A slow moving cold front helped to enhance thunderstorm activity south of the cold front. Some of these storms became severe with damaging winds being the primary threat.
Every event with a place to put it. 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 episode as NWS ILN wrote it up.
A slow moving cold front helped to enhance thunderstorm activity south of the cold front. Some of these storms became severe with damaging winds being the primary threat. The slow moving nature of these storms and some of the repetitive locations that experienced these storms produced a threat for very heavy rainfall, flooding, and flash flooding.
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 Jul 20, 3:25 AM EST, 4 hours 47 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH 425 AM EDT SAT JUL 20 2013 .SYNOPSIS... A COLD FRONT WILL CROSS THE REGION TODAY...KICKING OFF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. A SLIGHTLY COOLER AIR MASS WILL BE IN PLACE ON SUNDAY...BEFORE ADDITIONAL PRECIPITATION MOVES INTO THE OHIO VALLEY ON MONDAY. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 PM THIS EVENING/... MODELS CONTINUE TO SHOW GOOD CONSENSUS FOR TODAY AS THEY PUSH A CDFNT DOWN INTO THE REGION. MODERATELY UNSTABLE AIRMASS WILL BE ACROSS THE REGION TODAY...WITH CAPES AROUND 1500-2000 J/KG. WITH CONVERGENCE AHEAD OF THE FRONT...EXPECT TSTM TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE REGION. EXTREME NRN AREAS COULD SEE SOME ACTIVITY SLIP INTO THEM NR THE BEGINNING OF THE PERIOD...BUT THINK THAT THE BEST DEVELOPMENT WILL BE AS THE MORNING PROGRESSES AND INSTABILITY BUILDS. TOYED WITH THE IDEA OF RAISING POP TO CATEGORICAL...BUT DECIDED TO LEAVE THEM IN THE 60-70 PERCENT RANGE. SO EXPECT THE STORMS TO BUILD ACROSS THE N DURING THE MORNING...THEN TO WORK S DURING THE DAY. WINDS ALOFT PICK UP SOME AFTER SUNRISE...BUT DONT INCREASE MUCH PAST 30 KTS. UNIDIRECTIONAL NATURE OF THE WINDS MAY HELP SOME STORMS PRODUCE SOME BOWS TODAY. SPC HAS THE REGION UNDER A SLIGHT RISK TODAY. HAVE ALREADY ADDED A MENTION OF SEVERE TO THE GRIDS/ZFP FOR TODAY. HIGHS TODAY SHOULD BE A LITTLE COOLER THAN YESTERDAY...ESPECIALLY IN THE N DUE TO THE PCPN AND CLOUDS COVER. WENT WITH A CONSENSUS FORECAST AND CAME UP WITH HIGHS IN THE MID 80 FOR THE N AND UPPER 80 ACROSS EXTREME SRN OH AND NRN KY. && .SHORT TERM /6 PM THIS EVENING THROUGH MONDAY/... CDFNT WORKS INTO KENTUCKY THIS EVENING BEFORE STALLING OUT. NRN COUNTIES MAY HAVE LOW CHC OF PCPN AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PERIOD...BEFORE DRYING OUT FOR THE REST OF THE NIGHT. FOR COUNTIES ALONG THE OHIO RIVER...CONVECTION SHOULD BE ONGOING AND SHOULD LINGER FOR MUCH OF THE NIGHT. KEPT THE POPS LIKELY FOR THE EARLY PART OF TONIGHT IN THE S. HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING INTO THE GREAT LAKES WILL KEEP THE FRONT A PCPN SUPPRESSED NR THE OHIO RIVER FOR SUNDAY. THEN AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL PUSH TOWARDS THE REGION SUNDAY BEFORE CROSSING IT ON MONDAY. THE CHANCE OF PCPN WILL INCREASE FROM SW TO NE AS SUNDAY NIGHT PROGRESSES BEFORE AFFECTING THE ENTIRE REGION MONDAY. KEPT THE LIKELY POPS FOR MONDAY GOING. HIGHS ON SUNDAY WILL GENERALLY BE IN THE MID 80S...WITH A LOCATION OR TWO IN THE LOWER 80 FOR THE N AND THE UPPER 80S IN THE S. THE PCPN ON MONDAY WILL SUPPRESS HIGH TEMPERATURES SOME MORE...KEEPING THEM IN THE UPPER 70S IN THE N AND THE LOWER 80S ACROSS THE S. && .LONG TERM /MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY/... THE DISTURBANCE WILL SLIDE TO OUR EAST MONDAY NIGHT WHICH SHOULD BRING LOWERING CHANCES FOR PRECIPITATION OVERNIGHT MONDAY NIGHT. ANOTHER DISTURBANCE WILL BE POISED TO CROSS THE AREA TUESDAY...WITH A ROUND OF MAINLY AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED. THIS SECOND DISTURBANCE EXITS THE REGION RATHER SLOWLY...THEREFORE AM FORECASTING CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS INTO THE WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON TIME PERIOD ACROSS THE EAST AS THE DISTURBANCE MOVES AWAY. UPPER TROUGH OVER THE GREAT LAKES AMPLIFIES ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND SHIFTS ITS AXIS AND BETTER FORCING TO OUR EAST. THIS SHOULD LOWER CHANCES FOR PRECIPITATION STARTING WEDNESDAY EVENING...LASTING THROUGH FRIDAY. WITH THE UPPER TROUGH EXTENDING ACROSS THE EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE CONUS DURING THE EXTENDED TIME PERIOD...TEMPERATURES WILL RUN NEAR NORMAL TO SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL FOR MUCH OF THE WORK WEEK. && .AVIATION /07Z SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... A COLD FRONT WILL SWEEP SOUTH THORUGH THE OHIO VALLEY TODAY. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL OCCUR ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE FRONT AND BRIEFLY BRING MVFR TO POSSIBLY IFR CONDITIONS. AS THE FRONT DROPS SOUTH...IT WILL BE ORIENTED MORE WEST TO EAST AS IT APPROACHES THE OHIO RIVER THIS EVENING. THIS WILL PUT IT NEARLY PARALLEL TO THE UPPER FLOW AND IT IS EXPECTED TO STALL NEAR THE RIVER. HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING OVER THE GREAT LAKES NEVER BECOMES THAT STRONG AND REMAINS WELL NORTH OF THE AREA. AS NORTHERLY WINDS BEHIND THE FRONT BECOME ESTABLISHED NORTH OF THE OHIO RIVER...THE MEAN FLOW WILL BE QUITE LIGHT AND UNDER 5KT...AND VARIABLE ALONG THE OHIO RIVER. OUTSIDE OF THE STORMS...VFR CONDITIONS SHOULD PREVAIL. OUTLOOK...THUNDERSTORMS LIKELY MONDAY. && .ILN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... OH...NONE. KY...NONE. IN...NONE. && SYNOPSIS...SITES NEAR TERM...SITES SHORT TERM...SITES LONG TERM...LATTO AVIATION...FRANKS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH 502 AM EDT SAT JUL 20 2013 INZ050-058-059-066-073>075-080-KYZ089>100-OHZ026-034-035-042>046- 051>056-060>065-070>074-077>082-088-210915- WAYNE-FAYETTE IN-UNION IN-FRANKLIN IN-RIPLEY-DEARBORN-OHIO- SWITZERLAND-CARROLL-GALLATIN-BOONE-KENTON-CAMPBELL-OWEN-GRANT- PENDLETON-BRACKEN-ROBERTSON-MASON-LEWIS-HARDIN-MERCER-AUGLAIZE-DARKE- SHELBY-LOGAN-UNION OH-DELAWARE-MIAMI-CHAMPAIGN-CLARK-MADISON- FRANKLIN OH-LICKING-PREBLE-MONTGOMERY-GREENE-FAYETTE OH-PICKAWAY- FAIRFIELD-BUTLER-WARREN-CLINTON-ROSS-HOCKING-HAMILTON-CLERMONT-BROWN- HIGHLAND-ADAMS-PIKE-SCIOTO- 502 AM EDT SAT JUL 20 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL INDIANA...SOUTHEAST INDIANA...NORTHEAST KENTUCKY...NORTHERN KENTUCKY...CENTRAL OHIO...MIAMI VALLEY OF OHIO...SOUTH CENTRAL OHIO...SOUTHWEST OHIO AND WEST CENTRAL OHIO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE SOUTH THROUGH THE REGION TODAY. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ALONG AND AHEAD OF THIS FRONT. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE...WITH DAMAGING WINDS BEING THE PRIMARY THREAT. LARGE HAIL AND HEAVY RAINFALL MAY ALSO OCCUR. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED.
The Cincinnati radar (KILN), 153 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 13:13 UTC.
10 thunderstorm wind, 4 flash flood, 2 flood, 1 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.
High water was reported on Route 68 due to heavy rainfall.
Several trees and branches were downed in the Piqua city limits due to thunderstorm winds.
Several trees and branches were downed in Troy due to thunderstorm winds.
A tree was downed in Christiansburg due to thunderstorm winds.
Water was reported over roadways and poor drainage areas due to heavy rainfall.
A tree was downed on Snyder Domer Road due to thunderstorm winds.
Trees were downed in the town of Highland due to thunderstorm winds.
A tree was downed in Addyston due to thunderstorm winds.
Trees were downed between Samantha and Leesburg near Highway 62 due to thunderstorm winds.
A tree was downed near Delhi Township due to thunderstorm winds.
Deep high water impassible for vehicles was reported over Careytown Road due to heavy rainfall.
High water was over Wolfe Road and Mad River Road due to heavy rainfall.
Deep high water was reported over Jones Road and New Vienna Road due to heavy rainfall. Vehicles were reportedly flooded out in attempts to cross the flooded roadways.
Deep high water impassible for vehicles was reported over Underground Road due to heavy rainfall.
Water was rushing over roads at Highway 62 and Fairfield Road due to heavy rainfall.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Ohio in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Ohio, July 2013
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: 465524, 465510, 465511, 465512, 465513, 465532, 465514, 465517, 465519, 465518, 465520, 465521, 465525, 465526, 465528, 465529, 465531.