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Elkhart; Lagrange; Steuben; Noble; De Kalb; Northern La Porte; Eastern St. Joseph; Southern La Porte; Western St. Joseph; Cass; St. Joseph; Branch; Hillsdale; Northern Berrien; Southern Berrien; Williams; Fulton; Defiance; Henry
Defiance County, Ohio severe weather history spans 231 recorded events between 1957 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 61.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,246 nationally and #83 in Ohio.
231
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$4.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Defiance County, Ohio severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Defiance County, Ohio severe weather history averages 3.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 69 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 37 events fall before 1990 and 194 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $2.7M 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 Defiance County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 141 | 0 | $644K | 80 | 1957–2024 |
| Hail | 63 | 0 | $9K | 2.75 | 1963–2026 |
| Tornado | 13 | 0 | $2.7M | F2 | 1960–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 10 | 0 | $620K | 0 | 1997–2017 |
| Flood | 3 | 0 | $20K | 0 | 2008–2026 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2013–2013 |
Decade by decade
Defiance County, Ohio severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
10 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 9 touched down inside it and 1 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-08-24 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2016-08-24 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1986-07-12 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-08-10 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-07-29 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-07-01 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-03-08 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 5.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1987-07-05 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-06-26 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-07-19 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Emergency management officials reported flooding and flash flooding across much of the western half of the county. The Hicksville Community Hospital had water flowing into lower portions of the structure, requiring sandbagging. Laboratory areas were flooded, but the sandbagging efforts kept any water out of patient areas. Several roads were closed through the county, including U.S. 127 near Mud Creek, which quickly went over its banks. Video footage from a newspaper reported showed three to six inches of water flowing from a golf course pond into the intersection of Carpenter and River Roads. Exact damage figures were not available, but flooding damage across the county is estimated around $250,000.
Local media reported flash flooding across portions of far western Defiance County, mainly from Hicksville to Ney. Water entered the first floor of the Hicksville Community Memorial Hospital, forcing the evacuation of a few patients, as well as power being shut off to the laboratory and radiology departments. County officials reported State Roads 49, 37 and 2 were closed near the Indiana and Ohio state line. The village of Ney sustained heavy flooding as well as Lick Creek flowed over its banks flooding the Ney Community Park, parts of the Jewell Grain facility. Seeds and chemicals had to be moved from the grain facility, with sandbagging being done to stop the flooding. A parked car was submerged under flood waters behind the Ney Oil Company. Standing water persisted into much of the next day. However, evacuations ended within a few hours of the event ending.
Emergency management officials reported several large trees were either uprooted or snapped in the city of Defiance. One of these trees fell onto a house on Washington Street, reportedly destroying the house. Another tree fell onto at least two parked car on Jefferson Avenue. No injuries were reported. Damage is estimated at $125,000.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
38,343
Population (ACS)
$163K
Median home value
8
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 31, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jun 30, 2012 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS | EM |
| Sep 13, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
| Sep 19, 2004 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Mar 26, 1982 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Defiance County, Ohio?
231 events are on record between 1957 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $4.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Defiance County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 141 recorded events — 61.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Defiance County?
10 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 9 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Defiance County?
8 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Defiance County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Defiance County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Defiance County as very low risk, placing it in the 42 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Defiance 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
- Darke County 452
- Delaware County 428
- Cuyahoga County 1,054
- Erie County 408
- Crawford County 344
- Fairfield County 503
Cite this page
“Defiance County, Ohio.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/ohio/defiance-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.