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Brown County, Ohio severe weather history spans 446 recorded events between 1961 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 56.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,075 nationally and #34 in Ohio.
446
Recorded events
5
Direct deaths
9
Direct injuries
$19.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Brown County, Ohio severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Brown County, Ohio severe weather history averages 7.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 174 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 26 events fall before 1990 and 420 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Brown County, Ohio record is flash flood, responsible for 4 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $11.5M 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 Brown County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 251 | 0 | $1.8M | 87 | 1961–2025 |
| Hail | 66 | 0 | $38K | 2.75 | 1968–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 58 | 4 | $6.2M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 41 | 0 | $33K | 0 | 2008–2025 |
| Tornado | 27 | 1 | $11.5M | F4 | 1961–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 | 0 | $1K | 0 | 2011–2013 |
Decade by decade
Brown County, Ohio severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
27 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 20 touched down inside it and 7 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 |
| 1968-04-23 | EF4 | 1 | 33 | 24.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2012-03-02 | EF3 | 3 | 13 | 20.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1986-03-10 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-07-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-02-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-06-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-05-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-05-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-11-22 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Brown County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 19, 2015 | Flash Flood | EASTWOOD | 3 | 3 | $3.0M |
| Apr 23, 1968 | Tornado | 1 | 4 | $2.5M | |
| Mar 1, 1997 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 1 | 0 | $2.0M |
| Jul 2, 1978 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25K | |
| Apr 23, 1968 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $2.5M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Thunderstorms developed across Brown County around 2100EST. A rain gauge near Red Oak received 2.4 inches of rain between 2120EST and 2205EST. Flooding started in the Georgetown area around 2140EST, when 6 people were stranded in multiple vehicles along State Route 125 due to rapidly rising water on Straight Creek. Over the next hour, numerous water rescues occurred throughout much of Brown County. By 2220EST, 3.0 inches of rain had fallen at the Red Oak gauge. Between 2200EST and 2300EST, Red Oak Creek rapidly rose out of its banks and caused widespread damage to homes and roads along the creek from Red Oak to where the creek enters the Ohio River in Ripley. Over 30 homes were affected by flood waters along Red Oak Creek. Three homes along the creek were completely destroyed and another 5 homes suffered major damage. Two adults and 4 children were in one of the houses as it was swept into the creek. One adult and two of the children were killed and the others were injured. Flash flooding continued into the early morning hours of the 19th.
The tornado touched down west of Woodward Road in Brown County, affecting areas of|Woodland Drive before crossing State Route 131. At this point the tornado was in its formative stages, with mainly EF-0 rated damage across State Route 131 and Black Oak Road. Within the Lake Lorelei community, the tornado strengthened and produced extensive tree damage in neighborhoods on the west side of Lake Lorelei. Many mature, tall trees were snapped or uprooted, some of which fell on homes and vehicles. Roof damage also occurred, as well as porches uplifted on a few homes. The tornado continued northeast across Lake Lorelei and began to weaken as it exited the Lake Lorelei community and crossed Vera Cruz Road. The tornado continued to produce|concentrated and significant tree damage on the east side of Vera Cruz Road north of Fayetteville-Blanchester Road, and likely lifted just west of Stark Road.
Four to five inches of rain produced widespread flash flooding across southeastern Brown County. Damage to several roads was reported throughout Huntington Township and a bridge at Stringtown and Flaugher Hill Roads sustained damage. One vehicle was washed down a creek and numerous vehicles were stranded in high water.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
43,845
Population (ACS)
$196K
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 |
| Jun 30, 2012 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS | EM |
| Jul 13, 2011 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Brown County, Ohio?
446 events are on record between 1961 and 2025, causing 5 direct deaths and $19.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Brown County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 251 recorded events — 56.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Brown County?
27 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 20 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Brown County?
19 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Brown County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Brown County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Brown County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 63 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Brown 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
- Belmont County 476
- Butler County 597
- Auglaize County 386
- Carroll County 387
- Athens County 447
- Champaign County 283
Cite this page
“Brown County, Ohio.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/ohio/brown-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.