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Adams County, Ohio severe weather history spans 389 recorded events between 1966 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 50.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,299 nationally and #48 in Ohio.
389
Recorded events
6
Direct deaths
8
Direct injuries
$16.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Adams County, Ohio severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Adams County, Ohio severe weather history averages 6.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 129 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 33 events fall before 1990 and 356 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Adams County, Ohio record is flash flood, responsible for 3 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $10.0M in reported property damage. In total, 6 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Adams County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 196 | 1 | $2.6M | 85 | 1966–2025 |
| Hail | 81 | 0 | $596K | 2.5 | 1969–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 60 | 3 | $10.0M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 35 | 0 | $11K | 0 | 2006–2026 |
| Tornado | 16 | 2 | $3.2M | F4 | 1968–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2015–2015 |
Decade by decade
Adams County, Ohio severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
20 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 16 touched down inside it and 4 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968-04-23 | EF4 | 6 | 364 | 78.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1974-04-03 | EF3 | 1 | 0 | 15.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2012-03-02 | EF2 | 1 | 2 | 11.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-06-16 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 9.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-04-02 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 7.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-06-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 9.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2012-03-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-05-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-04-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-05-30 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Adams County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 1, 1997 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 2 | 0 | $8.0M |
| Mar 2, 2012 | Tornado | WEST UNION | 1 | 2 | $2.0M |
| May 4, 2024 | Flash Flood | MANCHESTER | 1 | 0 | $20K |
| Apr 15, 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Manchester | 1 | 0 | $500K |
| Apr 4, 1974 | Tornado | 1 | 0 | $3K | |
| Feb 21, 1993 | Thunderstorm Wind | reporting 6 inches of | 0 | 5 | $500K |
| Apr 2, 2024 | Tornado | CLAYTON | 0 | 1 | $200K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The tornado touched down just east of Highway 41, about 2 miles northeast of West Union. The tornado then traveled east northeast for just over 11 miles, destroying at least 5 mobile homes. Two homes were also damaged. One of these homes was built of brick. A 99 year old woman was in her mobile home in Tiffin Township when the tornado struck. She was injured from this tornado and passed away several days later. Two others were also injured from this tornado. A dozen cattle were killed and major power transmission poles were knocked over. Numerous trees were snapped or uprooted. Based on the damage surveyed, the maximum estimated wind speed of this tornado was 125 miles per hour.
A mobile home was destroyed by high winds, probably from a microburst. The 63-year-old male owner was killed outdoors at the site when he was struck by debris from the roof during the event. He died of head injuries. Trees were downed and large hail also fell.
Thunderstorm winds caused significant damage to the town. Trees were downed, sheds destroyed, several roofs blown off, and a church porch was destroyed. The winds were estimated to average 60 to 70 mph with gusts to around 100 mph.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
27,540
Population (ACS)
$164K
Median home value
19
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 31, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Apr 8, 2019 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND LANDSLIDES | DR |
| Apr 17, 2018 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Aug 20, 2012 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
| Jun 30, 2012 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- West Union 106
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Adams County, Ohio?
389 events are on record between 1966 and 2026, causing 6 direct deaths and $16.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Adams County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 196 recorded events — 50.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Adams County?
20 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 16 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Adams County?
19 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Adams County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Adams County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Adams County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 44 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Adams County, Ohio severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Allen County 286
- Ashland County 426
- Ashtabula County 500
- Athens County 447
- Auglaize County 386
- Belmont County 476
Cite this page
“Adams County, Ohio.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/ohio/adams-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.