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Mahoning County, Ohio severe weather history spans 433 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 61.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,122 nationally and #36 in Ohio.
433
Recorded events
6
Direct deaths
33
Direct injuries
$41.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Mahoning County, Ohio severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Mahoning County, Ohio severe weather history averages 6.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 133 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 57 events fall before 1990 and 376 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Mahoning County, Ohio record is tornado, responsible for 3 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $26.1M 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 Mahoning County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 264 | 1 | $4.5M | 85 | 1966–2026 |
| Hail | 125 | 0 | $5.3M | 2 | 1979–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 18 | 0 | $26.1M | 0 | 1996–2022 |
| Tornado | 17 | 3 | $5.4M | F3 | 1955–2022 |
| Flood | 5 | 0 | $350K | 0 | 2011–2022 |
| Lightning | 3 | 2 | $30K | 0 | 1996–2007 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–1997 |
Decade by decade
Mahoning 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: 17 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956-08-05 | EF3 | 2 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2001-04-09 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1987-06-27 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1976-02-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1963-04-19 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 15.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2014-07-08 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-07-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 8.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-07-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-04-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 7.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1981-06-22 | EF1 | 0 | 6 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Mahoning County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 5, 1956 | Tornado | 2 | 0 | $250K | |
| Jun 18, 1984 | Thunderstorm Wind | 1 | 8 | $0 | |
| Mar 1, 1955 | Tornado | 1 | 6 | $250K | |
| Jun 12, 1996 | Lightning | ELLSWORTH TOWNSHIP | 1 | 3 | $0 |
| Jun 8, 2007 | Lightning | NORTH LIMA | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Oct 13, 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | COUNTYWIDE | 0 | 6 | $60K |
| Jun 22, 1981 | Tornado | 0 | 6 | $2.5M | |
| Mar 22, 1955 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Thunderstorms dumped up to three inches of rain on Mahoning County. Rainfall rates of nearly two inches per hour were reported. With the ground still saturated from flooding the previous week, small streams and creeks in the county quickly rose and flooded many areas. The north and east sides of Youngstown were among the hardest hit areas in the county. Extensive urban and lowland flooding occurred in these areas. Around 9 p.m. a fire truck responding to a fire on Andrews Avenue on the east side of Youngstown was washed off the road by flood waters up to two feet deep. 17 buildings on the Youngstown State University campus were damaged by flooding. Severe flooding also occurred in Campbell, Struthers and Boardman. Many homes and business in these communities were damaged by flooding. Dozens of cars were stranded in the county. Total damage to roads in the county from July 21st to July 27th topped $3 million.
Widespread flash flooding across the Boardman area. Local dispatch, local media, and the local stormwater district reported over 250 residences that experienced basement flooding, with a few reports of water filling entire basements. Widespread street flooding with reports of dozens of car stranded in high water as high as three feet deep. Radar estimated rainfall totaled up to 4.5 in just under a three hour period, which has a 0.2% chance or less probability of annual occurrence per NOAA Atlas 14. Instantaneous rates of up to 6 per hour were observed, with a peak 15 minute rainfall accumulation around 1.25.
From 4:30 p.m. until around 8 p.m., a line of heavy rain stalled along Route 224 from Poland all the way to Canfield in Mahoning County. The hardest hit areas were Boardman, Poland, and Canfield. As four or five inches of rain fell in just a few hours, water was waist-deep in many areas. Hardest hit were the neighborhoods of Glendale, Rockdale and Locust avenues off of Route 224, across from the Boardman Plaza in Canfield. There were a number of ground-floor and basement apartments along Indian Run Drive inundated. Canfield Village Middle and High Schools were closed for several days due to flooding. In total over 550 homes and businesses were impacted. Thirty one sustained major damage, most from garden view apartments and a few family residents. The majority of residents impacted fell under the minor and/or affected categories. Total damage estimates are a few million. There were no reported injuries or fatalities.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
226,491
Population (ACS)
$155K
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 18, 2019 | Tornado | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDE | DR |
| 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 |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Mahoning County, Ohio?
433 events are on record between 1955 and 2026, causing 6 direct deaths and $41.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Mahoning County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 264 recorded events — 61.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Mahoning County?
18 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 17 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Mahoning County?
12 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Mahoning County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Mahoning County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Mahoning County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 84 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Mahoning 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
- Madison County 272
- Marion County 350
- Lucas County 589
- Medina County 522
- Lorain County 766
- Meigs County 274
Cite this page
“Mahoning County, Ohio.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/ohio/mahoning-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.