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Ottawa County, Ohio severe weather history spans 401 recorded events between 1956 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 58.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,250 nationally and #47 in Ohio.
401
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
27
Direct injuries
$70.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Ottawa County, Ohio severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Ottawa County, Ohio severe weather history averages 5.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 107 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 65 events fall before 1990 and 336 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $41.7M in reported property damage. In total, 11 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Ottawa County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 236 | 0 | $7.0M | 80 | 1956–2026 |
| Hail | 113 | 0 | $950K | 2.5 | 1957–2026 |
| Tornado | 15 | 0 | $41.7M | F2 | 1959–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 14 | 0 | $13.3M | 0 | 1996–2023 |
| Flood | 7 | 0 | $5.3M | 0 | 2006–2020 |
| Storm Surge/Tide | 6 | 0 | $2.5M | 0 | 1997–1998 |
| Lightning | 4 | 0 | $99K | 0 | 1998–2000 |
| Waterspout | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–1999 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–1997 |
| Winter Weather | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–1998 |
| Seiche | 1 | 0 | $0 | 60 | 1998–1998 |
Decade by decade
Ottawa County, Ohio severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
13 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 11 touched down inside it and 2 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-06-05 | EF4 | 7 | 28 | 8.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2023-06-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2002-11-10 | EF2 | 0 | 4 | 10.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1992-07-12 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-08-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2013-11-17 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-06-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 18.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-06-18 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-06-18 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 2.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-19 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Ottawa County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 25, 1998 | Tornado | PORT CLINTON | 0 | 13 | $20.0M |
| May 29, 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | PORT CLINTON | 0 | 5 | $20K |
| Nov 10, 2002 | Tornado | PORT CLINTON | 0 | 4 | $13.5M |
| Jun 20, 1987 | Hail | 0 | 3 | $0 | |
| Jan 13, 1998 | Winter Weather | COUNTYWIDE | 0 | 2 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A tornado touched down approximately 10 miles west of Port Clinton and just west of the Davis Bessie power plant. Winds were between 113 and 157 miles per hour. Considerable damage occurred, with some barns completely destroyed and an apartment complex heavily damaged. Sixty three homes were destroyed, 63 sustained major damage, 238 had minor damage, semi trucks and mobile homes were overturned and trees and utility poles were downed. Loss of power lines outside Davis Bessie triggered a shutdown and a second stage alert; power was out for several days in places. A state of emergency was declared and all roads were closed in the county. Many buildings were destroyed and trees were downed at Camp Perry. A tree containing an eagle's nest with 2 eaglets was blown down. One of the eaglets survived.
Most of the damage in Ottawa County was caused by straight line winds. A gust of 92 miles per hour was measured in Erie Township. Sustained winds of 70 miles per hour were measured at Port Clinton. Many trees and power lines were downed, blocking several roads. Mobile homes were flipped over, some with people inside them in Oak Harbor, and roofs were blown off of barns.
An official NWS observer measured 6.58 inches over Port Clinton on the 14th. Emergency Management estimates at least half the town experienced some form of flooding as storm sewer systems were overwhelmed. The H.B. Magruder Hospital was inundated with ankle deep flood waters. Many homes and businesses in Port Clinton observed water in their basements, garages, or into their first floors. Many residents report this to be the worse flooding since the July 4-5th storm of 1969. EMA estimated a lot of property was affected with minor flooding, very few major, and no destroyed.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
39,994
Population (ACS)
$220K
Median home value
13
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 |
| Sep 19, 2004 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Nov 18, 2002 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND TORNADOES | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Ottawa County, Ohio?
401 events are on record between 1956 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $70.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Ottawa County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 236 recorded events — 58.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Ottawa County?
13 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 Ottawa County?
13 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Ottawa County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Ottawa County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Ottawa County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 59 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Ottawa 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
- Noble County 247
- Paulding County 205
- Muskingum County 539
- Perry County 358
- Morrow County 285
- Pickaway County 340
Cite this page
“Ottawa County, Ohio.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/ohio/ottawa-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.