Tornadoes · United States · Ohio

Tornadoes in Licking County, Ohio

29 tornadoes have crossed Licking County since 1950, 14th of the 88 counties in Ohio with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.6 years. They have killed 1 person and injured 28. None was rated F4 or 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
29
Deaths
1
Injuries
28
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F3, May 31, 1985

The deadliest in Licking County

  1. F3, Licking and Coshocton counties, OhioMay 31, 19851 killed, 20 injured

The strongest

  1. F3, Licking and Coshocton counties, OhioMay 31, 1985F3, 29.0 mi (47 km)
  2. F2, Delaware and Licking counties, OhioSeptember 20, 2000F2, 21.0 mi (34 km)
  3. EF2, Franklin and Licking counties, OhioFebruary 28, 2024EF2, 14.0 mi (23 km)
  4. F2, Licking County, OhioAugust 25, 1998F2, 10.0 mi (16 km)
  5. F2, Licking County, OhioJuly 22, 1958F2, 8.6 mi (14 km)
  6. F2, Licking County, OhioNovember 27, 1965F2, 5.9 mi (9 km)
  7. EF2, Licking County, OhioApril 20, 2011EF2, 3.9 mi (6 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 21 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Licking County. Each year links to every tornado in Ohio that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20245EF2
20231EF0
20141EF0
20131EF1
20113EF2
20101EF0
20041F1
200012F2
19981F2
19971F1
19921F0
19901F1
19861F1
19851120F3
198025F1
19781F1
19681F1
196521F2
19631F1
19601F1
19581F2

Every tornado that crossed Licking County

29 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 5, 202410:56 PM EDTEF0Licking0.6150$15,000
May 7, 202411:49 PM EDTEF0Licking3.0100$50,000
April 2, 20248:08 PM EDTEF0Licking5.3150$50,000
March 14, 20249:01 PM EDTEF1Delaware35.4600$1.5 million
February 28, 20245:49 AM ESTEF2Franklin14.0300$500,000
February 27, 20234:41 PM ESTEF0Licking0.390$10,000
August 12, 201411:15 AM EDTEF0Licking0.120
October 31, 20131:07 AM EDTEF1Licking1.350$100,000
April 20, 20112:51 AM EDTEF1Licking0.275$40,000
April 20, 20112:42 AM EDTEF2Licking3.9100$45,000
April 4, 20113:46 PM EDTEF0Licking0.950$60,000
October 26, 20102:27 PM EDTEF0Licking0.650$15,000
June 13, 200412:15 AM EDTF1Licking2.075$10,000
September 20, 20008:31 PM EDTF2Delaware21.01002$2.0 million
August 25, 19983:45 PM EDTF2Licking10.0250$300,000
July 26, 19977:15 PM EDTF1Licking0.323$10,000
August 8, 19926:45 PM EDTF0Licking0.230$5,000 to $50,000
June 22, 19908:25 PM EDTF1Licking8.0100$50,000 to $500,000
June 22, 19869:35 PM EDTF1Licking2.047$50,000 to $500,000
May 31, 19857:15 PM EDTF3Licking29.0150120$5 million to $50 million
June 1, 19802:50 PM EDTF1Licking2.01505$500,000 to $5 million
June 1, 19802:20 PM EDTF1Licking0.277$50,000 to $500,000
September 14, 19786:55 PM EDTF1Fairfield0.1100$50,000 to $500,000
April 23, 19683:30 PM GMT-5F1Licking8.2200$50,000 to $500,000
November 27, 19651:05 AM GMT-5F2Licking5.93001$50,000 to $500,000
May 16, 19654:00 PM GMT-4F0Licking0.110$500 to $5,000
June 5, 19637:05 PM GMT-4F1Licking0.110$500 to $5,000
June 24, 19607:00 AM GMT-4F1Licking1.010$500 to $5,000
July 22, 19582:50 PM GMT-4F2Licking8.6200$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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