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Franklin County, Ohio severe weather history spans 1,024 recorded events between 1954 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 53.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #133 nationally and #2 in Ohio.
1,024
Recorded events
7
Direct deaths
62
Direct injuries
$251.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Franklin County, Ohio severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Franklin County, Ohio severe weather history averages 14.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 387 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 165 events fall before 1990 and 859 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Franklin County, Ohio record is lightning, responsible for 4 direct deaths. The costliest is hail, with $181.3M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Franklin County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 546 | 2 | $9.7M | 85 | 1955–2026 |
| Hail | 284 | 0 | $181.3M | 3 | 1955–2026 |
| Flood | 74 | 0 | $143K | 0 | 2007–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 67 | 1 | $1.6M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 40 | 0 | $58.7M | F3 | 1954–2025 |
| Lightning | 7 | 4 | $21K | 0 | 1999–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 6 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2013 |
Decade by decade
Franklin County, Ohio severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
42 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 37 touched down inside it and 5 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973-05-10 | EF3 | 0 | 8 | 89.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1971-02-22 | EF3 | 0 | 7 | 6.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-02-28 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 14.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2006-10-11 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-03 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-05-30 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-05-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 17.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-05-25 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1970-04-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-02-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 12.3 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Franklin County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 18, 1984 | Thunderstorm Wind | 1 | 4 | $0 | |
| Jun 29, 2005 | Lightning | GROVE CITY | 1 | 2 | $0 |
| Jun 29, 2025 | Lightning | MINERVA PARK | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 19, 2020 | Flash Flood | PRICE ARPT | 1 | 0 | $20K |
| Aug 4, 2003 | Lightning | HILLIARD | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 18, 2002 | Lightning | REYNOLDSBURG | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 15, 1985 | Thunderstorm Wind | 1 | 0 | $0 | |
| Aug 21, 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | OBETZ | 0 | 15 | $50K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A man working on the roof of an apartment complex was struck by lightning. Witnesses said that the man shot up several feet in the air, landing back on the roof where he was unresponsive. The man was rushed to a local hospital where he died from his injuries one day later.
Hail up to hen egg size fell for up to 15 minutes across the eastern Columbus suburbs, causing extensive widespread damage to vehicles, homes and other structures. The hail accumulated up to several inches deep in spots, and remained on the ground well after the thunderstorm had passed.
Hail up to the size of golf balls affected the north side of the Columbus metro area and southern Delaware county. Hail was extensive from Dublin, through Worthington and Powell, to Westerville. Trees and shrubs were stripped of their foliage and cars and homes sustained significant hail damage. The hail covered the ground in some locations up to six inches deep in Worthington in northern Franklin county and near the Polaris Mall in southern Delaware county.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively High
FEMA NRI risk rating
1,333,048
Population (ACS)
$288K
Median home value
20
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 31, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Aug 20, 2012 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
| Jun 30, 2012 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS | EM |
| Oct 24, 2008 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WIND STORM ASSOCIATED WITH TROPICAL DEPRESSION IKE | DR |
| Apr 24, 2008 | Snowstorm | RECORD SNOW AND NEAR RECORD SNOW | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Franklin County, Ohio?
1,024 events are on record between 1954 and 2026, causing 7 direct deaths and $251.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Franklin County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 546 recorded events — 53.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Franklin County?
42 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 37 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Franklin County?
20 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Franklin County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Franklin County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Franklin County as relatively high risk, placing it in the 98 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Franklin 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
- Fayette County 291
- Fulton County 256
- Fairfield County 503
- Gallia County 322
- Erie County 408
- Geauga County 428
Cite this page
“Franklin County, Ohio.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/ohio/franklin-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.