A slow moving low pressure system moved through the Ohio Valley region, bringing rounds of heavy rainfall.
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 low pressure system moved through the Ohio Valley region, bringing rounds of heavy rainfall.
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 23, 2:38 AM EST, 3 hours 4 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Wilmington OH
338 AM EDT Sat May 23 2026
.WHAT HAS CHANGED...
Greatest heavy rain threat has moved out of the region. So forecast
transitioned into expectation through the weekend and into next week.
&&
.KEY MESSAGES...
1) Showers and thunderstorms will be possible both today and Sunday
as a couple of weak cold fronts move through the area.
2) A front stalled south of the region will keep a chance of
afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms generally south of
I-70 for the early part of the week with daytime temperatures rising
above normal.
&&
.DISCUSSION...
KEY MESSAGE 1)
Low pressure along the Indiana-Ohio border will continue to track
north northeast today. Warm front extending out from this low will be
north of the entire forecast area by daybreak. While widespread
showers have moved off to the north, there is continued scattered
activity in the warm sector. Expect this to wane into the early
morning hours but then start to increase in coverage once again with
diurnal heating.
A weak cold front trailing the low will move across the region
through the day. Some instability will develop northwards ahead of
the front which could lead to some storms. The very moist atmosphere
will still be in place, so this could result in some locally heavy
rain from the Scioto Valley into northeast Kentucky. There are some
signals that the environment could become marginally supportive for a
tornado east of Columbus right ahead of the front.
A weak surface ridge will quickly pass across the region tonight with
southerly flow returning by early Sunday morning. This will allow
moisture to return, although perhaps not quite as rich as has been in
place. Another weak cold front will move through in the afternoon and
evening with more showers and thunderstorms along and ahead of it.
KEY MESSAGE 2)
Mid level ridging will develop during the early part of the week,
taking on a northwest-southeast orientation. With rising heights,
expect to have warmer temperatures with highs in the upper 70s to
lower 80s. At the surface, a front will be stalled out east-west just
south of the region. This is in close enough proximity that diurnal
convection will be possible across northern Kentucky and into
southeast Indiana and southern Ohio on Monday and Tuesday, possibly
getting a bit further north, closer to I-70 by Wednesday.
&&
.AVIATION /06Z SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/...
A warm front is lifting across the area to start the period. In
addition to veering winds, showers are becoming scattered along with
breaks within the lower deck of clouds. So this is resulting in
conditions varying between MVFR and IFR.
Showers will continue to be possible until a weak cold front moves
through between 12Z and 18Z. This will end any visibility
restrictions, but it appears that ceilings will fall back to IFR
immediately after the front moves through. But then ceilings will
lift through the day and clouds may even scatter after 00Z. Winds
will become southwest and eventually west with some gusts around 20
kt. Winds will become light and back to south southeast late in the
period.
OUTLOOK...MVFR to IFR ceilings and visibilities possible late tonight
into Sunday morning and then again late Sunday night into Monday
morning.
&&
.ILN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OH...Flood Watch until 5 AM EDT early this morning for OHZ055-056-
063>065-070>074-077>082-088.
KY...Flood Watch until 5 AM EDT early this morning for KYZ089>100.
IN...Flood Watch until 5 AM EDT early this morning for INZ066-073>075-
080.
&&
DISCUSSION...
AVIATION...Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Wilmington OH 506 AM EDT Sat May 23 2026 INZ050-058-059-066-073>075-080-KYZ089>099-OHZ026-034-035-042>046- 051>055-060>064-070>072-077>081-240915- Wayne-Fayette-Union-Franklin-Ripley-Dearborn-Ohio-Switzerland- Carroll-Gallatin-Boone-Kenton-Campbell-Owen-Grant-Pendleton-Bracken- Robertson-Mason-Hardin-Mercer-Auglaize-Darke-Shelby-Logan-Delaware- Miami-Champaign-Clark-Madison-Preble-Montgomery-Greene-Pickaway- Butler-Warren-Clinton-Hamilton-Clermont-Brown-Highland-Adams- 506 AM EDT Sat May 23 2026 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for east central Indiana, southeast Indiana, northern Kentucky, central Ohio, south central Ohio, southwest Ohio and west central Ohio. .DAY ONE...Today and tonight. The probability for widespread hazardous weather is low. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday. The probability for widespread hazardous weather is low. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time. KYZ100-OHZ073-082-088-240915- Lewis-Ross-Pike-Scioto- 506 AM EDT Sat May 23 2026 ...FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON... This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for northeast Kentucky and south central Ohio. .DAY ONE...Today and tonight. Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the Internet for more information about the following hazards. Flood Watch. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday. The probability for widespread hazardous weather is low. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time. OHZ056-065-074-240915- Licking-Fairfield-Hocking- 506 AM EDT Sat May 23 2026 ...FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON... This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for central Ohio. .DAY ONE...Today and tonight. Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the Internet for more information about the following hazards. Flood Watch. In addition, there is a very limited potential for strong to severe thunderstorms between 2 pm and 6 pm. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday. There is a low probability for widespread hazardous weather. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time.
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Wilmington OH
630 AM EDT Sat May 23 2026
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0928 PM Flash Flood Butler 38.78N 84.37W
05/22/2026 Pendleton KY Emergency Mngr
Strong current covering Hogback Ridge Road
and intersection of KY177 with logs
floating.
&&
JFThe Cincinnati radar (KILN), 54 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 10:42 UTC.
12 flood, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Artz Road was closed east of Bellefontaine Road due to high water fully covering the roadway. Two vehicles were partially submerged in water.
Flooding was reported south of State Route 503 and West Elkin-Gifford Road.
High water was reported over Burnt Pond Road.
Approximately eight homes near the intersection of Little York Road and Alvira Avenue in Butler Township had high water that intruded into the first floor.
High water was reported encroaching up to homes and buildings on Curtis Road near State Route 203.
West North Street was flooded in Mount Victory.
Flooding was reported on County Road 5 near State Route 274.
High water was reported across State Route 292 just south of County Road 40. High water was also reported near the Ridgeway Baseball Fields.
High water was reported across County Road 20 just east of State Route 292.
High water was reported over Medway Road just north of State Route 235, along Mud Run. One car was stranded in water.
High water reached the front doors of homes along Runkle Road and at the intersection of Church Road and State Route 560. Additionally, water was reported in basements in St. Paris.
Flooding was reported along U.S. Route 36 in Lena, where water reached the base of homes and buildings.
Mad River was out of its banks and covered portions of Spangler Road near the intersection with Union Road.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Ohio in 2026Every state in 2026This day in weather historyWarnings in Ohio, May 2026
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: 1335929, 1335930, 1335931, 1335935, 1335936, 1335937, 1335938, 1335939, 1335940, 1335941, 1335944, 1335946, 1336860.