3:00 PM EST
Where: Erie County, Lake Erie Lakeshore
Property damage: $200,000
Coordinates: 41.432, -82.700 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Storm Surge/Tide, Lorain

When: June 1, 9:00 AM EST to June 2, 3:00 PM EST
Where: Lorain County, Lake Erie Lakeshore
Property damage: $75,000
Coordinates: 41.453, -82.151 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Storm Surge/Tide, Ottawa

When: June 1, 9:00 AM EST to June 2, 3:00 PM EST
Where: Ottawa County, Lake Erie Lakeshore
Property damage: $200,000
Coordinates: 41.497, -82.941 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Storm Surge/Tide, Sandusky

When: June 1, 9:00 AM EST to June 2, 3:00 PM EST
Where: Sandusky County, Lake Erie Lakeshore
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 41.357, -83.144 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Storm Surge/Tide: Water pushed ashore above the normal tide by a storm’s winds and low pressure.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Ohio in 1997 Every state in 1997 This day in weather history Warnings in Ohio, June 1997 The 1997 hurricane season

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5606205, 5606206, 5606207, 5606208, 5606209.