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Athens County, Ohio severe weather history spans 447 recorded events between 1969 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 49.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,072 nationally and #33 in Ohio.
447
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
23
Direct injuries
$13.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Athens County, Ohio severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Athens County, Ohio severe weather history averages 7.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 151 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 18 events fall before 1990 and 429 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Athens County, Ohio record is flash flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $6.1M in reported property damage. In total, 9 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Athens County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 220 | 0 | $6.1M | 87 | 1969–2026 |
| Hail | 93 | 0 | $323K | 2.5 | 1982–2026 |
| Flood | 69 | 0 | $383K | 0 | 2008–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 53 | 1 | $5.5M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 4 | 0 | $1.0M | F1 | 1980–2023 |
| Lightning | 4 | 0 | $53K | 0 | 2001–2015 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2011 |
| High Wind | 1 | 0 | $20K | 0 | 2000–2000 |
Decade by decade
Athens County, Ohio severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
3 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 3 touched down inside it and 0 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-09-16 | EF2 | 0 | 7 | 3.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-08-12 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-10-28 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Athens County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 5, 2012 | Flash Flood | NELSONVILLE | 1 | 0 | $250K |
| Aug 9, 2000 | High Wind | ATHENS | 0 | 8 | $20K |
| Sep 16, 2010 | Tornado | KIMBERLY | 0 | 7 | $750K |
| Sep 16, 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | FLOODWOOD | 0 | 6 | $2.0M |
| Mar 7, 2026 | Thunderstorm Wind | COOLVILLE STATION | 0 | 2 | $2K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Numerous trees or large branches fell across the county. Nearly 24,000 customers lost electricity. Damage assessment included 1 home destroyed, 4 with major damage, and 3 with minor damage across the county. The public infrastructure damage assessment was around $580,000.
A downburst occured at the intersection of County Roads 9 and 22. Winds to 80 MPH (69 kts) rolled three mobile homes from their foundations destroying each. One garage and a house suffered damage. Residents claimed there had been a tornado but a survey indicated straight-line winds from a microburst as the most likely cause.
Flooding took place along streams in the northern reaches of the county. Some of the streams affected include Snow Fork, plus Sunday and Monday Creeks. Chauncey was one of the hardest hit areas as waters from Sunday Creek were slowed by the swollen Hocking River. Other communities that received flooding included Nelsonville, Glouster, Hollister, Trible, and Doanville. The stream flooding lead to minor river flooding along the Hocking River. The county emergency management agency listed one single family dwelling and 1 mobile home destroyed for the whole flood event. Twentyfive dwellings had major damage.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
61,737
Population (ACS)
$185K
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 |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Athens County, Ohio?
447 events are on record between 1969 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $13.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Athens County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 220 recorded events — 49.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Athens County?
3 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 3 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Athens County?
19 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Athens County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Athens County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Athens County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 69 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Athens 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
- Ashtabula County 500
- Auglaize County 386
- Belmont County 476
- Ashland County 426
- Brown County 446
- Allen County 286
Cite this page
“Athens County, Ohio.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/ohio/athens-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.