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Crawford County, Ohio severe weather history spans 344 recorded events between 1961 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 60.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,528 nationally and #62 in Ohio.
344
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
10
Direct injuries
$79.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Crawford County, Ohio severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Crawford County, Ohio severe weather history averages 5.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 102 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 48 events fall before 1990 and 296 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flash flood, with $65.6M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Crawford County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 209 | 0 | $5.6M | 65 | 1971–2026 |
| Hail | 80 | 0 | $838K | 2 | 1974–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 26 | 0 | $65.6M | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Tornado | 18 | 0 | $5.4M | F2 | 1961–2024 |
| Flood | 7 | 0 | $1.8M | 0 | 2007–2021 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $50K | 0 | 1996–1997 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2000 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–1997 |
Decade by decade
Crawford County, Ohio severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
19 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 16 touched down inside it and 3 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-03-14 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-11-05 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-09-04 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 16.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-08-13 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-05-10 | EF2 | 0 | 14 | 58.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-04-17 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-07-29 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-07-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-05-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 9.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-03-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Crawford County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 7, 1979 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $25K | |
| Sep 20, 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | CRESTLINE | 0 | 2 | $200K |
| Jan 27, 1974 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Aug 12, 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | CRESTLINE | 0 | 1 | $4K |
| Jun 28, 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bucyrus | 0 | 1 | $2K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Heavy rain and rapid snow melt led to a rapid rise in the Sandusky River at Bucyrus, which reached a 100 year crest of 10.86 feet. The only official rainfall observation was in Galion where 2.38 was reported. Six to ten inches of heavy snow was on the ground at the onset of the rain. This snow rapidly melted as temperatures warmed into the 50s on the 28th. Up to an additional inch of water equivalent rainfall was released from the melted snow. Several people had be rescued from homes and vehicles as the water came up. About 30 homes in Bucyrus were flooded as the Sandusky River came out of banks. Countyline Road was one of the most affected areas where at least a dozen homes were damaged. Several dozen new cars were destroyed as flood waters inundated a car dealership.
An intense line of thunderstorms or Derecho moved across Crawford County during the afternoon of June 29th causing extensive damage. Winds were estimated to be as much as 70 mph. A 66 mph wind gust was measured in Bucyrus. The southeast corner of the county was the hardest hit. Over 50 percent of residents in southern Crawford County lost power during this event. Power was not completely restored for several days. Hundreds of trees were downed across the county along with many utility poles forcing the closure of some of roads and streets. Damage to homes and buildings was also extensive. Dozens of homes and buildings lost roofing or siding with many other homes damaged by fallen trees. A mobile home was destroyed just to the north of Bucyrus. Clean up costs were extensive. The clean up was hampered by an ongoing heat wave with afternoon temperatures in the upper 90s. Significant crop losses are also expected. Damage from this storm was comparable to the remnants of Hurricane Ike in September 2008.
Thunderstorm winds estimated at 60 to 80 mph moved across the county and caused significant damage. A manufactured home was blown over and several mobile homes destroyed at a factory located along State Route 4 just north of Bucyrus. Four railroad cars were derailed in Liberty Township with scattered trees downed throughout the county. A barn was destroyed and a horse killed at a farm just outside of Crestline. A large sign was toppled in Galion and a truck was crushed by a tree in Crestline.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
41,711
Population (ACS)
$137K
Median home value
15
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2, 2024 | Tornado | TORNADOES | DR |
| Mar 31, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jun 30, 2012 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS | EM |
| Apr 24, 2008 | Snowstorm | RECORD SNOW AND NEAR RECORD SNOW | EM |
| Aug 27, 2007 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND TORNADOES | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Crawford County, Ohio?
344 events are on record between 1961 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $79.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Crawford County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 209 recorded events — 60.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Crawford County?
19 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 Crawford County?
15 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Crawford County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Crawford County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Crawford County as very low risk, placing it in the 35 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Crawford 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
- Coshocton County 445
- Cuyahoga County 1,054
- Columbiana County 614
- Darke County 452
- Clinton County 541
- Defiance County 231
Cite this page
“Crawford County, Ohio.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/ohio/crawford-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.