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Ross County, Ohio severe weather history spans 417 recorded events between 1954 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 51.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,188 nationally and #41 in Ohio.
417
Recorded events
4
Direct deaths
18
Direct injuries
$8.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Ross County, Ohio severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Ross County, Ohio severe weather history averages 5.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 148 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 29 events fall before 1990 and 388 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Ross County, Ohio record is lightning, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $4.0M 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 Ross County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 216 | 0 | $1.4M | 74 | 1968–2025 |
| Hail | 89 | 0 | $136K | 5 | 1966–2025 |
| Flood | 52 | 1 | $31K | 0 | 2008–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 40 | 1 | $2.6M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 16 | 0 | $4.0M | F2 | 1954–2023 |
| Lightning | 4 | 2 | $80K | 0 | 1996–2005 |
Decade by decade
Ross County, Ohio severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
16 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 14 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999-10-13 | EF3 | 0 | 6 | 3.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2021-10-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1962-05-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-07-11 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-05-27 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 3.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1997-05-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 25.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1983-05-02 | EF1 | 0 | 3 | 6.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-08-24 | EF1 | 0 | 5 | 3.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1978-09-14 | EF1 | 0 | 2 | 7.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-12-26 | EF1 | 0 | 4 | 35.7 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Ross County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 30, 2005 | Lightning | CHILLICOTHE | 1 | 5 | $0 |
| Jun 12, 1996 | Lightning | FRANKFORT | 1 | 2 | $50K |
| Mar 1, 2018 | Flood | MASSIEVILLE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 4, 1996 | Flash Flood | MASSIEVILLE | 1 | 0 | $5K |
| Aug 25, 1982 | Tornado | 0 | 5 | $2.5M | |
| May 2, 1983 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $250K | |
| Oct 16, 2021 | Tornado | SOUTH SALEM | 0 | 1 | $30K |
| Sep 29, 1999 | Lightning | CHILLICOTHE | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Heavy rainfall for most of the afternoon hours caused widespread flooding across the county. Thirty six roads were closed across the county. Several culverts were washed away across the county. Three people were rescued from high water on Buckskin Creek.
The tornado initially caused damage to trees east of South Salem Cemetery and within Sunset Park. The highest intensity occurred shortly after touch down with two structures destroyed along Stewart Street. One structure, which was bolted to a concrete foundation, was lofted onto Stewart Street. The other structure had nearly all of the exterior walls collapsed. The roof was lofted and pieces were found littered along the tornado track through the town. Snapped power poles also occurred along Stewart Street. The tornado then moved southeast over Main Street with significant tree and minor structure damage observed. The tornado continued to cause tree damage and minor structure damage along Lower Twin Road before exiting South Salem to the east. The final tree damage observed was along a creek south of Lower Twin Road, where multiple trees were snapped and uprooted.
The tornado appears to have touched down near Vollmar Road. Numerous trees were knocked down in a field between Vollmar Road and Albright Mill Road and additional hardwood trees and limbs were blown down at two residences along Albright Mill Road. The roof of one of the residences also sustained damage, where part of the roof was lifted off and blown across the road. A back porch was also destroyed. Damage in this area was estimated be near 85 mph, which corresponds to a high end EF0 tornado.||Additional tree damage occurred to the east of Albright Mill Road, primarily on Egypt Pike and Cattail Road. The tornado is believed to have ended on or just east of Cattail Road as no additional damage was observed east of Cattail Road.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
76,492
Population (ACS)
$172K
Median home value
16
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 31, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Apr 8, 2019 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND LANDSLIDES | DR |
| Jun 30, 2012 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS | EM |
| Jul 13, 2011 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Sep 13, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Chillicothe 111
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Ross County, Ohio?
417 events are on record between 1954 and 2025, causing 4 direct deaths and $8.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Ross County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 216 recorded events — 51.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Ross County?
16 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 14 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Ross County?
16 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Ross County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Ross County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Ross County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 63 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Ross 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
- Richland County 559
- Sandusky County 366
- Putnam County 287
- Scioto County 537
- Preble County 330
- Seneca County 463
Cite this page
“Ross County, Ohio.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/ohio/ross-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.