Storm Records: Ohio
Every storm the National Weather Service has filed in Ohio: its floods, heat, cold, winter storms, hail, wind, lightning and tornadoes, year by year and county by county, each episode with its narrative.
The worst in Ohio on the map
The deadliest and costliest episodes on record here, colored by kind of event.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The record
- Events
- 51,840
- Deaths
- 462
- Injuries
- 5,828
- Damage
- $8.8 billion
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.
Every year
Tap a year for every episode in it.
Deaths each year
By kind of event
| Kind of event | Events | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 21,955 | 55 | 415 | $367 million |
| Hail | 9,155 | 0 | 13 | $958 million |
| Flood | 3,509 | 31 | 9 | $426 million |
| Flash Flood | 3,240 | 43 | 14 | $1.6 billion |
| Winter Weather | 3,212 | 14 | 255 | $8.1 million |
| Winter Storm | 2,524 | 5 | 56 | $1.0 billion |
| High Wind | 2,102 | 20 | 82 | $915 million |
| Tornado | 1,565 | 200 | 4,716 | $3.0 billion |
| Heavy Snow | 1,131 | 0 | 17 | $60 million |
| Extreme Cold/Wind Chill | 440 | 10 | 0 | $20 million |
| Drought | 415 | 0 | 0 | $200 million |
| Strong Wind | 412 | 2 | 2 | $5.1 million |
| Cold/Wind Chill | 361 | 17 | 1 | $5.0 million |
| Ice Storm | 354 | 3 | 5 | $137 million |
| Heavy Rain | 291 | 2 | 0 | $1.6 million |
| Heat | 248 | 16 | 0 | $20,000 |
| Lightning | 242 | 28 | 123 | $13 million |
| Lake-Effect Snow | 215 | 2 | 5 | $30 million |
| Excessive Heat | 162 | 0 | 0 | |
| Frost/Freeze | 62 | 0 | 0 | $17 million |
| Funnel Cloud | 58 | 0 | 0 | |
| Waterspout | 56 | 0 | 0 | $10,000 |
| Lakeshore Flood | 37 | 0 | 0 | $2.7 million |
| Blizzard | 35 | 4 | 73 | |
| Storm Surge/Tide | 24 | 0 | 0 | $5.8 million |
| Dense Fog | 14 | 8 | 42 | $562,000 |
| Coastal Flood | 8 | 0 | 0 | $315,000 |
| Seiche | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
| Debris Flow | 3 | 0 | 0 | $2,000 |
| Dust Devil | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| Rip Current | 2 | 2 | 0 | |
| Sleet | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Astronomical Low Tide | 1 | 0 | 0 |
The deadliest
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Ohio, April 11, 1965
- Tornadoes and Hail in Ohio, April 3, 1974
- Tornadoes in Ohio, June 8, 1953
- Heat in Ohio, July 20 to 31, 1999The last part of July was very hot and humid across the state with temperatures reaching into the 90s most days and above 100 for a few days. The dewpoints and overnight lows were in the 70s through much of the period.
- Tornadoes and Hail in Ohio, May 31, 1985
- Tornadoes and Hail in Ohio, April 23, 1968
- Blizzard and Winter Storm in Ohio, December 23 to 24, 2022A long-duration, multi-faceted winter storm hit northern Ohio just before Christmas 2022 with extreme cold, strong winds, accumulating snow and extensive blowing and drifting of the snow that fell.
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Ohio, June 5 to 6, 2010A stationary frontal system stretched across the lower Great Lakes on the morning of Saturday, June 5th. This resulted in a very warm and humid airmass over northern Ohio.
- Cold in Ohio, February 1 to 17, 2021Cold temperatures moved into Northeast Ohio during the first half of February 2021. These colder temperatures featured several nights with lows in the single digits and wind chills below zero.
- Tornadoes and Hail in Ohio, May 10, 1973
- High Wind in Ohio, September 14, 2008The remnants of hurricane Ike raced northeast through the midwest and merged with a frontal boundary across the lower Ohio Valley Sunday morning. Abundant sunshine promoted deep mixing of the atmosphere, and warm, dry air aloft translated down to the surface.
- Flash Flood in Ohio, June 27 to 30, 1998Another round of thunderstorms starting on the evening of the 27th created widespread flash flooding throughout Noble County. These floods caused five deaths during the evening of the 27th and early morning hours of the 28th.
- Flash Flooding and Flood in Ohio, July 21 to 24, 2003Thunderstorms dumped two to four inches of rain on portions of Trumbull County during the afternoon hours. The most severe flooding occurred in Warren, Howland, Braceville and Brookfield Townships with many evacuations reported.
- Tornadoes and Hail in Ohio, April 9, 1999After touching down on the north shore of the Ohio River, the tornado destroyed a house, pulled a metal roof from a garage, and downed several trees.
- Tornadoes in Ohio, November 10, 2002On Sunday, November 10th, 2002 a cold front trailed from a deep surface low over northern Lake Michigan into central Missouri.
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Ohio, June 13, 1981
- Tornadoes and Hail in Ohio, March 2, 2012Thunderstorms developed during the afternoon in a high wind shear environment ahead of a strengthening low pressure system. Many of these storms became severe, with large hail, damaging thunderstorm winds, and tornadoes all being the main threats.
- Tornadoes and Damaging Wind in Ohio, August 9, 1969
- Tornado and Damaging Wind in Ohio, August 20, 1962
- Cold in Ohio, January 10 to 19, 1997Low temperatures were in the single digits or below zero across all of Northern Ohio, causing frozen and ruptured water pipes. With wind chills of 40 to 50 below zero, many schools were forced to close.
- Extreme Cold in Ohio, January 30 to 31, 2019A strong low pressure system moved through the Great Lakes region on the morning of January 29 and departed into Canada.
- Tornadoes and Hail in Ohio, March 10, 1986
- Tornadoes and Flood in Ohio, March 14, 2024Thunderstorms developed in an unseasonably warm and humid airmass ahead of an approaching cold front.
- Flash Flooding and Damaging Winds in Ohio, July 17 to 18, 2001Several trees were blown down throughout town.
- Damaging Winds in Ohio, July 13, 1995A line of severe thunderstorms roared south from Ontario and Michigan across Lake Erie at 50 mph. The strong winds rushed out ahead of the thunderstorms and despite the issuance of a special marine warning many boaters were caught by surprise.
The costliest
- Tornadoes and Hail in Ohio, May 31, 1985
- Winter Storm in Ohio, March 7 to 8, 2008
- Tornadoes and Flash Flood in Ohio, May 27 to 28, 2019
- High Wind in Ohio, September 14, 2008
- Flash Flooding and Flood in Ohio, July 27 to 31, 2006
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Ohio, June 8, 2007
- Tornadoes and Hail in Ohio, April 3, 1974
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Ohio, August 20 to 26, 2007
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Ohio, October 4 to 5, 2006
- Drought in Ohio, September 1 to 30, 1999
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Ohio, June 21 to 23, 2006
- Flash Flooding and Flood in Ohio, July 21 to 24, 2003
- High Wind in Ohio, September 14, 2008
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Ohio, April 20, 2003
- Ice Storm in Ohio, January 5 to 6, 2005
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Ohio, June 5 to 6, 2010
- Tornadoes and Hail in Ohio, June 2, 1990
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Ohio, May 25 to 27, 2011
- Tornadoes and Hail in Ohio, April 9, 1999
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Ohio, April 11, 1965
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Ohio, April 9, 2001
- Flash Flooding in Ohio, July 27, 2003
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Ohio, July 26, 2008
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Ohio, May 12 to 13, 2014
- High Wind and Strong Wind in Ohio, October 29 to 30, 2012
Counties
Every storm event filed in each county, including the zone-filed ones that covered it.
- Adams County569
- Allen County392
- Ashland County544
- Ashtabula County850
- Athens County638
- Auglaize County555
- Belmont County583
- Brown County607
- Butler County801
- Carroll County482
- Champaign County444
- Clark County663
- Clermont County837
- Clinton County745
- Columbiana County735
- Coshocton County543
- Crawford County437
- Cuyahoga County1,321
- Darke County649
- Defiance County333
- Delaware County603
- Erie County561
- Fairfield County671
- Fayette County452
- Franklin County1,273
- Fulton County360
- Gallia County507
- Geauga County688
- Greene County773
- Guernsey County510
- Hamilton County1,159
- Hancock County516
- Hardin County364
- Harrison County349
- Henry County371
- Highland County577
- Hocking County457
- Holmes County469
- Huron County602
- Jackson County439
- Jefferson County454
- Knox County459
- Lake County620
- Lawrence County595
- Licking County753
- Logan County573
- Lorain County940
- Lucas County724
- Madison County435
- Mahoning County552
- Marion County463
- Medina County655
- Meigs County457
- Mercer County544
- Miami County585
- Monroe County297
- Montgomery County1,043
- Morgan County377
- Morrow County370
- Muskingum County644
- Noble County321
- Ottawa County533
- Paulding County320
- Perry County551
- Pickaway County508
- Pike County418
- Portage County664
- Preble County513
- Putnam County400
- Richland County685
- Ross County590
- Sandusky County497
- Scioto County708
- Seneca County558
- Shelby County535
- Stark County813
- Summit County904
- Trumbull County855
- Tuscarawas County729
- Union County433
- Van Wert County473
- Vinton County430
- Warren County882
- Washington County689
- Wayne County596
- Williams County286
- Wood County624
- Wyandot County311
Counties and zones as filed
The places filed most often, as the offices named them.
| County or zone | Events | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cuyahoga | 1,067 | 26 | 544 | $217 million |
| Franklin | 1,039 | 7 | 62 | $251 million |
| Hamilton | 927 | 22 | 594 | $168 million |
| Montgomery | 816 | 3 | 223 | $580 million |
| Lorain | 778 | 21 | 168 | $115 million |
| Summit | 740 | 6 | 12 | $507 million |
| Stark | 697 | 4 | 19 | $223 million |
| Trumbull | 691 | 13 | 313 | $572 million |
| Warren | 678 | 5 | 33 | $56 million |
| Clermont | 641 | 6 | 59 | $24 million |
| Columbiana | 623 | 0 | 30 | $42 million |
| Tuscarawas | 617 | 0 | 15 | $29 million |
| Butler | 602 | 4 | 38 | $70 million |
| Lucas | 593 | 24 | 228 | $116 million |
| Greene | 587 | 37 | 1,277 | $323 million |
| Licking | 579 | 5 | 37 | $138 million |
| Richland | 563 | 1 | 26 | $106 million |
| Muskingum | 549 | 3 | 34 | $36 million |
| Clinton | 542 | 3 | 20 | $12 million |
| Scioto | 541 | 10 | 83 | $12 million |
| Portage | 525 | 0 | 4 | $296 million |
| Medina | 524 | 3 | 24 | $49 million |
| Wood | 514 | 11 | 109 | $150 million |
| Washington | 514 | 2 | 10 | $20 million |
| Fairfield | 509 | 2 | 20 | $6.3 million |
| Ashtabula | 506 | 2 | 35 | $56 million |
| Huron | 496 | 9 | 132 | $49 million |
| Wayne | 487 | 0 | 17 | $77 million |
| Clark | 486 | 1 | 21 | $7.6 million |
| Belmont | 486 | 3 | 7 | $17 million |
| Seneca | 468 | 7 | 37 | $38 million |
| Darke | 459 | 0 | 29 | $35 million |
| Coshocton | 451 | 1 | 1 | $46 million |
| Athens | 451 | 1 | 23 | $13 million |
| Brown | 446 | 5 | 9 | $20 million |
| Delaware | 436 | 4 | 43 | $73 million |
| Mahoning | 435 | 6 | 33 | $42 million |
| Geauga | 434 | 1 | 24 | $23 million |
| Highland | 426 | 0 | 7 | $6.0 million |
| Ashland | 426 | 1 | 20 | $28 million |
| Ross | 419 | 4 | 18 | $8.4 million |
| Erie | 418 | 2 | 38 | $50 million |
| Lawrence | 416 | 1 | 6 | $29 million |
| Guernsey | 416 | 0 | 15 | $26 million |
| Hancock | 415 | 4 | 18 | $235 million |
| Miami | 412 | 1 | 10 | $20 million |
| Ottawa | 408 | 0 | 27 | $83 million |
| Lake | 395 | 1 | 90 | $361 million |
| Adams | 394 | 6 | 8 | $16 million |
| Logan | 388 | 3 | 29 | $9.8 million |
| Carroll | 387 | 1 | 15 | $5.0 million |
| Mercer | 387 | 3 | 50 | $48 million |
| Auglaize | 387 | 0 | 16 | $13 million |
| Sandusky | 373 | 0 | 29 | $53 million |
| Perry | 372 | 1 | 13 | $10 million |
| Knox | 370 | 1 | 23 | $21 million |
| Shelby | 366 | 5 | 81 | $5.2 million |
| Holmes | 366 | 0 | 44 | $18 million |
| Van Wert | 358 | 3 | 28 | $37 million |
| Jefferson | 357 | 1 | 3 | $10 million |
| Marion | 353 | 1 | 8 | $13 million |
| Crawford | 348 | 0 | 10 | $94 million |
| Pickaway | 340 | 0 | 45 | $14 million |
| Preble | 336 | 0 | 2 | $31 million |
| Gallia | 328 | 2 | 21 | $18 million |
| Hocking | 308 | 1 | 11 | $4.9 million |
| Fayette | 293 | 1 | 8 | $7.5 million |
| Allen | 289 | 11 | 135 | $9.4 million |
| Putnam | 289 | 4 | 5 | $12 million |
| Morrow | 287 | 4 | 94 | $42 million |
| Champaign | 287 | 1 | 8 | $2.1 million |
| Madison | 282 | 0 | 4 | $8.8 million |
| Meigs | 276 | 2 | 9 | $12 million |
| Union | 274 | 0 | 11 | $5.6 million |
| Pike | 273 | 2 | 16 | $4.5 million |
| Harrison | 273 | 5 | 15 | $7.9 million |
| Jackson | 266 | 0 | 4 | $20 million |
| Henry | 263 | 5 | 8 | $4.4 million |
| Fulton | 257 | 1 | 8 | $11 million |
| Vinton | 255 | 0 | 1 | $5.9 million |
| Cuyahoga zone | 254 | 19 | 19 | $126 million |
| Geauga zone | 254 | 1 | 2 | $35 million |
| Ashtabula zone | 254 | 1 | 2 | $37 million |
| Noble | 252 | 6 | 1 | $22 million |
| Hardin | 244 | 1 | 0 | $2.2 million |
| Franklin zone | 234 | 0 | 4 | $131 million |
| Wyandot | 233 | 2 | 9 | $13 million |
| Defiance | 232 | 0 | 0 | $4.1 million |
| Hamilton zone | 232 | 4 | 33 | $107 million |
| Monroe | 228 | 2 | 1 | $20 million |
| Montgomery zone | 227 | 4 | 3 | $65 million |
| Lake zone | 225 | 0 | 6 | $56 million |
| Paulding | 208 | 0 | 8 | $3.9 million |
| Warren zone | 204 | 0 | 12 | $27 million |
| Morgan | 203 | 2 | 0 | $2.1 million |
| Clinton zone | 203 | 0 | 0 | $6.3 million |
| Butler zone | 199 | 3 | 7 | $43 million |
| Williams | 196 | 1 | 25 | $32 million |
| Clermont zone | 196 | 3 | 1 | $28 million |
| Darke zone | 190 | 1 | 0 | $7.5 million |
| Athens zone | 187 | 2 | 0 | $12 million |
| Greene zone | 186 | 3 | 1 | $19 million |
| Logan zone | 185 | 1 | 4 | $6.7 million |
| Meigs zone | 181 | 3 | 1 | $9.7 million |
| Gallia zone | 179 | 1 | 0 | $4.0 million |
| Lawrence zone | 179 | 1 | 0 | $5.9 million |
| Perry zone | 179 | 0 | 0 | $3.6 million |
| Clark zone | 177 | 0 | 0 | $18 million |
| Preble zone | 177 | 3 | 14 | $6.4 million |
| Washington zone | 175 | 0 | 3 | $20 million |
| Vinton zone | 175 | 0 | 0 | $968,000 |
| Licking zone | 174 | 3 | 1 | $20 million |
| Morgan zone | 174 | 1 | 0 | $5.7 million |
| Miami zone | 173 | 3 | 0 | $13 million |
| Jackson zone | 173 | 1 | 0 | $1.3 million |
| Ross zone | 171 | 0 | 0 | $10 million |
| Adams zone | 171 | 13 | 0 | $11 million |
| Shelby zone | 169 | 0 | 0 | $6.7 million |
| Auglaize zone | 168 | 0 | 0 | $7.7 million |
| Pickaway zone | 168 | 0 | 0 | $7.5 million |
| Delaware zone | 167 | 2 | 5 | $20 million |
| Scioto zone | 167 | 2 | 2 | $14 million |
| Summit zone | 164 | 3 | 45 | $64 million |
| Trumbull zone | 164 | 0 | 4 | $59 million |
| Fairfield zone | 162 | 1 | 1 | $18 million |
| Lorain zone | 162 | 4 | 4 | $52 million |
| Brown zone | 161 | 0 | 0 | $8.8 million |
| Union zone | 159 | 2 | 2 | $6.4 million |
| Fayette zone | 159 | 0 | 0 | $4.5 million |
| Mercer zone | 157 | 0 | 8 | $6.2 million |
| Champaign zone | 157 | 0 | 0 | $5.9 million |
| Madison zone | 153 | 2 | 17 | $6.1 million |
| Highland zone | 151 | 0 | 0 | $6.3 million |
| Hocking zone | 149 | 0 | 0 | $5.6 million |
| Pike zone | 145 | 0 | 0 | $4.4 million |
| Erie zone | 143 | 0 | 2 | $25 million |
| Portage zone | 139 | 0 | 6 | $22 million |
| Medina zone | 131 | 1 | 2 | $37 million |
| Lucas zone | 131 | 0 | 2 | $30 million |
| Ottawa zone | 125 | 0 | 18 | $20 million |
| Sandusky zone | 124 | 4 | 80 | $24 million |
| Richland zone | 122 | 0 | 3 | $57 million |
| Hardin zone | 120 | 1 | 0 | $4.5 million |
| Ashland zone | 118 | 0 | 2 | $37 million |
| Mahoning zone | 117 | 1 | 6 | $32 million |
| Stark zone | 116 | 1 | 2 | $34 million |
| Van Wert zone | 115 | 5 | 0 | $958,000 |
| Paulding zone | 112 | 2 | 9 | $1.2 million |
| Columbiana zone | 112 | 3 | 0 | $2.7 million |
| Tuscarawas zone | 112 | 1 | 0 | $1.3 million |
Every year
- 2026
- 2025
- 2024
- 2023
- 2022
- 2021
- 2020
- 2019
- 2018
- 2017
- 2016
- 2015
- 2014
- 2013
- 2012
- 2011
- 2010
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- 2008
- 2007
- 2006
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- 2004
- 2003
- 2002
- 2001
- 2000
- 1999
- 1998
- 1997
- 1996
- 1995
- 1994
- 1993
- 1992
- 1991
- 1990
- 1989
- 1988
- 1987
- 1986
- 1985
- 1984
- 1983
- 1982
- 1981
- 1980
- 1979
- 1978
- 1977
- 1976
- 1975
- 1974
- 1973
- 1972
- 1971
- 1970
- 1969
- 1968
- 1967
- 1966
- 1965
- 1964
- 1963
- 1962
- 1961
- 1960
- 1959
- 1958
- 1957
- 1956
- 1955
- 1954
- 1953
- 1952
- 1951
- 1950
More
Every tornado in OhioEvery warning in Ohio since 1986River gauges in OhioEvery state
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.