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Madison County, Ohio severe weather history spans 272 recorded events between 1956 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 63.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,950 nationally and #74 in Ohio.
272
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
4
Direct injuries
$8.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Madison County, Ohio severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Madison County, Ohio severe weather history averages 3.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 66 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 38 events fall before 1990 and 234 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $7.2M 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 Madison County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 172 | 0 | $965K | 69 | 1957–2026 |
| Hail | 63 | 0 | $43K | 1.75 | 1956–2026 |
| Tornado | 15 | 0 | $7.2M | F3 | 1965–2024 |
| Flood | 11 | 0 | $6K | 0 | 2007–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 10 | 0 | $322K | 0 | 1997–2020 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $220K | 0 | 2001–2001 |
Decade by decade
Madison County, Ohio severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
15 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 11 touched down inside it and 4 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 |
| 1986-03-10 | EF2 | 1 | 10 | 28.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-02-28 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 21.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1974-04-03 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 15.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-02-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 12.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-11-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1986-06-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 15.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1985-05-31 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-04-03 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-11-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Madison County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 12, 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | MADISON LAKE | 0 | 1 | $10K |
| Jul 14, 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Countywide | 0 | 1 | $10K |
| Jun 20, 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Plain City | 0 | 1 | $5K |
| Apr 3, 1982 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $2.5M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The tornado first touched down in Clark County at 0452EST, 5 miles south-southeast of Springfield. It moved east-northeast and crossed into Madison County at 0506EST, 2.3 miles west-southwest of Summerford. ||The tornado downed numerous trees and caused significant damage to several structures as it moved through western Madison County. Notable damage occurred at the Madison County Airport where one of the metal hangars was completely collapsed. There was also significant damage to several other hangars and planes at the airport. Based on the damage, winds were estimated to be 130 mph at this location. The tornado continued east from here, damaging other dwellings and trees. One home in particular had its second story completely removed. The tornado then lifted in an open field, 1 mile north-northeast of Lafayette.
The tornado developed near State Route 665, east of London, and moved to the east-northeast. The tornado initially caused minor tree and structural damage, including a tipped over trailer. It then strengthened as it crossed Spring Valley Road and then across Glade Run Road, where it peaked in intensity as it crossed Wilson Road. At this location, a home lost part of its roof and tree damage was considerable, with snapped|off trunks. Damage in this area was consistent with wind speeds of around 110 mph.||The tornado continued across West Jefferson-Klousville Road and then onward to Olmstead Road. Additional damage meeting the EF1 category was found along Roberts Road, just southeast of Plain City Georgesville Road. The tornado then entered Franklin County at 0525EST, about 1.5 miles east-southeast of West Jefferson. It continued east-northeast for about 3 more miles before ending just before reaching Alton Hall Elementary School at 0528EST.
The tornado appears to have touched down at a farm on Roberts Mill Road, where several barns sustained heavy damage. These barns had complete roof removal and the collapse of exterior walls. Barn roofing and wall material was thrown west- northwest across Roberts Mill Road into the tops of trees of adjacent properties, and strewn across fields on the west side of Roberts Mill Road. The damage is consistent with wind speeds around 85 mph.||Other barn damage observed on State Route 38 south of Newport, Old Xenia Road SW south of London, and on State Route 56 southeast of London, was all determined to be nontornadic with no conclusive components of typical tornado damage.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
44,423
Population (ACS)
$250K
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 |
| 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 |
| Sep 13, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Madison County, Ohio?
272 events are on record between 1956 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $8.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Madison County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 172 recorded events — 63.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Madison County?
15 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 Madison County?
12 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Madison County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Madison County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Madison County as very low risk, placing it in the 25 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Madison 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
- Lucas County 589
- Mahoning County 433
- Lorain County 766
- Marion County 350
- Logan County 380
- Medina County 522
Cite this page
“Madison County, Ohio.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/ohio/madison-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.