Ohio, 2002

Flooding and Damaging Winds in Ohio, August 18, 2002

August 18, 2002 · NWS ILN · 8 events in 6 counties and zones

3 flood, 3 thunderstorm wind, 2 lightning, as filed by the National Weather Service.

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
1
Injuries
3
Property damage
$19,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
8

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 forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Wilmington, OH wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 18, 1:25 PM EST, 20 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 18, 1:25 PM EST, 20 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH
225 PM EDT SUN AUG 18 2002

REMNANTS OF OVRNGT MCS HAVE PUSHED E INTO CWA WITH ADDITIONAL
TSTM DVLPMNT ALONG BOUNDARY ORIENTED FM NR CVG THRU CNTRL OH.
PRECIP WATER VALUES ARE APPROACHING 2 INCHES AND WITH TRAINING OF
CNVCTN TAKING PLACE ALONG THIS BNDRY THE POTENTIAL FOR FLOODING
WL EXIST INTO THE EARLY EVE ACRS SRN OH AND NRN KY. WL MONITOR
LATEST RADAR TRENDS BUT PLAN ON CONTG FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 7 PM.

XPCT THESE STORMS TO DIMINISH AS MESOSCALE INDUCED VORT MAX
PUSHES TO THE SE AND WITH LOSS OF DAYTIME HEATING. PATCHY FOG
IS A GOOD BET TNGT DUE TO RAINFALL...HI DWPTS AMS AND LGT WND
REGIME. HAVE STAYED CLOSE OR A LTL WRMR THAN GUID TEMPS TNGT.

S/WV TO TRACK E FM MID MS VLY ACRS OH ON MON. ETA/AVN TRACK
ASSOCIATED SFC LO ACRS OH MON AFTN/EVE WITH WK COLDFRONT PUSHING
THRU THE AREA DURG AFTN. THIS WV WL ENHANCE PRECIP CHCS WITH
AXIS OF H8 CONVERGE AND UPR DIV SWINGING THRU CWA. WL GO CATAGORICAL
ACRS CNTRL AND NRN COUNTIES AND LKLY ACRS THE S. CLDS AND PRECIP
SHUD KEEP TEMPS DOWN A BIT SO WL GO A LTL COOLER THAN GUID VALUES.

WL LINGER A CHC OF TSTMS INTO MON EVE IN THE E WITH SKIES BECOMING
PARTLY CLOUDY OVRNGT.

SFC RDG AXIS BLDS E ACRS GRTLKS TUE/WED PROVIDING DRY WEATHER.
WL SHOW A WARMING TREND IN TEMPS THRU THE END OF THE WEEK WITH
UPR LVL RDG AXIS REESTABLISHING ITSELF OVER THE OH VLY.

ILN...FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 7 PM EDT FOR INZ066-073>075-080-
                                     KYZ089>100-
                                     OHZ070>073-077>082-088-

RANDALL

The radar

The Cincinnati radar (KILN), 1 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:31 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 flood, 3 thunderstorm wind, 2 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Clinton

When
August 18, 1:45 PM EST to 2:40 PM EST
Where
Clinton forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
39.415, -83.808 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorms producing torrential rains developed along a slow moving frontal boundary across southwest Ohio. Measured rainfall amounts up to three and one half inches were recorded across this region during the late morning and afternoon hours. The rain forced road closures because of high water and caused basement flooding in the Cincinnati vicinity and in Wilmington.

Lightning, Clermont

When
August 18, 2:00 PM EST
Where
Clermont County, Milford
Injuries
3 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
39.047, -84.152 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Three people were injured when lightning struck in Miami Meadows Park.

Thunderstorm Wind, Highland

When
August 18, 2:30 PM EST to 3:00 PM EST
Where
Highland County, Countywide
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage
$8,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
39.200, -83.617

Numerous trees were downed across the county.

Flood, Hamilton

When
August 18, 2:30 PM EST to 3:30 PM EST
Where
Hamilton forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
39.196, -84.543 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorms producing torrential rains developed along a slow moving frontal boundary across southwest Ohio. Measured rainfall amounts up to three and one half inches were recorded across this region during the late morning and afternoon hours. The rain forced road closures because of high water and caused basement flooding in the Cincinnati vicinity and in Wilmington.

Flood, Highland

When
August 18, 2:30 PM EST to 4:00 PM EST
Where
Highland forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
39.185, -83.601 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorms producing torrential rains developed along a slow moving frontal boundary across southwest Ohio. Measured rainfall amounts up to three and one half inches were recorded across this region during the late morning and afternoon hours. The rain forced road closures because of high water and caused basement flooding in the Cincinnati vicinity and in Wilmington.

Thunderstorm Wind, Hamilton

When
August 18, 2:30 PM EST to 2:34 PM EST
Where
Hamilton County, California
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage
$3,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
39.067, -84.417

A half dozen large trees were downed near Coney Island Amusement Park.

Lightning, Franklin

When
August 18, 2:30 PM EST
Where
Franklin County, 1 mi S of Reynoldsburg
Deaths
1 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by
BROADCAST MEDIA
Coordinates
39.970, -83.009 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A man working on the roof of an apartment complex was struck by lightning. Witnesses said that the man shot up several feet in the air, landing back on the roof where he was unresponsive. The man was rushed to a local hospital where he died from his injuries one day later.

Thunderstorm Wind, Adams

When
August 18, 2:40 PM EST to 3:10 PM EST
Where
Adams County, Countywide
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage
$8,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
38.850, -83.483

Several trees were knocked down in various parts of the county.

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

EventDateAgeSexWhereKind
Lightning, Franklin2002-08-1926MaleLong Span RoofDirect

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.
Lightning
A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.
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.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Ohio in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Ohio, August 2002

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: 5315139, 5315143, 5315137, 5315140, 5315141, 5315142, 5315144, 5315138.