Lightning in Ohio
Every lightning event the National Weather Service has filed in Ohio, year by year, with the most significant episodes. A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.
The most significant on the map
The most significant lightning episodes in Ohio.
- 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
- 242
- Deaths
- 28
- Injuries
- 123
- Damage
- $13 million
Every year
The most significant
Ranked by deaths, injuries, damage and size together.
- Tornadoes and Hail in Ohio, October 13, 1999A cold front pushed east from Illinois and Indiana during the afternoon hours and combined with a vigorous upper level disturbance that dropped into the Ohio Valley from the lower Great Lakes region.
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Ohio, July 6, 2022Thunderstorms developed ahead of a frontal boundary moving into a warm and humid airmass that was in place across the Ohio Valley.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Ohio, April 9, 2001Thunderstorm winds gusted to 72 mph. Three quarter inch diameter hail also occurred.
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Ohio, June 29, 2005Trees were also downed.
- Flood and Damaging Winds in Ohio, August 30, 2019Strong to severe thunderstorms developed ahead of an upper level disturbance and a surface cold front.
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Ohio, October 13 to 31, 1999Thunderstorm winds estimated at 50 to 55 mph toppled a crane hoisting a 5,000 pound bucket of concrete onto the roof a building in downtown Toledo. A 50 year old male worker on the roof was crushed by the falling bucket of concrete.
- Damaging Winds and Lightning Strike in Ohio, June 29, 2012On the second day of a developing heat wave, under a sunny sky, afternoon temperatures reached the upper 90s to above 100 degrees across most of southeast Ohio. For example, Waterloo in Lawrence County reached 104 degrees that Friday afternoon. Marietta had 100 degrees.
- Flash Flood and Hail in Ohio, July 6, 1999A large barn was blown down and destroyed just north of Graytown on Graytown Road.
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Ohio, June 26, 2008Very warm and more humid air became established across the region by midday on the 26th. Low pressure was located well north of the area in Ontario, and another trough of low pressure was swinging southeast from Michigan.
- Tornado and Hail in Ohio, May 7 to 8, 2010A very strong area of deepening low pressure moved east across northern Ohio during the evening hours of May 7th. By midday on the 8th, the low had reached northern New York state.
- Flash Flooding and Damaging Winds in Ohio, May 4 to 5, 2012Convection dropped from northwestern Ohio during the late afternoon and reached into southeast Ohio during the evening hours of the 4th. This was south of an east to west cold front in northern Ohio. That front was sinking slowly south. Surface dew points were in the mid 60s.
- Flash Flood and Flood in Ohio, June 10 to 12, 1999Large trees downed
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Ohio, September 3 to 4, 2011Scattered thunderstorms developed during the afternoon on September 3rd and continued to develop into the early morning hours on September 4th. Some of these thunderstorms became severe. The main threats from these storms were damaging thunderstorm winds and large hail.
- Tornado and Hail in Ohio, May 30 to 31, 2004Two trees were knocked down.
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in Ohio, August 9, 2000Two clusters of thunderstorms caused significant damage on the 9th. During the morning hours, a large bow echo raced across the area causing widespread wind damage.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Ohio, June 28, 1998A house was damaged by thunderstorm winds.
- Lightning Strike in Ohio, June 12, 1996Lightning struck a propane tank which caused a nearby home to explode. One person was killed and 2 were injured.
- Flooding and Damaging Winds in Ohio, August 18, 2002Thunderstorms 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.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Ohio, April 6, 2001Lightning caused a house fire which led to the death of one person.
- Hail and Lightning Strike in Ohio, May 31, 2010Scattered severe thunderstorms developed across eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania as a warm front slowly pushed north across the region. Heavy rainfall with the storms also caused minor flooding.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flood in Ohio, July 28, 1999Many trees and large limbs downed.
- Damaging Winds and Lightning Strike in Ohio, September 2, 2000Thunderstorm winds caused minor damage to 2 homes and caused damage to yard equipment.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Ohio, July 3 to 4, 2012An upper level disturbance moving southeast over the upper Ohio Valley produced scattered severe thunderstorms across eastern Ohio, western Pennsylvania, and northern West Virginia.
- Lightning Strike in Ohio, June 12, 1996Four men were injured when struck by lightning at the Diamond Back Golf Course. One of them died 17 days later, on June 29th.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Ohio, June 24, 2004Thunderstorm winds downed a few trees and large limbs near Upper Sandusky.
More
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.