Tornadoes · United States · Ohio

Tornadoes in Clark County, Ohio

37 tornadoes have crossed Clark County since 1950, 3 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 5th of the 88 counties in Ohio with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.1 years. They have killed 36 people and injured 1,168. 1 was rated F4 or EF4 and above, 1 at the top of the scale.

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
37
Deaths
36
Injuries
1,168
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
F5, April 3, 1974

The deadliest in Clark County

  1. F5 Xenia tornado, OhioApril 3, 197436 killed, 1,150 injured

The strongest

  1. F5 Xenia tornado, OhioApril 3, 1974F5, 31.3 mi (50 km)
  2. F3, Champaign, Clark, Madison and Franklin counties, OhioMay 10, 1973F3, 89.6 mi (144 km)
  3. EF2, Clark and Madison counties, OhioFebruary 28, 2024EF2, 21.1 mi (34 km)
  4. F2, Madison and Clark counties, OhioApril 3, 1974F2, 15.7 mi (25 km)
  5. EF2, Clark County, OhioAugust 11, 2026EF2, 3.5 mi (6 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 23 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Clark County. Each year links to every tornado in Ohio that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20263EF2
20252EF1
202413EF2
20231EF1
20221EF1
20194EF0
20181EF1
20175EF1
20151EF0
20112EF1
20081EF0
20071EF0
19961F0
19931F1
19922F1
198616F1
19761F1
19743361150F5
197318F3
197111F1
19681F1
19651F1
19621F1

Every tornado that crossed Clark County

37 tornadoes, newest first. The 3 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
August 11, 20269:24 AM EDTEF0Clark4.5150
August 11, 20269:31 AM EDTEF1Clark9.2200
August 11, 20269:33 AM EDTEF2Clark3.5400
July 19, 20259:35 PM EDTEF1Clark2.8175$200,000
July 19, 20259:15 PM EDTEF0Clark0.950$10,000
February 28, 20244:52 AM ESTEF2Clark21.15003$2.0 million
February 27, 20233:19 PM ESTEF1Clark2.3300$250,000
June 8, 20226:23 PM EDTEF1Clark16.9200$500,000
April 14, 20193:12 PM EDTEF0Clark2.780$45,000
April 12, 20198:34 AM EDTUnratedClark1.025
April 12, 20198:32 AM EDTEF0Clark0.825$15,000
February 7, 20193:17 PM ESTEF0Clark7.5150$40,000
April 3, 20184:56 PM EDTEF1Clark4.3150$85,000
November 5, 20176:16 PM ESTEF1Clark6.6200$125,000
May 24, 20179:16 PM EDTEF1Clark0.4300$250,000
May 24, 20179:12 PM EDTEF0Clark1.190$100,000
April 5, 20176:58 PM EDTEF0Clark0.140$50,000
April 5, 20176:51 PM EDTEF0Clark0.140$30,000
April 2, 20159:31 PM EDTEF0Clark0.1120$1,000
May 23, 20118:10 PM EDTEF1Clark0.4100$15,000
April 27, 20119:53 AM EDTEF0Clark1.3200$25,000
May 8, 20086:13 PM EDTEF0Clark0.210$1,000
May 15, 200711:05 PM EDTEF0Clark0.130$20,000
May 8, 19968:10 PM EDTF0Clark1.0100$10,000
June 30, 19932:38 PM EDTF1Clark0.210$5,000 to $50,000
June 18, 19927:31 PM EDTF1Clark0.133
June 18, 19927:03 PM EDTF0Clark0.110
April 20, 19866:45 PM ESTF1Clark3.5276$50,000 to $500,000
January 13, 19765:00 PM ESTF1Clark0.110$5,000 to $50,000
August 3, 19745:45 PM EDTF0Clark0.110$5,000 to $50,000
April 3, 19744:55 PM EDTF2Madison15.7180$50,000 to $500,000
April 3, 19743:30 PM EDTF5Xenia tornado31.3533361150$50 million to $500 million
May 10, 19736:49 PM EDTF3Champaign89.63008$500 to $5,000
February 26, 197112:05 AM ESTF1Clark0.51001$5,000 to $50,000
May 26, 19687:30 PM GMT-4F1Clark0.217$500 to $5,000
March 17, 19655:04 PM GMT-5F1Clark5.230$5,000 to $50,000
July 20, 196212:50 PM GMT-4F1Clark0.110$500 to $5,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Clark CountyThe forecast for Clark CountyThe live radar over Clark 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.