Live
Active alerts for this county
Heat Advisory
Lucas; Wood; Ottawa; Sandusky; Erie; Lorain; Cuyahoga; Hancock; Seneca; Huron; Medina; Summit; Wyandot; Crawford; Richland; Ashland; Wayne; Marion; Morrow; Knox
Medina County, Ohio severe weather history spans 522 recorded events between 1959 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 51.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #802 nationally and #22 in Ohio.
522
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
24
Direct injuries
$45.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Medina County, Ohio severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Medina County, Ohio severe weather history averages 7.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 157 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 64 events fall before 1990 and 458 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Medina County, Ohio record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 3 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $19.8M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Medina County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 269 | 3 | $5.4M | 80 | 1960–2026 |
| Hail | 172 | 0 | $573K | 2.25 | 1960–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 40 | 0 | $19.8M | 0 | 1996–2023 |
| Tornado | 30 | 0 | $7.6M | F3 | 1959–2025 |
| Flood | 5 | 0 | $12.2M | 0 | 2011–2019 |
| Lightning | 4 | 0 | $105K | 0 | 1996–2005 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–1999 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–1997 |
Decade by decade
Medina County, Ohio severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
32 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 27 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992-07-12 | EF3 | 0 | 4 | 7.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2002-11-10 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2001-05-21 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 7.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-07-13 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-05-10 | EF2 | 0 | 8 | 40.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 2023-08-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-10-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-04-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 11.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2014-06-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2014-07-08 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 8.3 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Medina County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 12, 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | COUNTYWIDE | 1 | 2 | $50K |
| Jul 13, 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Countywide | 1 | 2 | $180K |
| Aug 4, 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | WINDFALL | 1 | 0 | $25K |
| Apr 12, 1965 | Tornado | 0 | 6 | $250K | |
| Jul 13, 1992 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $2.5M | |
| Jul 14, 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | WADSWORTH | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| Jul 1, 1977 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $25K | |
| Aug 26, 1975 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A vehicle traveling down River Styx Road near Interstate 71 was struck by a falling tree knocked down by thunderstorm wind gusts. The tree land on the front half of the passenger cabin killing the 28 year old mother driving. Her baby in the back seat was not injured.
A thunderstorm downbust with winds estimated to be as much as 85 mph caused extensive damage across the northern end of Medina County. The damage began west of Valley City along the county line and continued east across the Brunswick and Hinckley areas. The damage was most concentrated in Liverpool township where there was significant tree and power pole damage. Hundreds of trees were also downed in Brunswick and Hinckley. Many homes lost roofing or siding and a few were damaged by fallen trees. In Brunswick alone, there were 300 reports of damage with four homes sustaining structural damage and a fifth destroyed from a complete roof collapse caused by a fallen tree. There was also damage across Medina and Granger Townships but it wasn't as widespread. Many roads, including county and state routes were blocked by fallen trees and power lines. Several school districts in the county were closed on November 6th because of power outages. At the peak of the storm over 10,000 people were without power in Median County. It took a couple of days for power to be fully restored.
A tornado touched down along New London Eastern Road near Pawnee in southwestern Chatham Township. The tornado then traveled northeast for approximately 7.5 miles before dissipating along State Route 83 about three miles north of Chatham. The damage path was intermittent and approximately 250 feet in width. A new home was completely destroyed near the location of the initial touchdown. A truck nearby was thrown 500 feet by the tornado. A church and parsonage were damaged along Old Mill Road. The tornado then struck an alpaca farm along State Route 83 north of Chatham and destroyed three barns and damaged several other outbuildings. Several garages and a home were damaged elsewhere along the damage path. Over three hundred trees were knocked down and two cars destroyed.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
183,660
Population (ACS)
$287K
Median home value
14
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 |
| Sep 13, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
| Feb 15, 2005 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Sep 19, 2004 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Medina 110
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Medina County, Ohio?
522 events are on record between 1959 and 2026, causing 3 direct deaths and $45.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Medina County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 269 recorded events — 51.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Medina County?
32 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 27 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Medina County?
14 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Medina County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Medina County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Medina County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 69 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Medina 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
- Marion County 350
- Meigs County 274
- Mahoning County 433
- Mercer County 381
- Madison County 272
- Miami County 406
Cite this page
“Medina County, Ohio.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/ohio/medina-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.