Tornadoes · United States · Ohio

Tornadoes in Butler County, Ohio

26 tornadoes have crossed Butler County since 1950, 2 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 21st of the 88 counties in Ohio with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.9 years. They have killed 1 person and injured 82. 1 was rated F4 or EF4 and above.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The United States rated tornadoes on Ted Fujita’s F scale until 31 January 2007 and on the Enhanced Fujita scale after it. Both run from 0 to 5, and both rate the damage rather than measure the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. F0 / EF040 to 72 mph on the F scale, 65 to 85 mph on the EF scale

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. F1 / EF173 to 112 mph on the F scale, 86 to 110 mph on the EF scale

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. F2 / EF2113 to 157 mph on the F scale, 111 to 135 mph on the EF scale

    Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

  4. F3 / EF3158 to 206 mph on the F scale, 136 to 165 mph on the EF scale

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. F4 / EF4207 to 260 mph on the F scale, 166 to 200 mph on the EF scale

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. F5 / EF5261 to 318 mph on the F scale, over 200 mph on the EF scale

    Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.

  7. Unrated

    The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

Now

Tornadoes
26
Deaths
1
Injuries
82
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
F4, June 2, 1990

The deadliest in Butler County

  1. F2, Butler County, OhioMay 4, 19901 killed, 5 injured

The strongest

  1. F4, Dearborn, Hamilton, Butler and Warren counties, Indiana and OhioJune 2, 1990F4, 33.0 mi (53 km)
  2. F3, Butler, Warren, Clinton and Greene counties, OhioMay 10, 1969F3, 54.5 mi (88 km)
  3. EF2, Franklin and Butler counties, Indiana and OhioJune 17, 2026EF2, 7.6 mi (12 km)
  4. F2, Butler County, OhioApril 8, 1980F2, 2.0 mi (3 km)
  5. F2, Butler County, OhioMarch 10, 1986F2, 1.0 mi (2 km)
  6. F2, Butler County, OhioFebruary 25, 1956F2, 1.0 mi (2 km)
  7. F2, Butler County, OhioMay 4, 1990F2, 0.2 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 14 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Butler County. Each year links to every tornado in Ohio that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20262EF2
20253EF0
20243EF1
20232EF1
20211EF1
20111EF1
20081EF0
19903142F4
19861F2
1980110F2
19735F1
1969125F3
195615F2
19511F1

Every tornado that crossed Butler County

26 tornadoes, newest first. 4 of them touched down in a neighboring state and ran in, so the record files them under that state rather than Ohio. The 2 at the top are this year's, from the surveying office rather than SPC's published database, and their ratings are marked as preliminary.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 17, 20261:22 AM EDTEF2Franklin to OH7.6400
August 11, 20263:13 PM EDTEF1Butler11.3500
April 2, 202511:23 PM CDTEF0Franklin to OH11.0300$150,000
March 30, 20258:52 PM EDTEF0Butler11.7200$265,000
March 30, 20258:40 PM EDTEF0Butler6.9150$250,000
May 7, 20249:57 PM EDTEF0Butler0.380$20,000
May 7, 20249:20 PM EDTEF1Butler2.4200$200,000
May 7, 20247:56 PM CDTEF1Franklin to OH8.0300$10,000
August 14, 20237:50 PM EDTEF0Butler1.320$3,000
February 27, 20232:37 PM ESTEF1Butler4.2150$500,000
June 18, 20218:38 PM EDTEF1Montgomery2.8100$60,000
May 25, 201112:30 AM EDTEF1Butler2.5100$175,000
June 3, 20089:05 PM EDTEF0Butler0.325$30,000
June 2, 199010:00 PM CDTF4Dearborn to OH33.01,35037$5 million to $50 million
May 4, 19907:50 PM EDTF2Butler0.215015$50,000 to $500,000
May 4, 19902:30 PM EDTF1Butler1.250$50,000 to $500,000
March 10, 19863:20 PM ESTF2Butler1.0200$500,000 to $5 million
April 8, 19803:20 PM ESTF2Butler2.010010$500,000 to $5 million
December 26, 19734:30 PM ESTF1Butler0.5200$5,000 to $50,000
August 12, 19734:00 PM EDTF0Butler0.570$500 to $5,000
July 14, 19735:00 PM EDTF0Butler0.510$500 to $5,000
July 3, 19738:00 PM EDTF1Butler0.2100$500 to $5,000
May 19, 19736:45 PM EDTF1Butler1.077$5,000 to $50,000
May 10, 19694:10 PM GMT-4F3Butler54.540025$500,000 to $5 million
February 25, 19565:45 AM GMT-5F2Butler1.05005$50,000 to $500,000
June 27, 19518:00 AM GMT-4F1Butler4.710$500,000 to $5 million

Nearby

Warnings in force in Butler CountyThe forecast for Butler CountyThe live radar over Butler CountyEvery county in Ohio

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.