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Hancock County, Ohio severe weather history spans 411 recorded events between 1951 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 61.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,213 nationally and #43 in Ohio.
411
Recorded events
4
Direct deaths
18
Direct injuries
$228.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Hancock County, Ohio severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Hancock County, Ohio severe weather history averages 5.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 111 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 63 events fall before 1990 and 348 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Hancock County, Ohio record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $102.4M 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 Hancock County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 254 | 2 | $9.4M | 74 | 1957–2026 |
| Hail | 100 | 0 | $85.6M | 2.75 | 1973–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 22 | 0 | $102.4M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 19 | 0 | $15.0M | 0 | 2007–2021 |
| Tornado | 14 | 2 | $15.7M | F4 | 1951–2024 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2001–2001 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–1997 |
Decade by decade
Hancock County, Ohio severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
18 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 15 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965-04-11 | EF4 | 13 | 104 | 32.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1971-06-02 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 39.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1971-06-02 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 31.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2008-05-30 | EF2 | 0 | 6 | 8.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2002-11-10 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1980-07-09 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-11-10 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1951-04-28 | EF2 | 0 | 5 | 15.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-03-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-06-08 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Hancock County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 12, 1965 | Tornado | 2 | 4 | $250K | |
| May 31, 1991 | Thunderstorm Wind | 2 | 2 | $0 | |
| May 31, 2008 | Tornado | ARCADIA | 0 | 6 | $1.0M |
| Apr 29, 1951 | Tornado | 0 | 5 | $2.5M | |
| Jun 26, 1973 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A supercell thunderstorm moved across Hancock County. Hail as large as baseballs fell in association with this thunderstorm. The western half of the city of Findlay was especially hard hit. Golf ball or larger hail affected an area bordered by State Route 12 to the south, Township Road 99 to the north, County Road 140 to the west and roughly Main Street to the east. As many as 4,000 homes and business in this area may have been damaged by the hail. Thousands of automobiles also sustained damage from the hail. One automobile dealership on the north side of Findlay had over 400 vehicles damaged by the hail. Hundreds of homes also sustained damage from broken windows or damaged siding. This event could end up being one of costliest hail storms in Ohio history.
Flash flooding on the north side of Findlay. Widespread roadway flooding was reported, with flooding of businesses and residence report. Numerous reports of basement flooding across the northern half of Findlay, with several buildings on the campus of the University of Findlay experiencing significant basement flooding. Some reports of parked vehicles stranded in flooded roadways.
Heavy rain and rapid snow melt led to widespread flooding across Hancock County. Rainfall totals across the county ranged from one to three inches on February 27th and 28th. Up 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 stranded vehicles. Hundreds of homes in the county sustained damage, mainly from basement flooding. Many roads had to be closed because of the flooding, mainly in downtown Findlay. The Blanchard River reached 16.42 feet,the 6th highest crest of record. Both the Lye and Eagle Creeks reached major flood stages as well. Officially Mt. Blanchard observed 2.32 inches of rain, with Findlay reporting 2.08 inches.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
74,866
Population (ACS)
$205K
Median home value
14
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 |
| Aug 20, 2012 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
| Jun 30, 2012 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS | EM |
| Aug 27, 2007 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND TORNADOES | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Findlay 141
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Hancock County, Ohio?
411 events are on record between 1951 and 2026, causing 4 direct deaths and $228.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Hancock County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 254 recorded events — 61.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Hancock County?
18 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 15 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Hancock County?
14 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Hancock County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Hancock County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Hancock County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 54 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Hancock 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
- Hamilton County 921
- Hardin County 243
- Guernsey County 406
- Harrison County 270
- Greene County 577
- Henry County 260
Cite this page
“Hancock County, Ohio.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/ohio/hancock-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.