9 thunderstorm wind, 1 lightning, 1 hail, 1 flash flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.
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.
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.
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 May 12, 9:28 AM EST, 32 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH 1028 AM EDT SUN MAY 12 2002 12Z SURFACE ANALYSIS HAD WARM FRONT RUNNING FROM NEAR FDY-N MFD-S YNG. SURFACE LOW WAS OVER NW IL. MORNING SOUNDING PRETTY UNSTABLE...WITH CAPES OVER 100 ALREADY AND LI NEAR -4. NEED TO UPDATE ZONES. MID TO HIGH CLOUDS AHEAD OF CONVECTION ARE PROVIDING CLOUDY SKIES. IN ADDITION...CONVECTION IS ALREADY AFFECT THE NORTHWEST QUARTER OF THE FA. WILL NEED TO UPDATE WORDING AND POPS. THIS WILL APPLY TO CENTRAL OHIO ALSO. FARTHER SOUTH...WILL SPLIT OHIO AND KY COUNTIES. NOT A LOT OF PUSH AT THIS TIME ON THE SOUTH EDGE...SO WILL INCREASE POPS FOR OHIO TO CATEGORICAL...AND WILL ADJUST TIMING IN KENTUCKY. WILL WAIT FOR SPC WATCH BEFORE ISSUING MISILN. .ILN... IN...FLOOD WATCH FOR SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY FOR ZONES INZ073>075... INZ080. KY...FLOOD WATCH FOR SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY FOR ZONES KYZ089>100. OH...FLOOD WATCH FOR SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY FOR ZONES OHZ070>074... OHZ077>082...OHZ088. SITES
INZ050-058-059-066-073>075-080-KYZ089>100-OHZ042-045-046-051>056- 060>065-070>074-077>082-088-121600- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH 502 AM EDT SUN MAY 12 2002 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING OVER EASTERN INDIANA...NORTHERN KENTUCKY AND SOUTHERN OHIO... MOIST UNSTABLE AIR WILL PUSH NORTH INTO THE REGION TODAY BEHIND A WARM FRONT WHICH WILL MOVE INTO NORTHERN OHIO. A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM...ASSOCIATED WITH THE WARM FRONT...WILL MOVE EASTWARD ACROSS OHIO THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THIS WEATHER SYSTEM WILL BRING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO THE REGION. SOME OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE...ESPECIALLY THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. DAMAGING WINDS WILL BE THE MAIN THREAT WITH THIS WEATHER SYSTEM BUT AN ISOLATED TORNADO IS POSSIBLE. SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUESTED THIS AFTERNOON. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER DETAILS AND UPDATES.
The Cincinnati radar (KILN), 80 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 15:08 UTC.
9 thunderstorm wind, 1 lightning, 1 hail, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
A 12-year old boy was seriously injured by a lightning strike. Two other boys with him, ages 8 and 11, also complained of minor muscle spasms in their legs.
Several mobile homes in the Sherwood Forest Trailer Park suffered severe damage, and a nearby 10' by 12' shed was destroyed. The roof of a home on Hog Path Road was torn off.
Trees and powerlines were downed in town. Two barns sustained extensive roof damage.
A church had its chimney blown off the foundation and a few windows blown out. A nearby shed was also destroyed.
Several trees were knocked down across the city.
Several trees were knocked down.
Trees were blown down.
Trees were blown down.
Two trees were knocked down near town.
High water deposited debris at the intersection of Glenview and Kirby Roads.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Ohio in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Ohio, May 2002
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: 5299094, 5299093, 5299011, 5299012, 5299013, 5299017, 5299014, 5299016, 5299015, 5299090, 5299091, 5299092.