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Hardin County, Ohio severe weather history spans 243 recorded events between 1959 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 56.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,153 nationally and #82 in Ohio.
243
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$2.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Hardin County, Ohio severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Hardin County, Ohio severe weather history averages 3.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 87 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 43 events fall before 1990 and 200 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Hardin County, Ohio record is lightning, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $1.2M 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 Hardin County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 136 | 0 | $892K | 80 | 1962–2026 |
| Hail | 51 | 0 | $7K | 1.75 | 1959–2026 |
| Flood | 26 | 0 | $45K | 0 | 2007–2020 |
| Flash Flood | 16 | 0 | $55K | 0 | 1998–2020 |
| Tornado | 11 | 0 | $1.2M | F1 | 1963–2026 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2013 |
| Lightning | 1 | 1 | $0 | 0 | 2005–2005 |
Decade by decade
Hardin County, Ohio severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
11 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 11 touched down inside it and 0 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 | EF2 | 0 | 14 | 58.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-08-12 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-12-11 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-02-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-03-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1983-07-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-05-25 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1963-04-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-05-27 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-05-25 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Hardin County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 26, 2005 | Lightning | KENTON | 1 | 0 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
On County Road 235, a garage was destroyed and the adjacent house suffered damage as well with the chimney destroyed, windows broken, and some damage to the exterior of the house due to thunderstorm winds. On County Road 265, one third of a hog barn roof was removed and a machine shop was destroyed. Trees were blown down, and damage occurred to several other properties along County Road 265.
The first tornadic damage was observed at the Hardin County Fairgrounds, just south of County Road 140, where minor roof damage occurred. Several wooden power poles were damaged and snapped in half. On the northern side of the fairgrounds, a hardwood tree was snapped and a building sustained a major loss of its metal roofing panels. An additional building had its concrete block siding blown out, which caused a partial roof collapse. An open-ended barn structure was lifted, causing the support poles to be lifted and shifted. The final damage associated with this tornado was on the eastern side of the fairgrounds, where additional power poles were snapped and minor roof damage was observed to fairground buildings.
Two homes near the intersection of US Route 68 and State Route 81 sustained damage. One of the houses had its chimney blown off. The second house had roof tiles blown off of its garage. Several large tree limbs were downed.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
30,475
Population (ACS)
$151K
Median home value
12
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 |
| 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 Hardin County, Ohio?
243 events are on record between 1959 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $2.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Hardin County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 136 recorded events — 56.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Hardin County?
11 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 11 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Hardin County?
12 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Hardin County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Hardin County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Hardin County as very low risk, placing it in the 24 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Hardin 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
- Hancock County 411
- Harrison County 270
- Hamilton County 921
- Henry County 260
- Guernsey County 406
- Highland County 425
Cite this page
“Hardin County, Ohio.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/ohio/hardin-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.