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Putnam County, Ohio severe weather history spans 287 recorded events between 1954 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 55.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,851 nationally and #68 in Ohio.
287
Recorded events
4
Direct deaths
5
Direct injuries
$11.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Putnam County, Ohio severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Putnam County, Ohio severe weather history averages 4.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 81 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 45 events fall before 1990 and 242 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Putnam County, Ohio record is tornado, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $8.7M 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 Putnam County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 159 | 1 | $1.6M | 80 | 1967–2025 |
| Hail | 88 | 0 | $502K | 2 | 1962–2026 |
| Tornado | 26 | 2 | $8.7M | F3 | 1954–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 8 | 0 | $780K | 0 | 1997–2015 |
| Flood | 5 | 1 | $1K | 0 | 2000–2025 |
| Dust Devil | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2005–2005 |
Decade by decade
Putnam County, Ohio severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
29 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 21 touched down inside it and 8 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002-11-10 | EF4 | 4 | 17 | 52.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2001-10-24 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 32.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1971-06-02 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 31.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-06-02 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 39.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-04-02 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 4.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2013-11-17 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 11.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-03 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1964-06-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 8.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-04-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 15.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 2010-10-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.9 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Putnam County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 10, 2002 | Tornado | CONTINENTAL | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| Mar 11, 2009 | Flood | GLANDORF | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 19, 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | OTTAWA | 1 | 0 | $10K |
| Apr 3, 2025 | Tornado | MANDALE | 0 | 2 | $500K |
| Jun 13, 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | NORTH CREEK | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 5, 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | CONTINENTAL | 0 | 1 | $15K |
| Jul 22, 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | LEIPSIC | 0 | 1 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This tornado originated in Van Wert county and moved across Paulding county into Putnam county about 4 miles west southwest of Continental. NWS ground and aerial survey found F3 damage as the tornado entered Putnam county, striking a mobile home and killing a husband and wife. The tornado moved northeast across the northwest corner of Putnam county, quickly weakening to an F0 as it exited the county 4.5 miles north of Continental.
Flood waters from the Blanchard River, near Glandorf, caused a truck to be swept off the road on Road 15, north of Road J. Investigators believe that the driver exited the truck attempting to escape the flood water and was swept away. The body of the 74 year old male was recovered about 900 yards from the truck a few days after flood waters receded.
The tornado formed near Road 13I just south of Township Highway I and dissipated near the Firefox Lake Private Subdivision. As the tornado moved toward the Blanchard River it quickly widened to a peak width of 464 yards or just a little over a quarter of a mile. The tornado continued east before crossing the river again and quickly weakening. The most significant damage occurred along Township Highway I between Roads 13 and 13I. The tornado destroyed six outbuildings including pole barns and well built buildings constructed on a foundation. Over a half dozen homes were damaged with several sustaining major damage including the complete removal of roofs. A large amount of agricultural equipment and eleven vehicles were also damaged or destroyed with total monetary losses initially estimated at $1,200,000.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
34,314
Population (ACS)
$201K
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 |
| Aug 20, 2012 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
| Jun 30, 2012 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS | EM |
| Aug 27, 2007 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Sep 13, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Putnam County, Ohio?
287 events are on record between 1954 and 2026, causing 4 direct deaths and $11.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Putnam County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 159 recorded events — 55.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Putnam County?
29 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 21 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Putnam County?
13 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Putnam County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Putnam County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Putnam County as very low risk, placing it in the 33 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Putnam 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
- Preble County 330
- Richland County 559
- Portage County 523
- Ross County 417
- Pike County 272
- Sandusky County 366
Cite this page
“Putnam County, Ohio.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/ohio/putnam-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.